A familiar name will not be on the White Sox’ Opening Day.
According to a report by Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, utilityman Leury Garcia will be left off the Major League roster to begin the season. The team has not yet made the move official as of this article.
Garica served as a respectable depth piece for the White Sox between 2013 and 2021, enough to earn him a now questionable three-year $16.5 million contract prior to the 2022 campaign. Things took a massive turn for the worse last season, though, as the 32-year-old was arguably the worst hitter in baseball. In fact, by wRC+, which is an effective measure of total offensive value, Garcia was indeed the worst in the majors with a 39 wRC+ over a minimum of 300 plate appearances. His final slash line read .210/.233/.267 with three homers, 20 RBI, .500 OPS, -1.1 fWAR, and -1.0 bWAR.
Despite his poor offensive production, Garcia’s bread and butter always came with his defensive versatility, which is also what led to today’s decision. The team now boasts multiple infield pieces who can play all three key positions, while featuring a number of intriguing outfield options. Grifol has a mix of young guys and veterans in this depth group, so any veteran advantage Garcia once held has now evaporated.
Who will the team turn to instead? Well, final roster decisions are still looming so until anything’s official, a number of guys could be in play. Hanser Alberto has certainly turned heads this spring and figures to be the current favorite to serve in a bench role. Romy Gonzalez and Lenyn Sosa, who will both likely begin the season in Triple-A Charlotte, also figure to be in the mix should their services be needed later in the year. On the outfield side – Jake Marisnick, Victor Reyes, and Billy Hamilton are all players who possess more positives to this roster than Garcia.
Once the White Sox make an official announcement, we will provide further updates to this article.
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Featured Photo: © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Very happy as I’m sure most sox fans are.
Why?
Yet another STUPID contract decision by Hahn. When does JR show Rick the door. That’s why you don’t put a guy that is business before baseball acumen in the GM role. From John Danks over Buerhle, to the 2 Adams, to James Shields, to Grandal and Keuchel to Garcia. And then to give 5 year contract to guys who have yet to take an MLB at bat Hahn flushes the toilet on deal after deal. ENUFF
I still can’t believe the Tatis deal.
Why no mention of Haseley? He’s hitting. 400, plays all 3 outfield positions well, and is a lefty. In my mind, he should win the 4th OF job.
Exactly! He played really good!
Nothing personal, but you have to be able to perform and produce! See Dallas Keuchel as an example! He was left off of the 2021 playoff roster due to lousy performance, and then didn’t last long in 2022! He is on his second team since leaving the White Sox! Sure, someone can have a down year, and then bounce back, but how much of a chance do you give someone whose performance has been steadily declining? That is the case with Garcia! Football great George Blanda was cut by the Raiders when his kicking range declined!