The White Sox activated Reynaldo Lopez to start tonight’s game against the rival Cubs, per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin (via Twitter). To make room on the roster, outfielder Nicky Delmonico has been optioned to the team’s alternate training site in Schaumberg, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
Lopez made one start this season before spending the next 25 days on the injured list with right shoulder soreness. He recorded just two outs while surrendering three hits and a pair of walks. Lopez, 26, has been a steady if unspectacular presence in the Chicago rotation the past two seasons. After a strong 2018, he took a step back last season, totalling a 17-25 record and 4.64 ERA/4.83 FIP over those two seasons.
Lopez throws hard (95.4 mph on his four-seamer last year), and despite a low spit rate, his heater has above-average side-to-side movement. He’s heavily reliant on the heater, throwing it close to 60% of the time, and his secondary pitches (a changeup and slider) haven’t reached the level of consistency the White Sox would probably prefer for a rotation arm. Still, Lopez should be able to reclaim his rotation spot for the foreseeable future if he can return to form.
Delmonico has been a regular roster presence over the past three seasons, but the emergence of Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert have put a squeeze on outfield innings. The 27-year-old is off to a slow start this year with a triple slash of .150/.227/.150 across 22 plate appearances. Adam Engel and Luis Gonzalez remain on the active roster as spare outfielders.
whosyourmomma
No mention of Nomar Mazara? I know he’s off to a slow start but if those 3 (Jimenez, Robert & Mazara) play well then the White Sox lineup is very formidable. Moncada, Anderson, Madrigal, Abreu and Grandal/McCann with Encarnacion @ DH. Just need to get everyone healthy & keep them healthy.
baines03
Maybe because Mazara isn’t that good. Plus he’s getting out-hit, out-slugged, and out-defended by freakin Adam Engel.
Oddvark
*spin rate
Oddvark
Is .150/.227/.150 bad?
Idioms for Idiots
@Oddvark
Adam Dunn wouldn’t think so.
Briffle2
Pretty good batting line for a pitcher to give up.
Dorothy_Mantooth
A low spit rate is very desirable in this day & age!
99 Captain Judge
I like the Cubbies so much more then the Chi-Sox. But how in the world do the White Sox fans put up with all these delusional Indian fans on here? I wish you nothing but my best winning the AL Central. Not liking the Twinkies either.
whosyourmomma
The Indians have some of the best young pitching in mlb. Obviously they have some high quality bats too. Twins starting pitching doesn’t scare me. Other than Cole the Yanks don’t have much but whenever that lineup is healthy it could put up 5-10 runs per game.
johnrealtime
Sox fans seem to deal with it by being obsessed with/trolling cub posts
ChiSox_Fan
Get out the broom!
Sweep today and ex-Cubs will lead the way!
How’s Quintana working out for the Cubs?!
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Indians fans don’t bother me. For one, I expect a rival to back their own team and look down on mine. I think the Indians’ time is coming to a close once they let go of Lindor and their next pitcher (whoever that is). They’ve done great at remaining competitive on a budget, but no matter how good that rotation is, they aren’t going to win if their only star hitter is J-Ram.
My problem is a few Cubs fans and Twins fans. The Cubs fans because they make the rest of Cubs fans look really bad with lame trolling attempts and Twins fans because they forget that they had a losing record in 2018, then had breakout offensive years from most of their lineup in 2019. I expected them to come back to earth a bit (though they’re still, for now, the best offense in that division and I think they’re underperforming this year), but I’m annoyed how none of them thought the Sox could make a similar leap forward. We’re halfway through this year and the Sox are just 2 games back. It’s a legit 3-team race in that division now.
cwsOverhaul
Hendricks tough as it is against aggressive lineup. Anyone on board with 2 innings each from Lopez/Detwiler/Foster approach? Bad feeling RR will not have short enough leash to spare his feelings. He and Rodon should “earn” starts.
ASapsFables
It figures to be a bullpen game for the White Sox tonight regardless of how effective Reynaldo Lopez is. He had only appeared in one game and threw just 2/3 of an inning before leaving his only start with a sore right shoulder that landed him on the IL on July 27th. The coaching staff will be overly cautious with Lopez as they have been with virtually all of their players in this crazy season.
