Reynaldo López's absence was felt in Colorado, as the White Sox played a couple of close games with four innings for the bullpen to cover in each of them. Alas, he wasn't available, and he will continue to be unavailable after the White Sox placed him on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain.
López had only made one appearance in the second half, losing the lead to Cleveland in the seventh inning of a game the White Sox rallied to win last Saturday. López only threw 11 pitches, but the limited sample had him topping out at 96.8 mph, which is notably less than he's shown in situations where he's called upon to end a mess.
That removes one more candidate for high-leverage appearances in situations where calling upon Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly and/or Liam Hendriks could be unwise. It's good news for Jimmy Lambert, and less-good news for everybody who prefers being pleasantly surprised by Jimmy Lambert, rather than in the position to rely on him.
The corresponding roster move will be announced today. I thought the delay might've been to add an off-roster type like Zach Muckenhirn to the 40-man, but he pitched along with eight other relievers Thursday night.
Update: Davis Martin is back on the 26-man roster, but the Sox did clear a 40-man roster spot by outrighting Parker Markel.
Prior to tonight’s series opener vs. Oakland, the #WhiteSox recalled right-handed pitcher Davis Martin from Class AAA Charlotte and outrighted right-hander Parker Markel to Charlotte.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 29, 2022
Tyler Naquin had generated some mild interest among White Sox fans who sought a left-handed bat who can damage right-handed pitching and play a corner outfield spot as though it's his natural position.
Alas, he's heading to the New York Mets, who acquired Naquin and left-handed reliever Phillip Diehl from Cincinnati on Thursday for a pair of low-minors prospects, 19-year-old righty Jose Acuña and 18-year-old second baseman Hector Rodríguez. Looking at Rodríguez's game log, he seems like he's starting to build an intriguing résumé, similar to José Rodríguez during his first full year stateside back in 2019. The White Sox don't have that kind of player right now.
Naquin would've been better than nothing, but others are better than Naquin. There are almost five full days left, and aside from Andrew Benintendi, shocking few players have moved in what's turning out to be a rather procrastinatory trade period.
I'm a bigger fan of Arizona's David Peralta, and the White Sox were listed among his possible suitors by MLB.com's Mark Feinsaid:
9) David Peralta, D-backs LFPeralta’s value is simple: he hits right-handed pitching extremely well. His .830 OPS against righties this season makes him a legitimate left field/DH platoon candidate, and some of the league’s contenders have struggled against right-handers this season. The 34-year-old is in the final year of his three-year, $22 million extension, so he’s owed less than $3 million for the remainder of the season.
Potential landing spots: Padres, Rays, White Sox
