Eloy Jimenez sits, Oscar Colas gets pulled from the Knights’ game last Saturday and didn't play on Sunday, and White Sox nation connects the dots and anticipates an IL stint and a related call-up.
The White Sox are off till Tuesday, so we may have to wait a bit longer for an answer. Regardless, it begs the questions: Why Oscar? Why not Haseley? What about Billy Hamilton? And what about the forgotten man in Charlotte, Victor Reyes? And what happens to Clint Frazier? Or perhaps Gavin Sheets?
It promises to be yet another fascinating week in White Sox roster management.
Hamilton has spent a week in Charlotte on rehab but let’s be realistic: once Billy’s hamstring is good to go, so is he. It isn’t like he needs to get his swing back.
Haseley and Colas are the two easy choices as both are on the 40-man roster. But Reyes may be the best option of the three as the former Tiger leads the Knights in hits, home runs and RBIs. There’s probably a decent chance that Haseley would clear waivers if the Sox wanted to open a spot for Reyes.
Colas would be a fascinating decision given that the White Sox are just a handful of games out of first place and still playing meaningful games. A call-up would suggest the White Sox think Colas has fixed his plate discipline issues enough to be an asset. But the Sox continue to struggle for offense and can’t afford another unproductive bat in the line-up now any more than they could when Oscar opened the season on the roster.
Since his demotion, Colas is hitting .290, with 17 walks and 27 strikeouts in 124 at bats.
Cronin Shines As Knights Flounder
It was an awful week in Atlanta for the Knights, with inconsistent pitching and a suddenly anemic offense.
The exception was Declan Cronin, who made three appearances for a total of four innings, with one hit, no runs or walks, and two strikeouts.
On the year, the 25-year-old righty has steadily improved. He was hit hard in April, but held opponents to a .171 average in May. Control remained an issue in May, however, as he issued six walks over 9.1 innings.
But he has made four appearances in June, totalling six innings, with only three hits, no walks or runs, and five strikeouts.
The Knights’ Chances For A .500 Season Take A Hit
The squad rolled into Atlanta just one game under .500 and faced a Gwinnett team that was nine games under. But the roof fell in and the team lost five of six. The Knights now head to Durham, where winning has always been a tall task.
This could be an inflextion point in the season, and not in a good way. But the Knights’ ever-changing starting rotation still offers a competitive path forward.
Nate Fisher and Jesse Scholtens have been keeping the Knights in games in most of their starts, and Garrett Davila, just up from Birmingham four starts ago, has been a pleasant surprise as well.
Sean Burke is also a fixture in the rotation, and he’s slowly improving. But he’s yet to dominate an opponent for long stretches and still seems to find himself navigating around a lot of hits and walks.
John Parke is the final member of the rotation, having just returned from almost two months on the IL, and is still shaking off the rust.
Meanwhile, one former starter, Daniel Ponce de Leon, has been released, and another, Luke Farrell, has been moved to the pen.
