When Adam Engel and Andrew Vaughn returned from the injured list, the White Sox seemed like they'd finally have a full complement of players to solve right field, with Engel heading the efforts if his body would just cooperate.
Instead, the Sox are somehow down two outfielders within the week. Engel hasn't played since the second game of Thursday's doubleheader thanks to soreness in his legs, and now Brian Goodwin just went on the injured list with back spasms, with Matt Foster taking his place.
As a result, the White Sox are starting Andrew Vaughn in right field in the finale against righty Triston McKenzie, among other less-optimal assignments like "Gavin Sheets at first instead of José Abreu," and "Billy Hamilton instead of Luis Robert."
Goodwin is in the middle of an 0-for-17 slump that has sent his OPS crashing to .693. He was last seen grounding into a force at home with the bases loaded, which is also the last time we saw Engel as a baserunner, easing up across the plate.
It'd be great if the White Sox could get the first-half version of Goodwin back, but after 47 games of Second-Half Goodwin hitting .193/.298/.290, it's an unsound bet. The problem is that everybody else involved with right field looks equally iffy.
*Adam Engel: He's been on the injured list for at least part of every month in 2021, and October could complete the set.
*Andrew Vaughn: He's theoretically back after his own back injury, but he poses the same problem as an available Goodwin, hitting just .116/.218/.159 over his last 20 games. He's been a non-factor in high-leverage situations.
*Leury García: He's also a non-factor in high-leverage situations, but more than that, he might be needed at second base due to the uninspiring play of César Hernández.
*Gavin Sheets: He provides the most threatening presence at the plate against right-handed pitching, but he can be pitched to, and his defense makes Robert work even harder in center. Besides, he might be needed at DH.
*Romy González: He struck out in 33 percent of his plate appearances and had trouble getting the ball off the ground in his first cup of coffee, so postseason at-bats seem like too tall an order for somebody who has already overachieved enough for one year.
*Micker Adolfo: He's hitting .252/.310/.538 in Charlotte after hitting .249/.318/.525 in Birmingham, so it stands to reason that he can post that line at any level, right?
We're looking at a mixture of Vaughn, Sheets and García based on the handedness of the pitcher and any acute needs elsewhere, but the situation is ragged enough that Adolfo isn't the craziest thought. In a season where so many desperate call-ups have provided a magical two weeks, such a fortnight for Adolfo would take care of matters through the ALDS.
(Photo by Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports)
