A sore right wrist kept Andrew Benintendi out of the White Sox’ lineup for the last two games before the All-Star break. But discomfort in the left fielder’s wrist dates back beyond getting hit by a pitch last month in Los Angeles, to even some issues last season, according to manager Pedro Grifol.
“He’s been playing through pain the first half, so it’s time for him to get a break,” said Grifol, who believes the issue has inhibited Benintendi’s power. “He’ll tell you he’s not a 40-home-run guy, but he’s definitely not a one-home-run guy, either. He’s got some pop in there.”
Grifol is optimistic that Benintendi can drive the ball more than one homer and a .369 slugging percentage in the first half would indicate, but he declined to get into specifics on what, if any, procedure was done to alleviate the discomfort in his wrist.
“We’re addressing the wrist,” Grifol said. “I’m not going to get into that part of it, how we’re fixing it. But let’s just say we’re addressing the issue.”
Sheets searching for rhythm
Sunday closed a disappointing first half for infielder/outfielder Gavin Sheets, who has homered once since Memorial Day. Expected to supply left-handed power, Sheets hits the break with a .220/.298/.374 batting line in 205 plate appearances, which despite numerous injuries is only the ninth-most on the team.
“Still not where I want to be,” Sheets said of his season. “It’s been tough to get in a good rhythm. I feel I put good stretches together and don’t get in there, or face a string of lefties and lose the good feelings I have at the plate.”
By his own admission, Sheets struggled with life as a strict platoon player without an everyday role, and with the recent recall of Oscar Colás, has more competition now for playing time in right field against right-handed starters.
Sheets has just seven at-bats against lefties this season, and his lifetime numbers support such usage. But improvement of any kind, has been difficult to find through just simulated at-bats on the iPitch machine.
“In my opinion I need to face lefties to stay sharp against righties,” Sheets said. “Still trying to figure out how to do that better, whether it’s continuing to do at-bats in the cage to try to keep the feeling going. That’s something I need to work on.”
As TA scuffles, so do the Sox
A miserable first half for the Sox ended with Tim Anderson striking out swinging, stranding the tying run at third, to cap an 0-for-5 day and a 1-for-14 series. All told, Anderson’s .223/.259/.263 batting line makes for the worst OPS for any half of a season in his accomplished eight-year major league career.
Notably, Anderson has hit .207/.245/.233 in 56 games since returning in May from a left knee sprain.
“It’s tough, especially he’s never been through this,” said teammate Elvis Andrus. “I don’t think I’ve seen him like this. Throughout his career, you get used to the .320, .330 every year. But it’s part of the game. He’s a human, too. And he’s learning. He’s probably very disappointed, but I still believe in him.”
That belief is shared by Grifol, who has not started Anderson lower than second in the batting order all season amid his career-worst struggles.