Everyone exhale. Third baseman Yoan Moncada and right-handed pitcher Jose Ruiz have rejoined the White Sox, per a team spokesman. Moncada is currently in major league camp, as the team just confirmed with a tweet, while Ruiz is set to begin with the taxi squad in Schaumburg.
This good news comes after Moncada missed all of Summer Camp to date due to an undisclosed reason. Many questions were raised as to whether or not the team’s third baseman could be active in time for Opening Day, especially without a timetable listed for his return.
The club did have two players test positive for COVID-19 back on July 5th, though their identities were not revealed out of respect for their privacy. After much speculation by fans on social media, Moncada confirmed that he was one of the affected individuals.
“I want to let you know that I tested positive for COVID-19,” Moncada said in a Zoom call with reporters. “Thank god, I was asymptomatic, for the most part. I’m good now and healthy and glad and happy to be back.”
The big question that will now linger for the remainder of camp will be whether or not YoYo can get ready in time for next Friday’s opener against the Twins. A week is an awfully short time for any player to prepare for a season, though the team’s hitting coach Frank Menechino doesn’t seem like he’s too worried about the acclimation period for Moncada.
Though the likelihood of Moncada getting off to a slow start seems rather high given the circumstances, he still is the best available option after Yermin Mercedes and Cheslor Cuthbert struggled during their auditions at the hot corner in scrimmages earlier this week.
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Featured Photo: White Sox/Twitter
