As more and more roster news continues to trickle in, here’s what we know.
According to the latest reports by James Fegan and Daryl Van Schouwen, infielders Romy Gonzalez and Hanser Alberto along with right-handed reliever Gregory Santos have all made the White Sox’ Opening Day roster. The news follows earlier reports that claim outfield prospect Oscar Colas has also made the team, while Leury Garcia has not.
Alberto, 30, was originally brought in on a minor league deal by the club in January. He is a career .272/.294/.380 hitter who has shown the ability to play all over the field throughout his career and was with Pedro Grifol in Kansas City during 2021. He grades out average to below-average defensively, though he did post +2 Outs Above Average (OAA) with the Orioles at second base in 2019. Following a strong spring where he hit .450/.476/.800, Alberto figures to be a key bench piece moving forward.
Gonzalez, 26, is similar in that he possesses plenty of versatility to play across the infield and outfield. In 18 games this spring, Gonzalez hit just .200/.283/.525 (8-for-40) with four homers and seven RBI. Many are hopeful this is the year where he takes that next step forward, and cutting down his 35.2% career strikeout rate will be a big part of that.
Alberto and Gonzalez making the roster ultimately signals a plane ticket to Charlotte for third baseman Jake Burger. Though not as versatile, Burger could provide the team with some much-needed power later in the season should he need to fill in at a corner infield position or designated hitter.
Santos, 23, is the other big name involved in today’s news. Having come over in a December trade via the Giants, the righty reliever has gone 11-16 with a 3.56 ERA (89 ER/225.0 IP) and 190 strikeouts over 97 appearances (44 starts) in six career minor league seasons in the San Francisco and Boston organizations. He’s had a very solid spring that features a 0.00 ERA, 0.720 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, and 4.00 K/W over 8.1 innings thrown.
Though the White Sox have not confirmed any of these reports just yet, a formal announcement should be coming in the next day or two. Until then, be sure to follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more updates!
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