White Sox Designate Romy González For Assignment

The White Sox have made their previously-reported signing of right-hander John Brebbia official, announcing that deal today. Infielder/outfielder Romy González was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

González, now 27, burst towards the major leagues with a strong 2021 season. By the end of August, he had played 87 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He hit 23 home runs in that time and drew walks in 10.6% of his plate appearances. His 27.8% strikeout rate was on the high side but he slashed .275/.357/.525 for a 141 wRC+ and stole 22 bases.

He was added to the 40-man roster as a September call-up and has been serving as an optionable depth piece since. Unfortunately, injuries have prevented him from seeing much playing time. In 2022, he only played 32 games in the majors and 35 in the minors. Last year, he went on the IL due to shoulder inflammation in early May. He returned just over a week later but returned to the IL in mid-June due to the same ailment, eventually requiring labrum surgery in August.

To this point, González has played 86 major league games with a tepid batting line of .222/.239/361. But given his health issues, it’s hard to read too much into that, and it’s a fairly small sample anyway. At the time of his surgery, the Sox said they expected him to be ready for Spring Training. He has played the three infield positions to the left of first base, all three outfield spots and has even made an appearance on the mound.

The Sox will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He hasn’t done much in the majors thus far but he was mashing in the minors when he was last healthy for an extended stretch. Perhaps that, and his defensive versatility, could intrigue one of the other clubs around the league. He still has a couple of option years and has yet to reach arbitration.