The White Sox announced that outfielder Andrew Benintendi has a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will miss four to six weeks. He departed today’s spring training game after being hit by a pitch.
It’s an unfortunate blow for Benintendi and the White Sox. With the spring just getting going, he’ll now be shut down and miss the remainder of camp. Once healthy, he’ll have to head out on a rehab assignment and effectively start his spring training over again.
The Sox weren’t going to compete this year. They set a modern-day record with 121 losses in 2024. They aren’t likely to be significantly better in 2025. They did sign a few veterans to fill some roster spots but also traded Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox in exchange for prospects.
However, Benintendi had a chance to play himself into being a trade candidate, something that MLBTR looked at just yesterday. With three years and $15.83MM left on his deal and the Sox deep in a rebuild, they would surely love to move him. Any improved performance would have helped them do that while allowing Benintendi to play for a contender, a win-win for both sides.
Since signing with the Sox ahead of the 2023 season, Benintendi has hit just .246/.309/.374 for a wRC+ of 90 with poor defensive metrics to boot. But his 2024 season finished on a strong note. He had a stint on the injured in June due to left achilles tendinitis. He had hit just .195/.230/.284 before that IL stint but then slashed .251/.326/.470 the rest of the way. That latter line translated to a 124 wRC+, indicating he was 24% above league average at the plate.
That led to some hope that he could return to form in 2025, since he had hit .279/.351/.431 for a 109 wRC+ before joining the White Sox. If Benintendi has a bounceback in him, it will have to stay on ice until he gets over this injury.
The Sox will now have some early-season playing time to reallocate. Luis Robert Jr., another trade candidate that the Sox are hoping to see build value, will be the everyday guy in center. Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater could perhaps form a platoon in one corner. Michael A. Taylor is on the roster, likely viewed as a fourth outfielder/defensive replacement/pinch runner type.
Oscar Colás and Dominic Fletcher are on the 40-man roster. Each still has an option remaining and seemed ticketed for time in Triple-A but perhaps this opens some big league time for one of them. Joey Gallo is also in camp as a non-roster invitee, so this could lead to his contract being selected. Other NRIs with some big league experience include Corey Julks and Calvin Mitchell. If the Sox decide they want to bring in some more depth, players like Alex Verdugo, David Peralta and Robbie Grossman remain unsigned.
What a White Sox thing to happen.
This website literally put the evil eye on him with the article yesterday!
Yeah what a mean thing to do to an upbeat guy who’s always laughing like a little puppy when at the plate.
This guy has had tough luck with hand injuries in recent years.
He needs a hand job.
@SonnySteele: Gold, just ‘gold’ Well played sir! lol
Talk to the hand
Finally, an opening on this roster for a youngster to showcase himself!
No choice but to trade Robert Jr now. Donovan, Walker and Tink Hence gets it done. That move puts the Sox in the playoffs and frees up payroll for even more additions next year. A Vlad Jr pursuit isn’t out of the question especially if they get a new stadium
Reinsdorf got one new stadium from the Illinois taxpayers plus a bar where the White Sox get 100% of the revenue, he’s not getting another
Then he should move the team and go where they are wanted
Mute
You – so your definition of “where they are wanted” is wherever politicians will utilize tax payer funds to the tune of 100’s of millions of dollars to support a privately owned business?
Happy day resinsdorf as the insurance policy covers the salary, not the pocket book
Not necessarily. While many long term contracts are insured, usually reimbursement doesn’t occur until 90 days at a minimum.,If Benintendi is out a maximum 6 weeks that’s only 42 days. So it’s doubtful that the White Sox get any salary relief for his injury. When people think about MLB insurance many remember Albert Belle with the Orioles. But his injury was career ending. And the Orioles only got covered for 50-80% of his salary. And the Orioles ended up with hire premiums for future long term deals. So without knowing the details of Benintendi’s contract it’s unlikely the White Sox get any salary relief. Not for 6 weeks
Ha ha. Who would want the Sox as currently constructed? And especially if Reinsdorf remains the owner?
MLB needs a dose of DOGE.
Oops, you misspelled DOGS HIT! We’re here to help!
Gotta be a white sox fan that came up with this trade, no STL fan can be this delusional? 1) STL is trying to trading off veteran players so they can play their youth, they are not going to trade for an OF who was injured most of last year when they are about to rebuild. Not to mention they are not moving that big a package for Roberts even if they decide to change course. 2) the white sox owner is never giving a player 500 mil, so vlad jr is not happening.
