Catching up on a few items I couldn't quite get to while finishing up the arrival of FutureSox...
Lance Lynn
If you go back and think about the last couple months of the 2021 season, Lance Lynn could say he was healthy enough to shed the designation of "injured," but he never proved that he was all the way back to being Lance Lynn.
Lynn averaged 5⅓ innings and 85 pitches over his last four starts, all of which were on extra rest. The Sox could maintain that they were being cautious thanks to the huge divisional lead, and Lynn's workload might've looked exactly the same even if he had the knees of a 20-year-old. Throw in a disappointing postseason start against a team that has a history of hammering his array of fastballs, and there was no way to detect the degree of discomfort from context alone. Lynn wasn't going to provide any cues from his quotes, either.
So when he hopped off the mound and dragged himself toward the dugout on Saturday night, at least we got some clarity out of the matter. Lynn will undergo surgery to repair a slightly torn knee tendon, which will cost him four weeks, and then he'll be starting spring training over again, which is another four weeks.
Now that Lynn has no choice but to admit, he's taking the fatalistic approach as well.
Between Lynn's absence, Michael Kopech's reintroduction to starting and general Dallas Keuchel wariness, Reynaldo López and Vince Velasquez will have their hands full early. Hey, at least Tony La Russa was able to name Lucas Giolito his Opening Day starter without any hurt feelings.
PERTINENT: Lance Lynn's knee won't be ignored
REESE MCGUIRE
Likewise, the backup catching situation gained similar clarity when the White Sox acquired the out-of-options Reese McGuire from the Blue Jays. McGuire was named the No. 2 catcher behind Yasmani Grandal before he could even report to camp.
Rick Hahn's description of McGuire indirectly highlighted all of the skills the incumbents failed to bring to the table.
“Reese McGuire is a player we’ve targeted for a while,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “We view him as a very strong defensive backstop, solid on framing and lateral movement as well as catching and throwing and handling a game plan and managing a pitching staff.
“[He is] someone we view as a nice addition. Good complement to Yas, and someone we look forward to arriving here in the next couple of days before we head out.”
McGuire will only have a couple of days to learn the staff before the season. Glass half empty, McGuire faces a steep in-season learning curve to build a rapport with pitchers. Glass half full, the White Sox staff can temporarily go without the idea of a personal catcher, giving all arms a fresh start with Grandal.
PERTINENT: White Sox land true backup catcher, acquire Reese McGuire for Zack Collins
Andrew Vaughn
While it appeared that Andrew Vaughn might have to open his season with a rehab stint, he managed to return to the lineup ahead of schedule on Sunday. He played the whole game as a DH, going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts from the ninth spot.
The White Sox originally had him out for one to two weeks, but Vaughn said he was back to feeling like himself after two days. Tony La Russa joked about sending Vaughn to the penalty box for embellishment.
“He’s moving around terrific,” manager Tony La Russa said. “I reprimanded him for that act he put on that had us worried it was much more serious. He smiled. I would have never guessed he would be playing today. Tough guy, strong guy.”
The White Sox aren't yet playing Vaughn in consecutive games, as he's out of the lineup in today's afternoon tilt against the Cubs, but he's still in play when it comes to the bigger picture. In the meantime, the White Sox optioned Anderson Severino and Romy González to minor league camp, leaving 34 players for 28 spots.
