In the hours after I posted an updated, unsatisfying outlook for a potential White Sox Opening Day bullpen, a number of new developments further clouded the picture.
*Bailey Horn was reassigned to minor-league camp, removing one of the potential candidates on the 40-man roster.
*Prelander Berroa is dealing with an arm issue after experiencing discomfort and diminished velocity in his one-third of an inning on Monday, which could take another 40-man member out of the running.
*Jimmy Lambert will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a second opinion about his shoulder after it failed to respond to the 10-14 day shutdown, so his lack of options may not be a factor.
*John Brebbia ... is scheduled for two live bullpens this week. So there's some good news after all.
None of this touches the five relievers who seemed best positioned to break camp with the team -- Brebbia, Tim Hill, Garrett Crochet, Tanner Banks and Deivi García -- but it creates an even wider lane for Jordan Leasure, along with a more forgiving environment for the veteran relievers trying to recover from miserable starts. For instance, if Lambert's shoulder sidelines him for more than a month, he could be placed on the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man vacancy without a DFA. (There's also the chance of bringing 40-man options back into play, because previously re-assigned relievers can be re-assigned once more.)
Lenyn Sosa cut
The White Sox made one more roster move today, and it didn't involve Dylan Cease or Michael Lorenzen. Instead, the Sox optioned Lenyn Sosa to minor-league camp, reducing the number of players on the major-league side to an even 50.
Sosa made pretty good use of the limited playing time he'd received, going 4-for-13 with two walks, two strikeouts, and a homer that he hit on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the best production among the remaining utility infielder candidates wasn't enough to keep him in the race for a spot on the Opening Day bench.
| Player | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braden Shewmake | 27 | .240 | .259 | .360 | 0 | 5 |
| Danny Mendick | 25 | .167 | .200 | .250 | 1 | 9 |
| Zach Remillard | 21 | .222 | .300 | .611 | 0 | 6 |
| Lenyn Sosa | 15 | .308 | .400 | .538 | 2 | 2 |
The three remaining infielders all possess at least one advantage over the others. Shewmake is the only one on the 40-man roster, Mendick has the superior MLB track record, and Remillard bunted a lot for Pedro Grifol last year. Who can say which argument holds the most water?
Lucas Giolito cut (into)
Lucas Giolito was able to minimize the bad news by avoiding a second Tommy John surgery, but he's still expected to miss the 2024 season after going the internal brace route to repair his ulnar collateral ligament.
The internal brace has been an emerging treatment for small ligament tears, and the Boston Globe provided a helpful history and explanation of the procedure last season. Because there are no holes to drill in bone, and there isn't a tendon that needs to learn how to be a ligament, the recovery time is considerably shorter. A second Tommy John surgery could have sidelined Giolito until the middle of the 2025 season, but he should have plenty of time to prepare for Opening Day provided he experiences no setbacks.
PERTINENT: Lucas Giolito's elbow injury puts extension decision in different light
In other name-brand starter news, Gerrit Cole is expected to miss 1-2 months with some sort of an elbow issue. The Yankees are not yet calling it a UCL tear, but he's expected to follow Lambert in a trip to ElAttrache's office, and the results of that opinion could push the Yankees further down the path of acquiring a starter from outside.