Cardinals finished 83-79 last year and have young talent already making an impact. I could see them buying low on a player like Robert. His contract ends on 2025, and there’s club options for 2026-27. It’s not a huge risk because if he’s bad they can just let him go, but if he’s good they can take the option and have a prime player for 2 more years. Just because the Cardinals are trying to get rid of their big contracts doesn’t mean they won’t take on a medium one if they think they can fix him. He should be relatively cheap to acquire in trade because of his health and bad 2024. The White Sox should hold out on trading Robert until midseason.
No. An opening to sign a veteran past his prime
Like Joey Gallo?
MLBTR jinxed this dude with their recent article.
I was actually excited when Yankees traded for him, but he’s not the same player he was in Boston. I’m not sure why he’s still a young player. The fact he didn’t want to stay in New York was a blessing
“I’m not sure why he’s still a young player.”
This might be the funniest thing I’ve read here in a bit, but I get what you’re saying. He’s been in the league forever already.
That’s why punctuation is a thing. I had to read that sentence twice.
Rick Hahn jinxed the Sox when he signed that dude for 5 years.
they were jinxed long before then
If there was an MLBTR jinx, Nolan Arenado would be in a coma by now.
So many injuries occur bc of HBPs
Last yr josh jung was hit on the wrist, missed nearly the entire season, had multiple surgeries.
Austin riley missed 3 months after a HBP
Pitchers need to better control where & how they throw for f sake. Careers are on the line
Damn, why haven’t any of the pitchers or coaches ever thought of that? You’re a genius!
I have thought of that. PLUNK!
Since MLB continues dragging its feet implementing the ABS system, perhaps they will turn their attention to that “Dune” shield technology which blocks anything except slow projectiles. With proper calibration, there would be no more batter injuries from any pitch faster than the eephus! 🙂
Each team plays 162 games every year. MLB teams average 146 pitches per game. That’s 23,652 pitches per team, per season. There are going to be misses.
OR yknow… hitters can get off of the plate
Hitters crowding the plate and diving in is the biggest cause since any pitcher throwing inside is come down on by the commissioners office these days.
ZERO incentive to crack the whip on pitchers who cannot control their thrown balls. No penalty given to either the pitcher who throws a pitch that causes lost time injury or to the team he plays for. Only the team of the injured player is penalized due to losing the services of the player as well as the player himself who suffers through the pain of the injury and both short term and long term ramifications on his brief professional career.
Well said, Jackson. Also the over emphasis on velocity sacrifices control. Guys should be learning how to place the ball before they go for triple digits on the radar gun.
Answering yourself?
Batters should be better about getting out of the f***ing way. Benintendi certainly isn’t powerful enough to be diving out over the plate like a baboon. There should be a fine for this. Mookie missed an MVP last year because he wouldn’t. Move.
A baboon? Do enlighten us!
More racism from you. Good god man it’s 2025. Wake up
Benintendi is black?
There are white baboons dummy
Youjustmadethatup
February 27, 2025
Youjustmadethatup
More racism from you.
==================
He called Benintendi a baboon. And last I looked, Benni was white.
Just to entertain the masses, care to explain the racist nature of calling a white guy a baboon?
There are white baboons dude. Anyone with a brain knows that, but I bet the dude that made the original comment didn’t know anything about Benintendi in the first place and he was pulling his usual garbage.
but I bet the dude that made the original comment didn’t know anything about Benintendi
=========================
You’re completely stretching now. I’d bet that every single person in here knows who Benni is. Further, there is nothing about the first name or last name to suggest that Benni is black.
It’s okay to admit when you’re wrong, especially when it is obvious.
Yes – it is 2025, and if one is paying attention to the world, racism is now the “in” thing again. It is formally underwritten by the tragically polluted oval office and maggots everywhere.
Someone’s been watching MSNBC again. Sad.
@gooseguy,
This is hardly a political comment. I mean there wasn’t a single poster yelling, “THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS, THEY’RE EATING THE CATS!”
This does not accurate to me
With three years and $15.83MM left on his deal
According to Roster Resource that number is only off by about $33.5MM. Looks like he has about $49.2 left.
Maybe an average of $15.83 mil per year over three years
Yes, but worded incorrectly by the writer
Definitely addition by subtraction
Tough break for the wsox,and im sure his hand ain’t feeling too good right now, ouch..
Well, a fringe MLB veteran OF just made the OD roster who otherwise would not have…..or DeLoach/Colas depending on how they handle their corner OF smorgasbord.
Colas and Fletcher are on the 40-man and DeLoach is not so they have to be favored
There go the White Sox’ playoff hopes.
As if the White Sox can’t get any worse.
