White Sox Have A Toxic Situation With Clevinger In Camp

White Sox Spring Training opened on Wednesday. Among the pitchers and catchers expected to arrive in camp is Mike Clevinger. Clevinger remains under investigation for allegedly violating the MLB's domestic violence policy.

The investigation will not be complete by the start of Spring Training, and the MLB will not place Clevinger under administrative leave until further notice. Even if he was placed on administrative leave, he would still receive a full salary and have the ability to practice with the team. The only events he wouldn't be able to participate in are ones in which tickets are sold. This includes all Cactus League games leading into the regular season.

The White Sox are between a rock and a hard place. They can't come out and suspend Clevinger, but his presence in camp is an issue. In the words of the MLB and MLBPA, the MLB commissioner's office holds sole authority to discipline players for violating the policy unless it transfers the authority over to the team.

That means the White Sox have to play the waiting game. In the meantime, a potentially toxic situation is brewing in Camelback Ranch. The bone-chilling accusations are hard to ignore. Physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. Choking Olivia Finestead, the 24-year-old mother of his infant child, and throwing chewing tobacco on said child.

Players are aware. They read headlines too. It's going to create an incredibly awkward situation when their newest teammate comes walking into camp, and they are expected to welcome him with open arms or go about things like its business as usual.

The White Sox have put their players in an untenable situation. Any teammate seen paling around with Clevinger will immediately receive flack from fans and social media. The other option is to ignore him completely. However, if Clevinger is found innocent or winds up pitching the entire season with the White Sox, there will be tension in the locker room. His first impression of his new teammates was everyone was avoiding him.

These players spend more time together with each during the season than they do with their families. It's bad for team chemistry if everyone is walking on eggshells around Clevinger and, in the back of their mind wondering if the disgusting allegations levied on him have any merit.

When Clevinger is on the mound, the White Sox will become the villain. They will be booed by fans across all 30 fanbases, including their own. Simply put, the White Sox are starting the season on the wrong foot.

It's no secret the White Sox had cancer in the locker room in Dallas Keuchel. But just as soon as they got rid of Keucehl, they welcomed another cancer in the form of Clevinger. The White Sox claim they were unaware of the accusations before they signed him in a statement that read:

"Major League Baseball and the Chicago White Sox take any and all allegations very seriously, and the White Sox are completely supportive of the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy shared by MLB and the MLBPA. MLB opened an investigation after learning of these allegations. The White Sox were not aware of these allegations or the investigation at the time of the signing. The White Sox will refrain from comment until the MLB's investigative process has reached its conclusion."

According to The Athletic, the MLB looked into these allegations last summer and into the postseason before they were made public last month. Now that the White Sox are aware of the allegations, they could pay Clevinger to stay home. They could also release him and pay him fully to save face, but that is not how a Jerry Reinsdorf run organization operates. Other than that there is nothing the team can do until the investigation is complete. But one thing is for sure having him in camp is a terrible look optically.