Adding Outfield Depth: Where Does Rafael Ortega Fit in White Sox Plans?

The Chicago White Sox have signed free agent left fielder Rafael Ortega to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com’s transaction log. 

White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters earlier in the week that the starter in right field has yet to be established for the 2024 season and that the team was still looking to add. Getz made those comments on January 9th. Ortega was signed on January 5th. 

Given that Andrew Benintendi has the left field spot solidified after signing a five-year $75 million contract that runs through 2027, and the White Sox are seemingly still weighing their options in right field, it will be interesting to see where Ortega fits in their plans. Throughout his six-year career, Ortega has logged 436.1 innings in right field which includes 44 starts. 

Ortega will presumably receive an invite to Spring Training and have a chance to compete for a roster spot. As things currently stand his best shot at making the roster is as the team's everyday right fielder or as a fourth outfielder off the bench. The White Sox current right-field options include Gavin Sheets, Oscar Colas and the recently signed Brett Phillps. 

Sheets has proven he isn’t a capable defender in right field. His offensive numbers also don’t do enough to warrant a role as an everyday starter.  The White Sox front office does not trust Colas after a rookie season that was filled with maturity issues. Phillips is a solid defender but owns a career wRC+ of 71 which is well below the MLB average. It’s no wonder that Getz is still shopping for outfielders because the right-field position is still wide open. 

Ortega owns a career .247/.324/.352  slash line with 22 home runs 109 RBIs and an OPS+ of 86. His best season came in 2021 with the Chicago Cubs. Ortega hit .291 on the North Side with a .823 OPS and a 121 OPS+. He also set career highs in home runs (11), hits (86) and stolen bases (12). 

Last year he played in 47 games for the Mets, hitting .219/.324/.272. While his numbers don’t jump off the page he has shown good plate discipline throughout his career. Ortega owns a career 9.8% walk rate which is above the MLB average. In 2022 he posted an 11.9% walk rate which ranked inside the MLB’s top ten percent. 

The 32-year-old can play all three outfield positions. The majority of his work has come in center field where he has played 1183 innings in 179 games. He also has 124 games of experience in left field. 

He has the arm strength to be an everyday right fielder.  According to Baseball Savant, he ranked in the MLB’s 92nd percentile in arm strength in 2022. The rest of his defensive metrics are average. In 2016 he made the third most errors amongst all American League left fielders, but ranked 4th in assist that same year. 

From an offensive Brain Goodwin’s 2021 season with the White Sox was very similar to Ortega’s overall body of work. In all likelihood, he will not be the Opening Day right fielder (but never say never since Romy Gonzalez started in right field in 2023) but will have a chance to slot in as the team's fourth outfielder off the bench if he can beat out Brett Phillps and whoever else the White Sox bring during Spring Training.