The White Sox have signed free agent first baseman Jared Walsh to a minor league deal, per the staff. The ISE consumer will head to the membership’s spring coaching complicated in Arizona in the intervening time and ultimately be assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. Walsh made the Rangers’ Opening Day roster this season and obtained out to a sizzling begin, however he was minimize unfastened when he fell right into a hunch as Texas was nearing Nathaniel Lowe’s activation from the injured checklist.
Walsh’s return to the massive leagues was a welcome sight, as some slightly ominous well being troubles clouded his future throughout the recreation not way back. The Angels positioned Walsh on the injured checklist with persistent complications and insomnia early final season, and the slugger detailed his struggles in an interview with The Athletic’s Sam Blum on the time, stating: “It’s been hell. Not realizing what’s occurring, not understanding what’s taking place with my physique….And never having the ability to get solutions, not having the ability to work out why I can’t do fundamental duties. It’s been fairly regarding for me.”
Walsh additionally informed the Orange County Register’s Doug Padilla that the neurological points he battled early final season really had been bothering him for greater than a 12 months, which means he was going by means of that battle whereas concurrently attempting to play by means of thoracic outlet signs that ultimately necessitated surgical procedure. Walsh acknowledged that he appears to have “discovered some solutions” after a number of visits with specialists, however a precise prognosis was by no means made public.
Given all he’s gone by means of in current seasons, it’s encouraging merely to see Walsh wholesome sufficient to proceed pursuing his massive league profession. The now-30-year-old slugger broke out with a hefty .280/.331/.531 slash and 38 dwelling runs in 176 video games with the Angels from 2020-21. His manufacturing plummeted within the years since that breakout, due in no small half to these persistent and worrying well being troubles. Since Opening Day 2022, Walsh carries a .200/.263/.352 batting line in 630 journeys to the plate.
Walsh had a pleasant spring with the Rangers, swatting three homers and slashing .250/.365/.458 total in 57 plate appearances. His 14% stroll charge was encouraging, however the veteran’s 33.3% strikeout charge was an apparent flaw. His contact points persevered into the common season. Walsh started the season 10-for-30 with a homer and two doubles however went simply 2-for-23 with 11 punchouts thereafter. He fanned 21 instances in his 60 Rangers plate appearances (35%).
The White Sox have Andrew Vaughn getting on a regular basis reps at first base, however the former prime prospect merely hasn’t produced this season (.180/.252/.230, 42 wRC+) and extra broadly has not emerged because the high-end offensive drive the Sox envisioned when drafting him with the third total decide in 2019. Vaughn popped a career-high 21 homers final season however is a lifetime .251/.311/.408 hitter since his 2020 debut. He’s primarily been a league-average bat, which doesn’t mesh properly together with his lack of defensive worth and lack of velocity. This 12 months’s 27.9% strikeout charge is a career-worst, as are most of his batted-ball metrics on Statcast (e.g. exit velocity, barrel charge, hard-hit charge).
If issues attain a tipping level, it’s possible that Vaughn might be optioned to Charlotte himself, with Gavin Sheets sliding from proper discipline to first base and Chicago giving Tommy Pham, Robbie Grossman and/or Rafael Ortega elevated reps within the outfield. Walsh might hit his approach into that first base/DH combine as properly, however for now he’ll get a tune-up on the Sox’ spring facility. It’s been ten days since he was designated for task and two weeks since he final appeared in a recreation.