We thought that in 2023 and then 2024. 122+ in 2025?
130 looks inevitable at this point.
Probably opens the door for Gallo to open the season with the big club
A fate you would not wish on your worst enemy. Michael A. Taylor has more value than Joey Callo. I do not understand. Teams bring him in, he doesn’t hit a lick, and then he gets another chance the following spring. WHY??
Is this really an unfortunate blow for the SS? They’re already gonna blow
The pitcher who threw the pitch that broke the batter’s hand should immediately be suspended and remain so until Benintendi is fully able to resume baseball activities at 100%. This antiquated notion of one team losing a player to injury while the other team gets away with saying, “OOPS, S-O-R-R-Y, Well, it’s just part of the game” is just no longer appropriate with regard to the game and the way it is played today. MLB NEEDS TO ACT and to correct this injustice and inequity. Both for the team that suffers the avoidable loss of a player to injury and for the player who is injured with suffering through both the injury and the recovery from that injury. Perhaps affecting the long term trajectory of their entire professional career both short term and long term.
Short sighted comment. Most pitchers, if not all, are not throwing intentionally at a guy. However, if a batter is over the plate and has their hands in or around the zone then maybe they should not be on top of the plate to begin with. Pitchers have the right to throw around the plate.
This has NOTHING to do with intentionally being a HBP, nor have I ever taken my stance on that issue. Completely a different matter. If the player’s hands are over the plate and in the strike zone, that is on the player, not the pitcher. AND on the Home Plate Umpire for allowing the batter to have his hands there in the first place.
What you are talking about is purely reactionary with little sense. Saying that a pitcher should miss the same amount of time as a player who got hit when its unintentional is just flat out ridiculous. End of story. The only time any kind of extended punishment should be doled out is if the league can prove intent on the pitcher. An accident is just that, it sucks, but its part of the game.
For example. If you had it your way then there would have bench guys with a .199 career average pinch hitting with the sole intent of getting hit. Then getting hit on their ass or forearm or whatever and then the team claiming they have sit out for 1 week of games to let it heal, possibly having a minor bench player ‘injured’ and the pitcher out while that is happening… Imagine that happening in a playoff series?
Even if you could account for those situations to not allow teams to game the system, you would have pitchers basically afraid to throw, making things worse (or more wild), having 4-6 hour long games because of all the walks, or ERAs well above 10 with batters waiting for the ball on the outside of the plate to hammer it knowing a pitcher will NEVER go inside again. Because, by your standards, they could be suspended for months even for hitting a guy who is over the plate, even if accidentally if they have a long term injury.
What you would have is pitchers LEARNING to control their pitched balls and organizations that would make it a PRIORITY to instruct the pitchers in their organizations to control their pitches. If a thrown ball hits a batter and causes a lost time injury, the pitcher (and the team) is penalized by the pitcher being suspended for the same amount of time that the injured batter is unable to perform at the MLB level.
NO MORE one sided, “OOPS, SORRY, It’s just part of the game BS. The game has evolved and the stakes in terms of the player and the team are extremely high.
SIMPLE: Don’t make it out to be more than it is.
Excuse me? I think what I said is pretty easy to understand (Then again for some it apparently is not). Teams would abuse it and again accidents happen.
Use your own advice: Don’t make it out to be more than it is. An accident is just that. If it isn’t then punish the pitcher.
For over 100 hundred years there has been no such inane rule. There is a reason for that. Despite the players union there STILL is no rule for that, because its just a poorly thought out reactionary feeling.
If we had a foolproof way of ascertaining intent, I’d agree with you, but e don’t, and we have batters that crowd the plate. Bonds used to do it–crowd the plate while wearing armor. Anthony Rizzo lost time lst yer to two broken fingers after being HBP. But Rizzo is 8th all time in cumulative HBP
Bonds used to do it–crowd the plate while wearing armor.
===========================
Papi was always over the plate and wore armor to protect himself. It’s part of the game.
In addition. a lot of weaker hitters position themselves to get hit.
If there is a situation where the opposing pitcher is hitting too many of your guys, the teams can police the situation themselves.
Take a good hard look at your Examples. If a player has a part of his body in the strike zone, any resulting injury is on the batter. WHERE is the Umpire?? He should be policing the position of the batter in the batter’s box..
Jacksson – What’s your stance on a comebacker? How about a foul tip that causes injury? A foul ball hits a spectator? Homerun ball bruises my hand, causes me to miss work for two weeks… should I be compensated? How about an errant throw on the diamond or hard slide like Utley did against Tejada? Part of the game maybe?
