Right fielder Adam Eaton led off in the 6-2 victory over the Rangers, followed by shortstop Jimmy Rollins, first baseman Jose Abreu, third baseman Todd Frazier, left fielder Melky Cabrera, designated hitter Avisail Garcia, second baseman Brett Lawrie, center fielder Austin Jackson and catcher Alex Avila.“That’s going to be the guys,” Manager Robin Ventura said. The White Sox roster started looking more clear after a series of moves on Tuesday morning.
Ventura stated that they will break camp with 12 pitchers, and that outfielder J.B. Shuck, will make the Opening Day roster. The Sox optioned infielders Matt Davidson, Leury Garcia and Carlos Sanchez and right-hander Tommy Kahnle to Triple-A Charlotte. Davidson and Sanchez were the two most significant cuts Tuesday. After two tough seasons at Charlotte, Davidson went 19-for-46 with five home runs, nine RBIs, one walk and nine strikeouts this spring. Davidson’s play was encouraging to the Sox, as he hit 5 home runs this spring. Sanchez played in 120 games, mostly at second base in 2015. But the Sox added middle infielders Lawrie and Rollins this year, and they like Tyler Saladino‘s defensive skills at shortstop and in a utility role. He was cut the day after hitting two homers against the Rockies. They also assigned outfielder Jason Coats to minor-league camp. With 31 players in camp, that leaves two roster spots up for grabs.
Granted that White Sox General Manager, Rick Hahn, doesn’t pull off a move before opening day, Jerry Sands and Travis Ishikawa will remain as the club’s two options for the 25th man and backup first baseman. However, a trade does remain a possibility, as the Sox have $13 million saved from Adam LaRoche’s unexpected retirement during camp. Ventura said the team would make the final moves during the team’s exhibition series in San Diego on Friday and Saturday.
Ventura also confirmed the starting rotation will be Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, Carlos Rodon, Mat Latos and John Danks. The bullpen will consist of right-hander David Robertson, Nate Jones, Jake Petricka, Zach Putnam and Matt Albers and lefties Zach Duke and Dan Jennings. The Sox will go without an extra bullpen arm, although a long reliever was a consideration given questions surrounding starters Danks and Latos. Hahn said with only one off day in April and a stretch of 19 straight games, they still may decide to dip into the minor-league pitching pool at some point.
The White Sox need guys who had off years last year to step up and produce. Cabrera, Garcia and Eaton will need to be consistent from the get go. The defense is also better thanks to Frazier and the addition of Jackson in the outfield. The improved defense and a better structured bullpen will hopefully salvage some wins that the team found themselves blowing many times over the past two years. It’s imperative for this team to not get off to their usual slow start. If the White Sox find themselves around .500 for the first two months of the season, reinforcements in 2015 first draft pick, Carson Fulmer, are available to help the rotation; and the front office can use the $13 million hole to fill a void in the lineup.
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