The White Sox seem to need an alternate outfield plan. Have placed Nomar Mazara on the 10-day injured list, according to its transaction page, though manager Rick Renteria insisted yesterday that a final decision on its availability had not yet been made.
Renteria did not give much in detail, but explained that Mazara has been “under the weather,” according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. That is the same status that was provided a few days ago when Mazara’s absence was noted. It’s a somewhat sinister statement in the coronavirus era, as league protocols could require a reasonably long absence, though so far there is no indication that covid is involved.
If in fact the team has made an IL placement (the transaction pages have been wrong in the past) it will delay Mazara’s debut with the South Siders, who acquired it from the Rangers during the December Winter Gatherings. Mazara was a prominent former prospect who never matched the hype as a member of the Rangers, with whom he cut a disappointing .261 / .320 / .435 (92 wRC +) and racked up 79 home runs in 2,189 plate appearances from 2016-19 .
Based on his track record alone, there is little reason to raise expectations. But Mazara is still only 25 years old and has long been considered a great talent. As MLBTR’s George Miller explained during the spring, it is probably too early to say that he has maximized his potential in the majors.
At best for the White Sox, Mazara will form an enviable field trio with Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert As early as this year, however, while Mazara is on the shelf, Chicago may resort to some combination of Adam Engel and Leury Garcia in right field The only other outfielders in the player pool with 40 player rosters are Micker Adolfo, Luis Alexander Basabeand Blake Rutherford, neither of which has made it to the big leagues. Nicky Delmonico and Luis gonzalez are options that are not on the list.
