The White Sox front office appears to be fond of Jacob Amaya. Less than a month after designating Amaya for assignment the White Sox have claimed him off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Outfielder Zach DeLoach was designated for assignment to make room for Amaya on the 40-man roster.
The White Sox initially claimed Amaya in August after the Astros released him. While the 26-year-old had limited major league experience he showed an ability to get on base in the minor leagues, posting a 12.3% walk rate in 2021 and drawing 70 plus free passes in 2022 and 2023. He is also considered a defensive-minded infielder who can play multiple positions, which was attractive for a team looking to improve its defense.
However, after going 12 for 67 at the plate with the White Sox last season, he became the odd man out when the team signed Josh Rojas to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million. Eight days after being DFA’d by the White Sox on January 8th, he was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. The O’s unsuccessfully tried to pass him through waivers allowing the White Sox to bring him back to the South Side.
Bringing Amaya back into the fold is a curious decision. The 40-man roster has no shortage of infielders, with Brooks Baldwin, Colson Montgomery, Bryan Ramos, Lenyn Sosa, Miguel Vargas, and the aforementioned Rojas all expected to compete for playing time this season. Amaya can play second base and third base so he could be used as a utility player if he cracks the Opening Day roster. However, he is out of minor-league options, meaning it is unlikely the White Sox can keep him around if he doesn't.
Zach DeLoach The Odd Man Out
The team's outfield depth is not nearly as strong. Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr., and a platoon of Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater are the projected starters. However, the White Sox have reportedly been trying to move Robert and have shown that they are not fond of Oscar Coalas which is why it was surprising to see them DFA LeLoach a year after trading for him.
The White Sox acquired DeLoach last offseason in a trade with the Mariners that sent Gregory Santos to the Mariners in exchange for Prelander Berroa. DeLoach got 67 at-bats with the White Sox last season, logging 14 hits with five RBIs and a home run.
At the time of the trade, the former second-round pick out of Texas A&M was coming off a 23-home run season where he slashed .286/.387/.481 in Triple-A with 88 RBIs and 55 extra-base hits in 2023. He showed significantly less power with the Charlotte Knights last season.
DeLoach has shown solid plate discipline and a willingness to take pitches. He drew 48 walks last season after drawing 83 free passes in 2023. On top of being able to work counts, DeLoach can also spray the ball over the entire field.
The concern with DeLoach is his high strikeout totals. This season he owns a 26% strikeout rate and has gone down on strikes over 100 times in each of the last three seasons. Last year he struck out a whopping 107 times in Triple-A, which marked a significant improvement from the 173 he had the previous season. Scouts believe that his willingness to take borderline pitches is one factor contributing to his high strikeout numbers.
