The White Sox face intense competition for roster spots this spring, with every infield position up for grabs—except for Andrew Vaughn’s hold on first base. Among the key position battles, Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas will play pivotal roles in shaping the 26-man roster for Opening Day.
While Chase Meidroth may have the strongest case to start at second base on paper, several other factors could ultimately determine the final decision. Both Sosa and Vargas are out of minor league options, meaning they would have to be removed from the 40-man roster and placed on waivers if they don't make the team. This reality adds another layer to the competition, as White Sox general manager Chris Getz must weigh the risk of losing them— even if another player who has options remaining outperforms them in camp.
The White Sox likely don’t want to risk losing Vargas after trading away a valuable asset in Michael Kopech to acquire him. Vargas, who added 20 pounds of muscle over the offseason, will be given a long runway to try and stick on the big league club.
The 25-year-old will benefit from being able to play second base, third base, and leftfield giving White Sox manager Will Venable some flexibility in how he wants to deploy him. However, with Andrew Benintendi entrenched in left field, Vargas's best path to a job is on the infield for the time being.
Brooks Baldwin, Josh Rojas, Jacob Amaya, Meidroth, Vargas, and Sosa are all in the mix for the second base job. Sosa, Vargas, and Rojas are also viable options at the hot corner where Bryan Ramos will also be competing for a job.
Vargas’s early results have been underwhelming. The 25-year-old hit just .150 with five home runs, 16 RBIs, and a .506 OPS. His splits looked even worse in a White Sox uniform. In 135 at-bats with the White Sox, Vargas slashed .104/.217/.170, which was a steep drop off from the .239/.313/.423 line he posted in 71 at-bats with the Dodgers.
Despite a high 24.1% strikeout rate, Vargas showed solid plate discipline, rarely chasing pitches (21.8% chase rate) and drawing walks at a 10% clip. However, his struggles stemmed from weak contact—his 86.2 mph average exit velocity ranked among the lowest in MLB, and his expected batting average (.175) and barrel rate (4.6%) indicated poor timing.
Most of Vargas’s hits were pulled to the left side, with just seven going the opposite way—six of them singles. While his performance left little to be optimistic about, the White Sox acquired him for a reason. Once a highly regarded Dodgers prospect, he consistently ranked in MLB’s top 100, peaking at No. 37 before the 2023 season.
The White Sox already have a 163-game sample size of Sosa, who holds a career .229 batting average and a -1.7 WAR over the past three seasons. However, he showed promising signs last year, making hard contact with an expected .278 batting average—ranking in MLB’s 89th percentile. Over his final 62 games, he hit six home runs while batting .278.
Sosa also helped his case by having a solid showing playing shortstop in the Venezuelan Winter League. In 113 plate appearances, the 25-year-old slashed .392/.451/.765 with nine homers and 26 runs batted in. If the White Sox fourth-ranked prospect, Colson Montgomery, doesn't get the Opening Day nod, Sosa, Baldwin, and Amaya will be candidates for the spot.
