Oscar Colas’ tenure with the White Sox has not gone as planned. The 25-year-old has struggled to find consistent playing time at the major league level, after being just one of 25 international signees to crack MLB Top 100 prospect list heading into the 2023 season.
Colas was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte once again on Sunday after Eloy Jimenez was reinstated from the injured list. Colas only appeared in just 12 games since joining the club on June 1st. During that stretch, he went 9 for 32 with four RBIs and posted a .660 OPS.
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol explained the decision to send Colas back to the minor leagues as a “numbers game”, but credited the outfielder for making improvements. According to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Grifol told Colas to “Go down there, keep doing what you’re doing, perform and get ready.”
“He just ran into a numbers game as far as playing. There’s no reason to keep him here if he’s not playing,” Grifol explained.
After Colas made his MLB debut in 2023, he was criticized by general manager Chris Getz and Grifol after slashing just .216/.257/.314 with five home runs and 19 RBIs before getting sent down just six days before his 25th birthday.
At the time Grifol said he needed there were some “reoccurring mistakes” that he wanted to see cleaned up while Getz went as far as to say Colas needed to “completely clean up his whole game”.
Instead of allowing him to compete for the right field job in 2024, the front office buried him on the depth chart by adding Rafael Ortega, Mark Payton, Brett Phillps, and Kevin Pillar to minor league deals. Getz then doubled down on his lack of faith in Colás by trading for Dominic Fletcher and Zach DeLoach, who like Colas are both left-handed bats. To add insult to injury the team signed Tommy Pham after the start of the season.
Colas will likely get another opportunity with the White Sox after the trade deadline. All signs point to Pham getting traded. The White Sox are also seeking a trade partner for Eloy Jimenez, which will free up more playing time for Colas.
However, it’s fair to wonder if Colas’s development has already been hindered by the organization. After getting three hits on June 13th against the Mariners, Grifol only used him in two twice in the next ten days. Early in the season was frequently passed over when opportunities for a call-up emerged. Seeing that it is a lost season, you would think the front office would be giving Colas as many opportunities as they can to evaluate if he can be a part of their future. In 13 games with the White Sox, he is batting .273.
Now that Colas has been sent down to Charlotte he should see some more consistent playing time. The Cuban outfielder is slashing .244/.358/.406 with five home runs and 21 RBIs with the Knights this season. But the clock is ticking. Colas is nearly 26 years old, and the White Sox are going to have to make a decision on him soon. A change of scenery may be beneficial for both parties but it is unlikely a team is willing to give up much for Colas at this point.
