April 26--The lack of commitment to John Danks after only three starts shows the White Sox are not messing around.
Danks was in line to start Monday in Toronto, but the Sox instead called up reclamation project Miguel Gonzalez from Triple-A Charlotte and skipped Danks altogether. He's now slated to start Thursday in Baltimore, and after that it's "to be determined," according to manager Robin Ventura.
That's reason to rejoice for Sox fans who have been patiently waiting for Danks to return to form after shoulder surgery in 2012.
Danks is 0-3 with a 6.23 ERA, and though he allowed only two earned runs against the Angels in his last start, he walked five in six innings. Right-handed hitters are batting .309 against him after hitting .294 off him in 2015.
The Sox have given Danks, 31, plenty of opportunities, and the most frustrating part is he'll have a good start here and there before falling on his face again. His ERA was 4.75 in 2013, 4.74 in 2014 and 4.71 last year, which isn't the kind of incremental improvement the team was looking for from the guy Ken Williams handed a five-year, $65 million contract in 2012.
Danks will make $14.25 million this year, which makes him virtually untradable. If he doesn't show anything in his next start, the Sox can stick him in long relief, as the Cubs did with Edwin Jackson when it became obvious he was never going to succeed as a starter.
Whether Gonzalez, who turns 32 next month, is the long-term answer remains to be seen. He was 9-12 with a 4.91 ERA last year for the Orioles, who waived him near the end of spring training. He made only two starts at Charlotte, allowing three runs in 11 innings with 10 strikeouts.
But at least the Sox are being proactive. They're off to a great start with the best record in the American League entering Monday, despite a glaring lack of offense. Obviously they're not willing to wait for Danks to become more consistent, even though he's popular in the clubhouse and with the front office.
Ditto for Avisail Garcia, whom Ventura benched again Sunday. He didn't rule out sending Garcia to the minors, which would be a big wake-up call for the struggling outfielder who was hyped as a star in the making when the Sox acquired him from the Tigers in 2013 in the three-way deal involving Jake Peavy.
It makes sense to send Garcia down for a bit. Outfielder Jason Coats is hitting .365 with a .977 OPS at Charlotte and could give the Sox a little offense while Garcia gets his act together.
Things are finally looking up on the South Side, and maybe the best part is the Sox are willing to audible, even when it comes to changing the roles of established players.
psullivan@tribpub.com
