White Sox place Yoán Moncada on injured list as third baseman’s disappointing season continues

The Chicago White Sox are mired in a poor stretch of play that has seen them lose seven of their last nine games, dropping them to 12-13 for the month. The White Sox’s slump has, predictably, seen them lose ground in the American League Central. They now trail the Cleveland Guardians by four games with 36 remaining on their schedule.

Unfortunately for the White Sox, their path to the playoffs grew more difficult on Saturday, as Chicago announced a series of roster moves; the most notable of which saw third baseman Yoán Moncada head to the injured list with a strained hamstring. The White Sox also placed right-hander Lance Lynn on the bereavement list, activated utility infielder Leury García from the IL, and recalled righty Davis Martin. 

Moncada, 27 years old, has been in the midst of a poor season. He’ll head to the shelf having batted .197/.269/.313 (65 OPS+) with seven home runs and more than three times as many strikeouts as walks in his first 80 games this season. Moncada’s contributions, or lack thereof, have been worth an estimated 0.5 Wins Above Replacement, according to the calculations stored at Baseball Reference.

Garcia will presumably slot in at third base in place of Moncada, with Josh Harrison manning the keystone and recent addition Elvis Andrus present at shortstop. 

Poor play or otherwise, Moncada is the latest member of the White Sox’s starting lineup to wind up on the injured list. He joins a group that includes catcher Yasmani Grandal and shortstop Tim Anderson. Starting pitcher Michael Kopech and key relievers Garrett Crochet and Aaron Bummer are unavailable as well.

The White Sox have underperformed as a whole all season. Their minus-37 run differential on the year puts them closer to teams like the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Arizona Diamondbacks than it does either the Guardians or the Minnesota Twins, the two teams they’re trailing in the Central.