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I'm going to take the Jack Parkman approach and assume that Eloy is actually out for three years now.

as the sacrificial lamb? I will see myself out.

2 days ago he lined a foul ball off his shin and on the next pitch hit the ball 450 feet. Seems pretty tough to me.

LOL. I'm with you. I expect the sox to go 2-160 this year, I figure they'll beat the Royals once and the Tigers once. Maybe I can see 3 wins with one against Baltimore...

Can we stop with all the suggestions that Moncada is soft? In the last three seasons, he has basically played the same number of games as Tim Anderson (actually a few more). And he seemed to have toughed it out last year while dealing with COVID. Moncada appears to have elite level athleticism, but he couldn't even run the bases last year without being totally gassed. From me, he actually gets credit for toughing it out, even when he couldn't put up 2019-type numbers. But that's just me, and doesn't mean Lamb isn't useful depth.

How do you get through life being so pessimistic?

You're wrong. They're a borderline playoff team without Eloy. Fangraphs has them at 84 wins and I'd say that's about right, plus or minus a a few.

For all you guys using Eloy's injury to justify all the complaints you been making all spring is just total BS: The owner is too cheap; Hahn's an idiot; LaRussa's too old and a idiot for playing Vaughn in LF or for other reasons. . . or Why didn't we get more depth, especially at starting pitching . . . or Why is our drafting (or if you please, spending money on Latin players) and minor league development so terrible? The bottom line is the White Sox are World Series contenders, without Eloy or if he returns, the Sox are still World Series contenders; and I said this before, that's all you can realistically and reasonably ask of ownership and management. First of all, can we quit calling Eloy an idiot and implying he should be fined for trying to make that catch? Every ballplayer in that situation is gonna try to make that catch; that's the kind of catch that gets you on the Sports Center highlights for that night. Of course he's gonna go after it; anyone would. A player in the minors or majors; any high school or college player; hell, I'm in my 60's and in my softball league, I'd have gone after it. He was at the fence, had his right hand on the fence and had it measured. He's gonna go after it. I have no idea how he got hurt. I guess he is just made of glass, but it's absolutely crazy to tell him he can't play left field or any where because he might get hurt. He's been hurt running the bases; he's been hurting celebrating, he could choke tonight eating chicken. Should he never run the bases, or celebrate, or eat chicken. You guys are letting your disappointment get the better of you and attacking a player who was doing his best to try to improve and win. You can't play sports worrying about getting hurt. It's a sports cliche, but it is a cliche because it's true: The fastest way to get injured is by playing not to get injured. Plus, I wonder why Eloy might want to make that play; why would making a catch like that, even in ST, be so important to him? Hummm? Would it be he was trying to shut up, at least for a while, his critics who bash him LF play on this board and now in the press? You think that might have played into why he wanted to bring back that ball so badly?? Of course it did. Next, on to the injury thing, again can we stop the over-worrying about injuries. Now people are saying that Vaughn shouldn't play LF because might get injured or even more stupid, he might get Robert injured. He might, but he could and Robert could get injured in a myriad number of ways. Do we wrap them in bubble wrap and sit them on the bench? You try to put the best team on the field to give you the best chance to win. You guys using this as a complaint, it's just stupid. You're disappointed and pissed off about Eloy's injury, so you're gonna find anything possibly to b**** about. I think Vaughn in LF is a good move. We give up some defense to try the best way possible to make up for the lost offense. Plus, all you guys bitching about Eloy's terrible defense, can't tell me that Vaughn is gonna be that much worse. All you guys, the entire point of you complaints was that Eloy was barely better than a little leaguer (you know, like what you used to say about Avi Garcia in RF). For all you guys, and there are many of you, who have been saying that, how can Vaughn would be that much worse. Again, you're just bitchin' to b**** because you're upset and pissed off. Next, the drafting and Latin player development thing. If we ever needed them, it really looks (and I know it's only ST) like our draft choices are really starting to come through more than they ever have, and again, when we really needed them. Rodon has looked great. Collins has looked great and that's why Vaughn can play in LF. And then there's Vaughn; he's looking rather above average. So, I think that management has done of pretty good job of drafting and having player ready to contribute. Robert and Abreu as example of good Latin players? All the complaining about not getting another starter. I think the funniest, most ironic poster on this board is the guy that keep complaining about Dylan Cease, how he has no control and is walking too many. What has Cease given up this ST? I think it's one run. I liked the post where the guy compared Cease to Musgrove after people where complaining about not getting him; that was pretty funny. And you're right; Rodon, we can't depend on hit; he has been a total fail so far. In reality, he's looking a lot better than our 5th pitcher. Now I know Rodon still could get hurt and Cease could go all to hell. But right now, the "we need to sign more pitching depth" complaint looks pretty sad. To me, I think it's our starting pitching (let us pray on avoiding injuries) that's going to compensate for the lose of Eloy. And if we do get a starting pitcher injured, if only we had some one or some two like Kopech and Crochet to fill in as a starter (another failed and not developed draft choice). I posted a message with this same message about a month ago. The complaining on this site is ridiculous and petty. Please get you emotions and disappointment under control. Again, we have a World Series contender. Yes, losing Eloy really hurts, but look at our line up; it's still amazing: Moncada, Anderson, Abreu, Robert, Vaughn, Grandal; put that with Madrigal and Eaton and Collins and the White Sox are going to score a lot of runs, a lot of runs; and with our starting pitching and bullpen. There's no reasonable way to deny that the Sox are still very much a World Series contender. But if all you did was read this message board the last few days with all the bitching and complaining, you'd never know it.

