Andrew

Benintendi

Benintendi got the nod for the leadoff spot against the A’s in Sacramento on Saturday. It was the third consecutive game in the leadoff spot against a right-handed start. He drove in three of the team’s six runs with a three-run homer off Luis Severino in the top of the second inning. The 31-year-old outfielder is hitting .200/.262/.367 with one homer and six RBI across 65 plate appearances.

Unless Benintendi was hurt on an embarrassing HBP/strikeout in the third — the pitch hit him on the back shoulder area as he was in the process of swinging — it seems pretty notable that the White Sox preferred Tristan Peters to him against right-handed closer Ryan Helsley (it didn’t work out). Benintendi is batting .179/.207/.179 with one RBI and 12 strikeouts in 29 plate appearances. Even though he’s still due another $14.5 million in 2027, the White Sox might just go ahead and move on at some point.

With Austin Hays landing on the IL with a hamstring strain, the White Sox needed another outfielder. Many people may have been hoping for Sam Antonacci to get the call, but the White Sox are going to give him more time in the minors. That also likely indicates that the White Sox are not looking to fill a starting role with this call-up. Harris stole 33 bases in the minors for the Rangers last year, so he will likely be a pinch runner and part-time player while Hays is out, with Andrew Benintendi moving out to left field and Lenyn Sosa getting more of a chance for regular DH at-bats.

Benintendi drove in both runs with a single in the seventh that turned a 1-0 game into a 3-0 cushion for the White Sox. While the 31-year-old has performed well in spring, his lack of success over the past few years makes Benintendi someone fantasy managers can safely avoid; at least to begin the 2026 season.

Benintendi was scratched from Friday’s game because of soreness in his right side. The outfielder also told reporters that if this was the regular season he could play. It is very much not, but Benintendi should be ready in plenty of time for the regular season even if he doesn’t return Thursday.

No word on the severity of the injury, but it’s still early in spring training, so there is no need to rush a veteran like Benintendi onto the field.

It’s the same thing that put him on the IL for a couple of weeks in June 2024. Benintendi ends something of a bounce-back year with a .240/.307/.431 line and 20 homers in 116 games. It’s not great, but a 105 OPS+ and 1.0 bWAR is a significant improvement over his 91 OPS+ and -0.4 bWAR from his first two years in Chicago. Brooks Baldwin figures to pick up some playing time in his place this week.

It’s interesting as there haven’t been any rumblings about Benintendi dealing with any sort of injury, but this is the third straight contest that he has found himself on the bench for — all of them against right-handed pitching. He also has good career numbers against Padres’ starter Yu Darvish, so perhaps there is a physical issue holding him back a bit. Will Robertson will make his third consecutive start in left field and will bat eighth for the White Sox on Saturday evening.

The 31-year-old outfielder tagged Rico Garcia for a 404-foot (103.4 mph EV) two-run shot in the eighth inning that pulled the White Sox to within a run at 8-7. That would be as close as the comeback bid would get. Benintendi is quietly having a solid season for the White Sox, slashing .240/.306/.431 with 20 homer,s 62 RBI and one stolen base over 469 plate appearances. It’s the third time in his career that Benintendi has reached the 20-homer plateau though he has never exceeded it.

He grounded out against Cade Smith to end the game with the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Benintendi was on quite the two-week hot streak before going 0-for-11 with five strikeouts this weekend. Of course, he wasn’t the only White Sox hitter to struggle in a series in which the team scored three runs in 27 innings. After being swept, the White Sox will need to finish 6-6 to avoid another 100-loss season.