The White Sox appear to be making a significant roster move ahead of this weekend’s series against the Baltimore Orioles.
The club is reportedly promoting prospect Lenyn Sosa from Double-A Birmingham, per Eli Fugitt (@elifugitt) on Twitter. The infielder is currently ranked 22nd overall in the organization according to MLB Pipeline and was not in the Barons’ lineup on Wednesday night.
Sosa, 22, originally signed with the club out of Venezuela in 2016. He made his stateside debut the following summer and has been promoted aggressively ever since. At the age of 21, the White Sox assigned him to Double-A Birmingham this past August, where he’s been raking ever since.
Sosa’s No. 22 ranking per MLB Pipeline figures to change drastically in the coming weeks, as the young infielder’s play this season has surely raised eyebrows and made him as intriguing as organization’s consensus top prospects such as Colson Montgomery.
Across 289 plate appearances in 2022, Sosa is hitting .331/.384/.549 with 14 home runs, 48 runs batted in, a 141 wRC+, .403 wOBA, and a .933 OPS. His strikeout rate is just 13.8%, a career-low. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Sosa’s performance is that the Southern League — especially the Birmingham Barons’ Regions Field — is known for its suppression of power and offense overall. Only elite prospects like Luis Robert have put up such impressive statistics for the Barons in recent years and at such a young age.
MLB Pipeline had the following to say about Sosa in their posted scouting report:
A right-handed hitter, Sosa owns some of the best hand-eye coordination and bat-to-ball skills in the system but needs to make better swing decisions to reach his offensive potential. He rarely walks and gets himself out too often by making weak contact. He has enough bat speed and projectable strength to deliver 15 or more homers per season if he can adopt a more selective approach.
Sosa has good actions, reliable hands and solid arm strength at shortstop, but his below-average speed leads to subpar range. He fits better at second or third base, though those positions will demand more offense. He may be more of a bat-first utilityman than a true everyday player.
In the immediate future, Sosa figures to receive starts at second base with potential backup opportunities at third base and shortstop. As he will require a spot on the team’s 40-man roster, the White Sox will need to designate a player for assignment, make a trade, or place somebody on the 60-day injured list to make room for Sosa.
Earlier today, Danny Mendick and Adam Engel left the game for the White Sox with leg injuries. Both are candidates to be placed on the injured list, but it remains to be seen whether their injuries are severe enough to warrant time on the 60-day IL.
Nevertheless, the reported promotion of Sosa is very exciting for the White Sox. By skipping the Triple-A level entirely, the organization is clearly confident in the young slugger’s ability to quickly adjust to advanced pitching. Always a solid contact hitter, Sosa’s newfound power could serve as a massive boost for a White Sox team that has been lacking home runs throughout the lineup as well as quality production from the second base position.
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Featured Photo: MLB Pipeline/Twitter
