ChiSoxTrojan

It doesn't help that Romy has looked so awful at the plate.

Agreed, or maybe reversed (Sosa at 3B and Romy at 2B) if they're more comfortable at those positions. I think Sosa has a bit more experience at 3B than Romy. Hopefully once Moncada gets back, Sosa gets most of the 2B reps.

Benintendi leading off, Sheets hitting 3rd, Burger at 3B and Romy at 2B. https://twitter.com/soxmachine_josh/status/1645878811941109760?s=20

If Robert were to miss any time, I would want Haseley, not Hamilton in CF. Nobody wants to see Hamilton taking 4 at bats in a game.

If you do that, you're probably DFA'ing Hamilton in 10 days when Moncada returns.

I know it's early, but Sosa has 7 walks in 9 games at AAA (19.4%). That's a pleasant surprise for a guy who has always had low walk rates.

It’s by far the most expensive bullpen in MLB history, and it makes no sense. Another relic of the La Russ’s era.

Why did it have to be Diekman? Is it one of the new rules that you have to bring in a LH reliever to face a LH hitter?

I'm on the record saying that Sheets should get at least 2 starts/week at 1B against RHP. I didn't expect it so soon, but given the opposing pitcher it's the right call.

He did brush up against the wall on the missed pop-up, it was apparently enough to make him miss the ball. More likely Grifol is being cautious with a guy who was having back issues just a week ago, it's best to ease him in.

The Astros don't have any LH relievers on their roster.

Sheets in for Vaughn. The Grifol honeymoon is over. https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1641894231726870563?s=20

Well damn, I didn't realize that. Part of that disparity was that Zavala's performance against RHP last year came with an unsustainable .422 BABIP, but I do retract my statement that Zavala should only play against LHP. It remains to be seen whether Grifol is going to do a "personal catcher" thing with one (or two) of the starters.

It seems reasonable to have two "standard" lineups, one when they're facing a LHP and one when they're facing a RHP. That doesn't seem like a lot of tinkering.

I want Grandal to catch as many games as possible. That means that when he's not catching, he should be on the bench getting a full day off. Those off days should come against LHP as much as possible, because that's when Zavala's bat is most useful.

Neh, Colas should get his first start in RF and you're not going to sit Eloy or Benintendi. Grandal shouldn't DH very often, especially against a RHP when Sheets is also an option.

It very well could be that anything Alberto can do, Romy can do better. In which case they could get rid of Alberto in favor of a "specialist" like Burger (pinch hitter/DH) or Hamilton (pinch runner/defense). I can't really see them getting rid of Andrus unless he regresses hard. More likely there will be an injury at some point that would make everyone needed.

There's also something to be said about letting the rookie sit back and take in his first major league game from the dugout, rather than throwing him out there to perform immediately against the defending champs and a Cy Young contender.

On March 16th, after 11 ST games, Romy was hitting .053/.217/.053. Since then he had 6 HRs in the last 10 games, raising his overall line to .250/.315/.646. If my math is right, I think that's something like a 1.72 OPS over the last 2 weeks. There's no way you can take him out of the lineup right now against a LHP while he's swinging the hot bat. Colas will get his chances, it's a long season.

His last season in Chicago (not counting 2021), when he was statistically the best defensive RF in the league and earned himself a trade to the Nats.

Adam Eaton had a couple good years.

It’s really 3 bench players. Romy isn’t a bench player, he’s an everyday player that plays all around.

If all goes well, Romy could make Alberto superfluous by mid-season. That could clear a spot for a true 4th OF acquisition via trade. That of course assumes the roster is healthy, more likely an injury opens up a spot for any acquisition, and Alberto is still needed for depth.

Fegan's column on the roster decisions indicated that it looked like Leury's back injury from last season was still bothering him, both in the field and at the plate. If that's the case, after a full offseason of rest/rehab, it could be a chronic thing that will ultimately end his career.

Does he? From what I've read he's a mediocre defender at best.