Lenyn Sosa's Breakout Is Encouraging Development For White Sox

Lenyn Sosa has been sent down to AAA by the White Sox so many times during his career that he probably knows the Charlotte Douglas International Airport employees on a first-name basis by now. For years, he kept getting chances at the MLB level only to perform poorly. But the plane rides back to Charlotte look like a thing of the past. Sosa is playing the best ball of his MLB career right now, and the lightbulb may have finally turned out for him. It is an exciting development for both him individually and the White Sox as a team.

Sosa's Initial Struggles

Sosa's beginning of 2024 with the White Sox ended like his previous stints in Chicago: getting sent back down again. He hit just .132 with a .338 OPS in his first 12 games with the White Sox this season, far from MLB-caliber numbers. It was beginning to look like Sosa's chances of ever carving out a consistent spot with the White Sox were getting slimmer by the day.

Lightbulb Has Seemingly Turned On

Then everything changed. Thanks in part to the injury and subsequent poor performance of Bryan Ramos once he returned, Sosa got another chance to show what he could do in Chicago. And he has made the most of it. In 34 games since his most recent call-up, Sosa is hitting .299 with a .453 slugging percentage and .786 OPS, including six doubles and four home runs. While Sosa's .341 BABIP over the same period suggests he has been lucky to some extent, this is easily the most successful stretch he has ever had at the MLB level. He is getting even better with time, tallying five straight multi-hit performances last week.

Sosa's 45.5 hardhit% and 46.3 launch angle sweet spot% this season are career highs, while his 21.5 K%, 34.8 chase%, and 41.3 groundball% are career lows per Baseball Savant. He is also walking more than he ever has before. In simple terms, Sosa is hitting the ball in the air harder than he has in the past while striking out less than ever. That is a good combination and helps explain why he has been performing so well lately. He has a history of taking time to acclimate to each level of professional baseball, and he might finally be figuring it out at the highest level. 

Sosa Is Making The Most Of His Opportunity

Sosa attributes his growth and development as a player to having confidence in himself. As a 24-year-old with only 109 MLB games to his name, his previous struggles were frustrating to watch but did not entirely close the door on his chances of being a productive big leaguer. He is now proving why the White Sox organization gave him so many chances. He always had talent but could never put it all together at the MLB level. But he is now showing that he can.

While his hot stretch is an encouraging sign, Sosa's starting spot on the White Sox beyond this season is not guaranteed. However, longtime starting third baseman Yoán Moncada will likely not be on the team next season, and Bryan Ramos, a competitor for a spot moving forward, has struggled in AAA. There is also an opening at second base, a position Sosa has experience playing. The White Sox are at the point where they are essentially holding an audition process for spots moving forward. Sosa is doing everything he can to make his case.

Final Word

Lenyn Sosa will have to prove himself for a lot longer than a month to put himself at the forefront of the White Sox plans at either third or second base. But he is certainly trending in the right direction, showing signs of improvement and producing better than he ever has in the major leagues. As a 24-year-old with a lot of team control remaining, he could be a building block for the next good White Sox team.