Take a good hard look at your suggestions. They are ludicrous. Those examples you cite ARE “Just Part of The Game”. While stadiums take steps to protect their fans, what may happen to you as a fan as a result of the game being played is at your own risk. If you are unprepared to take that risk = Stay Home. Your examples are not controllable. The location of a pitched ball is controllable.
@Jacksson13, Wait, WHAT is ludicrous? Honestly, listen to how silly you sound, and that you are doubling down on it is amazing…
Never mind you destroy your own argument.. One can easily say “Don’t want to get hit by a pitch? Then don’t play baseball. ” As a matter of fact its been said for over 100 years.
If every location of a pitch was really ‘controllable’, then every pitcher would have an ERA of 1 or lower, they would all throw backdoor sliders and curves on demand and there would be a TON of perfect games. Even the best pitchers cannot dot the same spot over and over continuously (some have come close and have no hitters to their name, but not everyone can do it)…’Controllable’ Wow. just wow.
So you got banned on your last account, so you opened two new accounts?
Some people are saying MLBTR jinxed him.
An average of $15.83 million, to clarify. 17.1 million each of the next two years.
Can the White Sox just rebuild and get back to disappointing their fans late in the season for old times sake? Hire Kenny Williams back…atleast he’ll instinctively try to relive the 05 team. Guys are 50 now. But it’d be way more entertaining to see Bobby Jenks get shelled than any of this.
Mark Buehrle would toss games in 1:15 now with a pitch clock in effect.
Anyone that suggests that Kenny Williams be brought back, even in jest, should be immediately smacked around until they come to their senses…
“I’m sorry your honor, but I felt it was my duty to smack some sense into Dock for suggesting he shall not be named”.
Judge: “The case is dismissed with apologies from the court.”
This will have an impact in winning division
The White Sox are using Benintendi’s injury as a strategic opportunity to manipulate his trade value, transforming a potential liability into a more palatable asset for future transactions.
STOP USING ChatGPT! WE GET!!
@el_chapo_
I’m not, though.
@el_chapo_
I received a message from someone on here who said I need to stop being so obnoxious and start being serious about discussing baseball, so I’ve changed my manner of posting. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. You can keep posting baseball memes if you like…
I’ve noticed an improvement.
“With three years and $15.83MM left on his deal…”
—
More like $49MM left on the deal.
Huge blow for the White Sox opponents…..
Pirates want to trade for another injured player. Will offer a young pitcher.
Well, if they are going to lose a lot of games again this season, the players might as well take a page from their history and sell a few for profit.
At least his WAR improves.
One of the 3 Red Sox killer B’s. One is going to HOF. The other 2 typical overhyped Red Sox prospects.
He’s a bum. More wasted money by Reinsdork
Betts
Bogaerts
Bradley
Benintendi
Devers
The Epstein-Cherington Legacy is quite a mixed bag. One superstar, one struggling team leader, one slugger, one stellar defender, and one deep disappointment.
The Epstein-Cherington Legacy is quite a mixed bag.
=====================
It’s not a mixed bag. It is two separate bags, with one being a first-ballot HOF, and the second being average, at best.
Stone Garrett just came available. MLB 833 OPS Wrc+125. Came back from gruesome injury in 2023 at Yankee Stadium. His health doesn’t seem a concern in this game on video two days ago.
x.com/TheNatsReport/status/1895197170917351718
Benny read the article about being traded and he wanted to stay so bad he went and got hurt.
We thought that in 2023 and then 2024. 122+ in 2025?
I’d check your math on Andrew’s contract. 3 years & almost $50 million left in believe. it’s brutal
Every once in a while there’s a player that reaches free agency and it feels like their value isn’t clear/nobody is high on them as an addition to their roster over other options, etc. but the league doesn’t want to ice them out right at their big moment to cash in on their career efforts and they’re literally at the age players get their largest contracts at- so *someone* steps in and provides a deal that is in range of the players’ assumed value.
I kinda suspect this happened with Benintendi and the White Sox. I think it happened to Nick Swisher and the Guardians when they signed him 4 years/$56M, I think it happened with Baltimore when they signed Ubaldo Jimenez to 4 years/$40M.
I just think there’s this class of players who are likely not worth a long term deal and are not exactly an exciting signing, but it’s like they’re owed The Big Contract by Baseball, so a team that knows the signing will make no difference at all and won’t cost “real” money” but will *look* like they’re doing something pro-active and that player gets *some* Big Contract Money.
Anyway Benintendi was one of those, I think.
How was $15 million determined left on his contract? it’s almost $50 million