White Sox Lose Hot Bat As Benintendi Hits IL
A struggling White Sox offense has just lost one of its hottest bats. On Wednesday, the White Sox announced that they had placed Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list with a left adductor strain and recalled outfielder Greg Jones from Triple-A Charlotte.
Benintendi was already nursing a right-hand injury after being struck by a pitch in Spring Training. After missing a couple of weeks of Cactus League play with a non-displaced fracture, he was able to suit up for Opening Day with a brace over his right hand.
However, on Saturday, he was pulled from the lineup after two at-bats against the Tigers, with Nick Maton taking over designated hitter duties. Maton was back in the lineup as DH on Sunday while Benintendi sat on the bench after initially being listed as day-to-day by the team.
Losing Benintendi is a big blow. The 30-year-old outfielder leads the White Sox in eight offensive categories, including: hits (9), batting average (.290), home runs (2), RBIs (6), runs scored (5), on base percentage (.333), slugging percentage (.484) and OPS (.817). Currently, the White Sox rank 28th in the MLB in runs scored and 27th in slugging percentage.
His absence leaves the White Sox with Luis Robert Jr., Austin Slater, Mike Tauchman, and Michael A. Taylor as the primary outfielders to fill the void. Tauchman and Taylor are the most likely candidates to take over in left field.
Jones, a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2019 draft out of UNC Wilmington, has appeared in just six MLB games—all last season with the Colorado Rockies. However, he made the most of his six plate appearances, connecting for a home run for his first and only MLB hit. The 27-year-old spent the bulk of last season with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque, slashing .269/.346/.460 with 16 homers, 42 RBIs and 46 stolen bases.
The White Sox added Jones to the mix after DFAing Oscar Colas in March. Jones has some versatility with the ability to play all three outfield positions and the middle infield. Last season, he appeared in 62 games in center field, 14 at shortstop, and eight at second base for Triple-A Albuquerque before spending five games in right field for the Rockies.
In five minor league seasons, he owns a career .266/.347/.442 slash line with 49 homers, and 182 RBIs.