I also wish White Sox fans would give Rick Renteria a break. The team is in a great spot right now at 16-11 despite not having their expected rotation, losing key reliever Aaron Bummer and not having their projected 2020 lineup intact at any point thus far. They’ve also had to endure slow starts from two of their newly signed veteran free agents in Yasmani Grandal and Edwin Encarnacion.
The White Sox look like a near lock to make the postseason in Renteria’s first MLB season with a legitimate contender after having to oversee 4 rebuild seasons in Chicago, 3 with the White Sox along with managing the 2014 Cubs. If the White Sox keep playing the way they are Renteria will be a prime candidate for the AL Manager of the Year Award, something I predicted back in March.
Priggs89
I have been one to give Ricky the benefit of the doubt over the years, but this year he has proven to me that he has no idea what he’s doing. The fact that he thought it was a good idea to hit Nicky Delmonico cleanup is enough proof to me (and the fact that he kept going back to Delmonico for so long). This team is 100% winning on talent alone, and he’s just along for the ride.
cwsOverhaul
McCann 3 for 7 vs Hendricks would have been nice at DH tonight, but hope dfa-worthy EE does something. Engel’s defense to help flyball Lopez also preferable to Mazara. That said, he might have unspoken pressure to play subpar acquisitions more than they deserve. Hope to eat crow on both and offense stays red hot!
ASapsFables
Nicky Delmonico being on the active roster is primarily Rick Hahn’s decision and a function of all the injuries the White Sox have sustained in their outfield thus far.
Rick Renteria’s use of Delmonico on the roster is on him. That said, he has also had to put up with injuries, slumps and affording players some rest which I’m sure was a justification for batting Delmonico cleanup on one occasion, to say nothing of a specific matchup motivator based on that days starting pitcher.
Noting the struggles of veteran DH Edwin Encarnacion and RF Nomar Mazara, two hitters who figured on being key contributors somewhere in the heart of the 2020 White Sox batting order, might be a sufficient reason to insert Delmonico into the cleanup role on any particular day, to say nothing of the other reasons I forwarded.
Ricky’s always been available and amicable with the media after each game including with the virtual approach used this season. I’m sure if asked, he would have given a sound reason for his decision. If not, he wouldn’t be the first manager in MLB history to just roll with his gut. (lol)
Dumpster Divin Theo
I agree and love the way he’s been protecting LA Pantera
jhomeslice
@Priggs
Exactly, his lineup selections have been beyond questionable, and as you said, they are winning on talent alone. A lot of their early problems were in the starting rotation, which cannot be attributed to Renteria. But overall, Renteria does not impress me, and I certainly think they could easily find someone a lot better suited for his job. Ozzie would honestly be an interesting choice, so many cuban/latin players on the team, Ozzie has the only managerial ring for the Sox in the last century, and would have immediate respect. Would not surprise me if he winds up back in his old role, and possibly leads them to their 2nd title. He’s such a character, I think somebody like that always brings fire and energy to a team.
Having said that, Renteria is not so bad that they can’t win with him. I don’t get the sense that there is a lot of clubhouse dissent or anything like that. If they get guys to step up and pitch well especially in the 4th and 5th starter slots, they will be OK.
ChiSox_Fan
As long as Abreu in the lineup …
the rest of lineup doesn’t matter!
Abreu is a Cub killer!
hyraxwithaflamethrower
I think Ozzie would be a bad choice. He called out his players to the media, was cussing often in interviews, and just overall seemed unprofessional. A good manager knows when to guide his players and when to chew them out.
I will admit, however, that Ozzie was much better than Renteria at managing the bullpen and starting lineups. I was honestly a little unhappy that the Sox didn’t make a play for Gardenhire when he was available. He’d gotten the most out of some very low-budget teams when he managed the Twins. I never thought their fall was due to him nearly as much as to cheap management’s moves finally catching up to them.
jhomeslice
I agree, Gardenhire or even Joe Maddon would have been outstanding choices. Both proven winners and just seem to have great personas.
