The White Sox haven't released their Opening Day roster yet, but one of the position battles has been resolved, and another one roped in a guy who was completely off the board.
At catcher, Zack Collins won the backup catcher job, so much so that Jonathan Lucroy asked for and was granted his release. It's possible that Eloy Jiménez's injury also changed the White Sox's calculations for the job, because Yermín Mercedes has reportedly made the roster as well to provide Tony La Russa more offensive options.
Collins' addition could be expected, and Mercedes didn't quite register as a long shot himself. The out-of-nowhere addition is Jake Lamb.
Lamb had been competing for a job with the Atlanta Braves, but lost out on the backup corner infielder job to Pablo Sandoval.
At his peak, Lamb hit 59 homers and posted a 113 OPS+ for the Diamondbacks across the 2016-17 seasons. He injured his shoulder in April of 2018, and hasn't been the same since, although he had a brief resurgence with Oakland last year.
He doesn't fill a need on the depth chart, because he's only logged time at third and first base over his MLB career. Then again, outfield experience is no longer a prerequisite for White Sox left fielders, Lamb does hit left-handed, and he overlapped with Tony La Russa during La Russa's time as the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chief Baseball Officer, so those would theoretically be the reasons why he's here. Also, the White Sox don't have much in the way of help if Yoán Moncada were to miss time, God forbid.
Should Billy Hamiton also make the Opening Day cut, then he, Andrew Vaughn and Lamb would all need spots on the 40-man roster, which would explain why official word is delayed. Eloy Jiménez would open one by going to the 60-day injured list, and the out-of-options José Ruiz would be another candidate.
(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire)
