Yoan Moncada and Joe Kelly are headed to Chicago after being activated on Monday.
Moncada is set to play in his first game of the season against Cleveland after suffering an oblique strain at the end of Spring Training. Moncada was swinging a hot bat in Charlottle during his rehab stint. He went batted .318 with two home runs, five RBIs, and five runs scored. The White Sox have struggled to draw walks this season so Moncada will bring a breath of fresh air to the lineup.
In 2021 Moncada drew 84 walks, setting a career-high in OBP with a .375 mark. He will also bring some welcomed power to the lineup from the left-hand side. Moncada has 70 home runs since joining the team in 2017, which is the third-highest total in franchise history by a switch hitter.
Kelly was one of the White Sox free-agent acquisitions to help bolster the bullpen and figures to slide into the setup role alongside Kendall Graveman.
But as two players were added two more were lost from the roster. Aaron Bummer was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right knee strain. Bummer struggled a bit to start the season posting a 4.91 ERA in 12 games. He logged 15 strikeouts but his WHIP was a tad high at 1.73.
Jake Burger was optioned to Charlotte to make room for Yoan Moncada. Jake Burger left his fingerprints all over the early parts of the 2022 campaign.
On Friday, with the White Sox trailing 1-0, Burger lead off the ninth inning with a walk. He showed great patience as he laid off two low fastballs from Hansel Robles. The leadoff walk would spark the White Sox’s ninth-inning comeback, as he came around to score sending the game into extra innings. The White Sox would go on to score two runs in the 10th and win their fifth game in a row.
Burger was hitting .239 with two home runs and seven RBIs. The majority of his time was spent at third base where he played surprisingly good defense.
Unfortunately for Burger, he does not have the range to play second base at the moment. The also White Sox want Gavin Sheets left-handed bat on the roster.
Burger needs more at-bats and reps at third base. With Moncada on the roster, he won’t get either of those consistently. However, expect him to be back in Chicago at some point this season.
