Chase

Meidroth

Meidroth will get a chance atop Chicago’s lineup to face Tigers lefty Framber Valdez with rookie Sam Antonacci hitting ninth. It looks like a matchup-based decision since Antonacci has excelled out of the leadoff spot since being moved there earlier this month. Meidroth has been on a heater at the dish recently, batting .300 (9-for-30) with two homers in his last seven games.

Meidroth added to the barrage of runs the White Sox scored on Wednesday when he smacked a grand slam in the seventh inning off Twins reliever Travis Adams to push the White Sox’s lead to 13-1. It was the fifth homer of the season for Meidroth and his first career grand slam. He has now hit safely in five-straight games and has posted multiple hits in his last three games.

Meidroth’s homer came on a full count off Robbie Ray as the first batter of the game. He’s been batting first against lefties, but Sam Antonacci gets those opportunities against right-handers, while Meidroth typically drops to fifth. He’s improved in his second season, but he either needs to increase his bat speed or further lower his strikeout rate before the profile becomes more interesting for most fantasy leagues. Acquired from the Red Sox as part of the Garrett Crochet return package, Meidroth has started all but four contests for Chicago this season.

Runs were hard to come by in Tuesday’s contest in Seattle. Chicago was held scoreless through eight until Meidroth stepped to the plate with two runners on. He got a ground ball just past the first baseman for a single to drive in the game-tying run. The 24-year-old infielder is having a solid season, hitting .262/.337/.369 with three homers, 29 runs scored, and 11 RBI across 194 plate appearances.

Meidroth knocked a base hit to lead off the first inning and scored a run on a base hit. He later led off the seventh with a home run off Sam Bachman, a 100.4 mph fly ball that just made it inside the left field foul pole for his second of the season. The 24-year-old second baseman is hitting a solid .269/.342/.369 with 23 runs scored and five RBI across 149 plate appearances.

Meidroth knocked a base hit in the second inning, then later led off the seventh with a walk before tying the game with a sacrifice fly in the eighth to bring home a run. He’d reach for a third time with a base knock in the tenth. The 24-year-old second baseman is hitting .266/.352/.351 with one homer, 16 runs scored, three RBI, and one steal across 111 plate appearances.

The Brewers scored the next 14 runs afterwards, so the excitement didn’t last long. Meidroth did reach twice more, though, both on walks. His homer had an EV of 107.7 mph and was projected at 417 feet, so that’s really encouraging. Last year, he topped out at 107.1 mph and never hit a ball farther than 395 feet. Meidroth has a terrific approach, and a little extra pop could make him a decent MI option in mixed leagues.

The White Sox had Andrew Benintendi leading off and Meidroth batting sixth tonight. We’re not sure that makes a lot of sense, because really, if the White Sox think Benintendi, with his .298 OBP the last two years, is a better leadoff option than Meidroth, then Meidroth probably shouldn’t be starting in the first place. Still, there’s plenty of time to sort these things out once the season gets going. Meidroth’s future as a long-term regular is still in question, but the White Sox seem committed to him at second base right now.

Meidroth isn’t known for his over-the-fence pop as evidenced by just five round-trippers in 122 games as a rookie last year. Still, he’s capable of putting a charge into one on occasion, while boasting strong on-base skills. He’ll occupy the leadoff spot for Chicago going into the year, which makes him a cheap source of runs scored in deeper mixed leagues as a middle infield option.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 23-year-old slugger. Chase Meidroth will slide over and cover shortstop, Lenyn Sosa will handle second base and Curtis Mead will start at first base and bat second for the Sox against Guardians’ southpaw Parker Messick.