The White Sox may be carving out a new path for one of their best young hitters.
Caleb Bonemer, the No. 2 prospect in the organization, is set to start getting work in center field with Double-A Birmingham and is expected to keep playing there in the Arizona Fall League, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. For a 20-year-old who has spent his minor league career on the infield, that’s a meaningful shift - and one that could shape how quickly Chicago finds room for his bat.
Bonemer’s stock has soared this year. Across 114 games between High-A and Double-A, the former second-round pick has put together a huge season: 33 home runs, 83 RBIs, a .936 OPS, 24 doubles and 16 stolen bases. Even more encouraging, his strikeout rate has dropped by nearly 5% since his move to Double-A in mid June.
The challenge for Bonemer has less to do with performance than with the depth chart. He’s played shortstop and third base in the minors, but the White Sox already have Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery on the left side of the big league infield.
Fellow top prospect Roch Cholowsky is also a shortstop, which leaves little obvious room on the dirt. Sam Antonacci shifted to left field earlier this season for the same reason, and Bonemer now appears to be headed down a similar road.
The move isn’t as unusual as it might sound. Jackson Merrill, Ceddanne Rafaela and Oneil Cruz all came up as infielders before settling in center field. Trea Turner has played center early in his career, and Mookie Betts has spent time both in the infield and the outfield.
Bonemer’s physical tools give the idea some real legs. MLB.com lists him with a 55-grade arm and field and a 50-grade run, and White Sox Assistant General Manager Josh Barfield said the organization approached him about the switch last week.
“We brought it up to him last week and he was super open about it. By no means is he no longer an infielder.
We see this as adding another tool in his bag and he’s super athletic. He’s capable of doing it,” Barfield told Merkin.
The White Sox outfield picture matters here, too. Sam Antonacci and Braden Montgomery are likely to hold down the corners, while Tristan Peters has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season. Center field, though, remains the biggest question mark on the position-player side.
That makes Bonemer’s trial in center field about more than just experimentation. If he can handle it, he gives Chicago another way to get his bat into the lineup. And with the way he’s hitting, that looks less like a long shot and more like the next logical step.
In Other News...
White Sox Deadline Haul Is Already Turning Into A Chris Getz Problem
Three weeks after the deadline, the White Soxs biggest moves already look a lot shakier than they did on paper. Chicago brought in Luis Castillo, Huascar Brazoban, Brenton Doyle, Joey Bart and Jose Urquidy hoping to patch holes and add some immediate stability, but the early returns have been rough across the board. Castillo has labored through four starts, Brazoban has been hit hard in relief, Doyle has yet to provide the offensive boost the club wanted, and the overall impact has tilted the wrong way so far.
Joey Barts broken hand only added to the sense that this group has not given the White Sox the lift they were after. For Chris Getz, the problem is bigger than a few bad outings, because these were deadline additions meant to help now and instead have become part of the teams recent struggles. The sample is still small, but the early trend has been hard to ignore, and it leaves Chicago waiting for some sign that this haul can start paying off. [Read more 🡒]
Rikuu Nishida Just Got Another Shot To Make White Sox Notice
The White Sox gave Rikuu Nishida another opening on Friday, recalling the utility player from Triple-A after placing Andrew Benintendi on the bereavement list before their game against the Texas Rangers. Nishida has already seen big-league time this season, appearing in 12 games for Chicago, and this latest move gives him a fresh chance to show he can help in whatever role the club needs while Benintendi is away.
For now, the stay looks temporary. Benintendi is expected to miss the rest of the Rangers series, with a possible return lined up for the next stop in Minnesota, so Nishidas window is narrow and the challenge is clear: make enough of an impression in a short burst to stay on the radar when Chicago has to make another roster call. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Could Land A Proven Arm If Toronto Changes Course
The September waiver deadline is creeping closer, and that has put a familiar name back into the conversation for teams still looking for pitching help. For the White Sox, the idea is straightforward enough: if Toronto makes a different kind of decision on Shane Bieber, Chicago could have a chance to add a proven arm with the kind of track record that still carries real value even after injury setbacks.
Bieber has recently looked solid, which only adds to the intrigue around his status as the Blue Jays stay in the playoff race. For the White Sox, the appeal is less about chasing a splash and more about staying alert for an opportunity that might not last long, especially with a pitcher of Biebers caliber potentially becoming available only if Toronto changes course. [Read more 🡒]