ANAHEIM, Calif. — The White Sox activated Yoan Moncada from the injured list on Tuesday.
Now comes the important thing about that: Will Moncada make it meaningful?
The 27-year-old switch-hitting third baseman in the third year of a $70 million, five-year contract paying $13 million this season, has played in only 29 games in 2022 because of oblique, quad and hamstring injuries. When healthy, he has produced a .179/.230/.292 hitting line with a .523 OPS and three home runs.
Moncada is one missing piece of a puzzling Sox offense that is a big reason why the team enters Tuesday’s game against the Angels with a 34-38 record, 6 1⁄2 games behind the Twins in the AL Central.
Moncada landed on the 10-day injured list on June 20 (retroactive to June 18) with a strained right hamstring. He recorded a career-high five hits including a home run and drove in five runs on June 15 at Detroit, far and away his biggest game of the season.
“I was feeling good, especially that day in Detroit,” Moncada said last week. “My swing was good before the injury happened.”
He was injured in the Sox’ next game while running out a ground ball.
“I’ve been trying to stay calm; it’s definitely frustrating,” Moncada said. “But I’m trying to take the positive of this. Maybe I’ll have a chance to come back stronger. Just try to find a positive in all this.”
Sosa went 1-for-12 with a double in four games since his contract was selected from Double-A Birmingham on June 23.
Moncada’s 2019 season, when he batted .315/.367/.548/ with a .915 OPS with 25 home runs, gave ownership the confidence to award him with his deal before he was eligible for free agency. It also set a standard for what could be expected of him, but Moncada is hitting .243/.345/.390 since signing the deal.