I hear your concerns about Ozzie, but the bottom line is that they won in ’05 with him. Maybe not an ideal choice, but better than Renteria. I’m sure there are other options perhaps better than Ozzie as well, I have no idea who those might be.
ChiSox_Fan
Cubs destroyed by Sox again last night!
Hahahahahaha!
jhomeslice
I hope Reynaldo lasts longer than an inning tonight! I don’t see why they are starting him, personally. Gio Gonzalez looked better his last start, like he might be able to go 4 or 5 decent innings. That seems a lot more promising than what they are likely to get from Lopez. Lopez has a decent arm, but most of the time no command whatsoever. Why not start Gio tonight, and let Lopez go against the hapless Pirates on tuesday? Renteria is not a genius. If the Sox develop winning ways it will be in spite of their manager.
keysox
Yap – Ricky is just keeping the seat warm. Will be gone after the rebuild.
Lopez is starting why?
ASapsFables
The NFL is famous for having ‘armchair quarterbacks’ among their fanbase. MLB has had a longer history of it’s fans second-guessing their team’s managers which adds a great element to our enjoyment of the best game known to mankind. All this hardly means that any of us as pundits are actually correct in our thinking the majority of the time.
Idioms for Idiots
I’m glad they have Lopez pitching this series. This is a great litmus test for him. He has maybe 6 or 7 starts left, which hopefully will be enough time to tell once and for all whether or not he belongs in the rotation. My gut feeling is he will end up in the pen, but I want this 6 to 7 start stretch to eliminate any doubt either way.
With just a little over a week until the trade deadline, I’m curious to see who in MLB actually gets traded. I don’t see the Sox making any moves. They don’t need to, unless there was a deal they just couldn’t possibly pass up. I don’t see that happening, because I don’t really see teams having the urgency to win it all this year, especially since there’s still that chance they won’t finish the season. It’s looking much better for MLB to finish the season, but it’s still far from a guarantee.
ASapsFables
I agree with all of these thoughts..
johnrealtime
He’s a very intriguing guy. I think he’ll really come into his own when he eventually changes scenery
S.S.D.Y.
Can we please end the infatuation with Nicky, once and for all?!? There has to be a better option as a fifth outfielder.
jhomeslice
Delmonico is the Dylan Covey of outfielders.
S.S.D.Y.
More like the Adam Mokoka of outfielders.
MikeS2
There has to be a better option as a 9th outfielder.
I do not need to see any more of Nicky Delmonico.
See also: Ryan Goins.
ChiSox_Fan
Delmonico is a LH bat.
Only reason he is an occasional option.
stevep-4
Yes. Not a good enough reason though.
chisoxjuan
With the way Cease, Dunning, & Gonzo have pitched lately, Lopez didn’t do enough to get back in the rotation. He got 10 outs on 50 pitches giving up 2 ER. That’s just OK. Rodon likely has more pressure because of his impending FA. He should get a bullpen start soon & I think anything worse than 1 ER over 10 outs will keep him there.
Is it possible for Kopech to opt back in? I would think he’d want to be a part of this.
Pump fist for GIolito both on the Sox 1st no-hitter with 13 K’s ever & his stance on Blake in Kenosha, WI. PD shooting Blake is errily similar to McDonald in Chicago.
Both threatened violence with knives in resisting arrest but neither had a gun.
Even if he had a gun in the car, two PD guns on him is enough if he were to attempt to shoot. The third PD gun simply needed to shoot the tires.
I don’t agree with the defunding movement but I do agree with every cop in that district/precinct getting a suspension in pay until they complete a course on proper usage of lethal force. Detectives should also have to complete the course if they want to remain on the payroll.
What is proper? If the assailant only has a knife, shoot the legs. That should prevent them from throwing the knife as a serious threat to the safety of an officer. Even if
a gun should be detected an officer should attempt to disable with shots to the limbs rather than shoot to kill. If an officer is not skilled enough to do that, they should have to purchase a bullet proof vest at their own expense before they can go out on patrol or become a detective.