Mendick's Power Surge Prompts White Sox To Replace Struggling Sosa

As the losses continue to mount the White Sox front office has seen enough of Lenyn Sosa. After getting swept by the Phillies on Sunday, the White Sox reportedly called up infielder Danny Mendick and optioned Sosa to Triple-A Charlotte, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Mendick will join the team in Minnesota.

The 30-year-old infielder has been on a tear for the Charlotte Knights, homering in each of his last five games. In just 19 games he has already hit 8 home runs and drove in 20 RBIs. Mendick was slashing .317/.388/.817 during that stretch. His promotion comes as Sosa continues to flounder at the big-league level. 

Sosa has struggled mightily this season, hitting .132/.154/.184 in 40 plate appearances. His 34.6% hard-hit percentage is only slightly better than his whopping 32.5% strikeout rate. The 24-year-old's demotion also comes after he was a part of a botched rundown on Sunday. 

In the first inning, Bryce Harper tried to steal second base after a J.T. Realmuto strikeout. Harper got caught in a rundown after he slammed on the brakes and retreated to first when the throw beat him. It should have been an easy double-play. However, as Sosa proceeded to run Harper back to first base, Trea Turner dashed home. Sosa then fired an errant throw home that sailed past White Sox catcher Martin Maldonado and allowed Turner to score and Harper to trot safely into scoring position.  It was the type of play that goes against the T, which stands for “technically sound” in Pedro Grifol’s play F.A.S.T acronym. 

“We didn’t execute defensively,” Grifol said after the game. “We had that botched rundown. It wasn’t executed correctly. You have to run that guy hard back to the bag and get the out there. If you give up the run, you give up the run. You have to minimize damage in this ballpark with these guys.” 

Heads up Little League trickery right there. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/O2CUYOcNZE

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 21, 2024

Mental mistakes and poor fundamentals are the reasons Oscar Colas is in the White Sox doghouse. Colas has not been called up for an extended stint with the team since being sent down last season. It’s fair to wonder if the same will happen to Sosa. 

After combining to hit .313/.369/.511 with 22 doubles and 23 home runs between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2022, Sosa has failed to do much of anything in a White Sox uniform. He owns a career -1.8 WAR and has an OPS+ of -2 this season. The one thing he had going for him was his versatility in the infield. However, the veteran infielder the White Sox are calling up also has versatility. 

Danny Mendick returned to the White Sox organization on a minor-league deal after a brief one-year stint with the New York Mets. His Mets tenure was a bit of a disaster as he bounced between the MLB and Triple-A. In 65 MLB at-bats last season he produced a -1.1 WAR and hit a paltry .185/.232/.277. However, he faired much better in Triple-A Syracuse, posting a .282/.369/.424 slash line with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs. 

Danny Mendick with his 5th HR on the year. #Knights up 1-0. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/phgOAu6oIK

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) April 17, 2024

The Rochester native was drafted by the White Sox and made his MLB debut in 2019. In three years in Chicago, he slashed just .239/.298/.342. The White Sox non-tendered Mendick during the 2022 offseason. Mendick was one of the White Sox's bright spots in 2022 before a torn ACL cut his season short. He was getting his first taste as an everyday starter before he collided with Adam Haseley down the left-field line on June 22nd. 

Before getting injured Mendick served as a Swiss army knife on defense. He saw action at left field, shortstop, second, and third base for Tony La Russa’s squad. When Tim Anderson went down, Mendick filled in admirably at shortstop. He slashed .289/.343/.443 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 106 plate appearances.  This season he has split his time between third base and second base for the Knights and has even pitched three innings for them. 

With Paul DeJong and Yoan Moncada on the IL, he will likely rotate between second base, shortstop, and the hot corner as Grifol has been forced to play musical chairs in the infield. Mendick does still have options remaining as well as three years of service time, which means the White Sox could keep him around in 2025 if he plays well enough.