Chase Meidroth not in White Sox lineup on Sunday

Doyle has six RBI the last two days after driving in one run in his first 18 games with the White Sox. In fact, the six RBI matches his total from his first 63 games this season. He’s batting .221/.272/.313 in 176 plate appearances for Colorado and Chicago.

Meidroth has been stuck on 49 RBI for 10 days now. He is 4-for-32 with no extra-base hits and one walk in his last eight games.

The switch-hitting 23-year-old outfielder has been struggling at the plate in recent weeks, hitting just .192/.306/.274 with one homer, 10 RBI and a 23/11 K/BB ratio over 85 plate appearances in his last 20 games, so perhaps giving him a day off to clear his head is a good idea. Tristan Peters will slide over and cover right field while Brenton Doyle draws a start in center and will bat sixth for the White Sox against Mets’ left-hander Sean Manaea.

Meidroth’s home run was his 12th of the year. He hit a two-run shot off Reds reliever Julian Garcia in the sixth inning. Meidroth returned to the lineup after missing two games with a wrist injury. Not known for his power, Meidroth has five home runs, 11 runs scored and 12 RBI over his last 14 games.

Meidroth is back at shortstop and hitting sixth following a relatively brief two-game absence due to a left wrist issue. The 25-year-old middle infielder has hit .274/.350/.404 with 67 runs scored, 11 homers, 46 RBI and two steals in 475 plate appearances across 113 games this season.

Meidroth told reporters that he isn’t dealing with a potential hamate issue after hurting his left wrist on a swing last week. He’s out of the lineup for the second straight game with Sam Antonacci drawing another start at the keystone in his absence. It’s possible he’ll require a trip to the injured list if he isn’t showing any improvement later this week.

The issue is believed to be minor and the White Sox anticipate Meidroth returning to the lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Reds. Sam Antonacci will cover second base in his absence on Sunday with Randal Grichuk starting in left field and batting cleanup against Guardians’ southpaw Joey Cantillo.

Meidroth had the best game of his career against the team that drafted him, homering off Ranger Suarez in the third and Aroldis Chapman in the 10th. It’s the first time he’s hit two homers, the second time he’s knocked in four and the third time he’s reached base safely five times in a game. He has 11 homers and 44 RBI in 466 plate appearances this season, compared to five homers and 23 RBI in 505 plate appearances as a rookie. It’s just too bad he hasn’t kept up with the basestealing; he’s only 2-for-4 there this year after going 14-for-18 last season.

Doyle is now officially a member of the White Sox, who do happen to have an All-Star in center field in Tristan Peters. It remains to be seen what type of role Doyle will have, but there’s a chance he’s just a weak-side platoon, and a defensive replacement.

Doyle was just activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday and went 2-for-7 with a double, a run, and an RBI in two games. The 28-year-old has struggled with injuries this season, but he looked great on his rehab assignment and slashed .260/.317/.446 in 149 games in 2024 with 23 home runs and 30 steals while playing elite defense in center field. His value obviously takes a hit outside of Coors Field, but if he is the regular center fielder in a good White Sox lineup, he will retain some deep league value. Mason Adams is a 26-year-old starting pitcher in Triple-A who has yet to make his MLB debut, and Vielma is a 16-year-old shortstop in the Dominican Summer League.