I like Jake Lamb. Always have. I almost posted this the other day when he got released. I bet he could play LF, he's a very good 3B. If anything, it proves some insurance for when Yoan stubs his toe and acts like his foot needs to be amputated.

As he should have. All we are saying Is give Yerm a chance

Maybe some people just don't want to bet against their favorite team? I for one think the under is a decent play but I'd never bet against the sox as baseball is about enjoyment and not profits. I'd rather bet on the things I believe will happen that are good (Tim for MVP and Vaughn for ROY). Why people constantly attack people that don't praise the white sox on this site ill never understand. The organization itself is one of the most embarrassing in all of professional sports when evaluating existence vs wins/titles/playoff appearances. You can enjoy baseball and the team while also accepting that reality. Benefit of the doubt is earned not given.

Just as you know I can’t find someone who has said publicly that he can catch, I know that you can’t find me proof that anyone has written him off as a catcher either... And to the bold- so he hasn’t proven anything, but you’re also completely unwilling to let him have a chance to prove himself? And for Jonathan Lucroy? Makes 0 sense to me, but to each their own...

Collin’s inability to catch is greatly over exaggerated IMO. It was the narrative starting his career and people refuse to get off of it and acknowledge that he has indeed improved. We just need him to be average-above average in his limited time behind the plate and I don’t see any evidence that he can’t be. I know he’s not going to be a positive defensively, but you act like he’s going to hurt the team every time he catches and I just don’t agree.

Or maybe they just found out that he’s completely washed up and not deserving of a major league roster spot? The rest of the league has seemed to agree for 2+ years now...

96 hours until Tim Anderson shoots a base hit into right field.

I would think so. It's a very aggressive timeline having to reattach a muscle. It's always possible that there was so much edema in the area that they didn't get good imaging and now that it has gone down they got better pictures.

Calling out people for "overworrying" about injuries when one of our best hitters suffered a likely season ending injury before the season even started seems like a strange position to take. We have no depth. I understand some people being annoyed by constant pessimism but excessive optimism or lack of realism is just as annoying. People insisting on being optimistic just for the sake of it are puzzling. At least our concerns are valid. When you have to literally use, "Well, *insert best case scenario here* COULD happen!" as a pick up you are just proving our point. It's easier to accept something as it is than pray for it to be something it's not very likely to be. This team is still going to have a lot of problems, Eloy's injury ASIDE, even.

I have not seen anything concrete to suggest he’s soft. Theatrical? Maybe. But not soft.

In other words, you’re affirmin’ you’re not confirmin’ squirming’ for Yermin?

Holy crap, could Hector be right? I'm dumbfounded. Maybe we will get Cruz afterall!

Updated title post of this thread as that sounds like news.

Kenny definitely watched Moneyball on Netflix during quarantine.

He's a vet catcher and non-roster invitee. At the plate, I don't know but he he's a better catcher than Collins and Mercedes.

Hector is the kiss of death to any rumor.

Y'all, it's Hector.

This is the saddest line I've ever read from a White Sox fan. You've been stockholm syndrome'd. Is a Wild Card contender a World Series contender? Yeah, technically. Is that all you can realistically and reasonably ask of ownership? The White Sox payroll right now is about $121,000,000, which is 15th in the MLB and almost exactly league average. Exactly ten years ago, it was $127,000,000. Is that what the fans earned for dealing with four years of bottom five payrolls? To get back up to league average? While literally DOZENS of useful veterans signed one-year deals at positions where the White Sox needed depth? Is this what Hahn meant when he said "the money will be spent?" No, what you're witnessing here is utter BULLSHIT. Before the Sox embarked on this rebuild, we complained that the FO kept telling us it had a contender every year, when we could all see that it was only a contender if absolutely EVERYTHING went right. Now, on the other end of the rebuild, we are in EXACTLY THE SAME POSITION. After years of collecting money with ~$50m payrolls, the Sox have chosen to watch AFFORDABLE players they need sign elsewhere rather than finish a paper thin roster that comes in at 15th in payroll. There is no way to spin this as okay. This is an absolutely textbook bait and switch and it's EXACTLY what people are talking about when they complain about rich owners not giving a shit about their fans.

(First post, been around various boards since 2001, last place folded) Our company launched a program where employees can sign up to get the shots because many of us are "essential" due to being customer facing and in the field. Keep an eye out if anybody here is in a similar work environment. I'd imagine the size of the company means something as well. And I think it extends to purely office personnel as well. Maybe it's a "since we're here, might as well" kind of deal.

It's even better to realize it's just entertainment and doesn't truly change your life either way. Just enjoy the games and the season. Its baseball, the most enjoyable and fun game around.

Why are you trying to anger the baseball gods with this diatribe? It’s way too early to say we have enough depth when we’ve already lost two OFs (one possibly being our best hitter) and a RP for extended periods of time. For now, we should all just be crossing our fingers and hoping for the best while enjoying some White Sox baseball...absolutely no reason to be tempting fate.

I'm sad to see Lucroy fail to make the cut. This is going to hurt our pitching staff. I'm excited to see Collins get a shot. He deserves it. The Sox fucked up not giving him a better opportunity earlier on, but it is what it is. I am very hopeful for him. I think he has a chance, and I think he's a better player than the prospect people having been making him out to be for a long time. More than anything, I am really rooting for Collins to have a great year. If he does, it should prompt the Sox to try to dump Grandal over the winter. Since Collins' ceiling is really a player a lot like Grandal anyway, if Collins could develop into a backup C/backup 1B/part time DH LH power bat, that really helps the Sox out in so many ways going forward. Few baseball-related things would make me happier than seeing the Sox dump Grandal's contract over the offseason and pick up a better C option, even if Collins would be splitting the time down the middle.

He really wasn't. You can manipulate small sample sizes to make a point. He has less than 60 PA's against RHP last year. Against RHP, He struck out 28% of the time and walked 3% of the time. If his BABIP wasn't .380, he'd be awful. He has a sub 600 OPS against RHP in his career.

Leave it to the White Sox to do something weird

That is literally the worst way to live life. Who are you kenwo?

Lamb can still play 3rd. They aren't moving Moncada to LF to make room for Jake Lamb. Lamb is an insurance to Moncada injury (becuase honestly, it was Mendick otherwise, and literally no one else). My guess is Lamb will be picking up an OF glove and may see some reps in LF if he makes the roster.

Lot of ink spilled these past couple months debating who out of Vaughn, Collins, and Mercedes who make the OD roster. Crazy to think here we are and they're ALL making it. No one could have predicted that.

I would be a proponent of him using Thugonomics for the rest of the season

Lucroy released. Congrats to Yermin. Bench- Garcia, Hamilton, Lamb, Mercedes Looks like it's just down to Ruiz or Turley

I am going to be my usual overly-optimistic self. I think it's gonna be Engel. He's going to take over there the second or so week of April and make the Sox wonder if they ever want to move him out of there. I think he's going to go there, and of course, play great defense. Also, I think he is going to be surprisingly solid with his bat: Hitting around .275 and about 15 or so home runs, moving guys over on the bases, bunting, and stealing bases.

I don't really think Lucroy makes any sense. They'd have to clear a spot to add him and they already need spots for Vaughn, Lamb and Hamilton. Collins is the backup catcher and Grandal will likely DH when he's catching. Yermin has more power on the bench. I also don't believe Lucroy has an opt-out so this makes sense. I just didn't see them doing it.

We must listen to what Hector Gomez has to say.

I would stay away from Fabian track record of striking out over 30% in the college ranks is horrible with the transition to the pro level. I wouldn’t touch him.

Hmmm. Seems hard to believe as I would imagine Collins and Lucroy are ahead of him on the pecking order. Carrying 4 catchers? Doubt it. I guess they could cut Lucroy, but with Collins and Yermin both iffy at best receivers, seems unlikely.

Seriously need to stop quoting Hector Gomez. But...with how little we have seen of Lucroy...it would make sense that Yermin makes it. Although I'd rather have Lucroy.

And I feel like this happened last year when it was really just about him making the Schaumburg group or 3 group fo traveling players? But if he did make it, what a cool story. Reminds me a bit of our own Astudillo, just this longtime minor league guy who bounced around, did some things extraordinarily well but didn't look or fit the part of the whole job. That's cool. Baseball is cool.Here's to Yermin hitting the 35 day mark and getting the mlb pension.

And all the world will rejoice.

I didn't see this posted but I would think a torn pec ligament would be a pretty open and closed case, wonder what would lead to getting a second opinion.

Greg - a few hours later still ticking from my moderna. Such an awesome feeling getting that shot. Don’t think I’ve ever had such a big smile for getting a need injected in me.