Chase

Meidroth

Meidroth’s home run was his 16th of the season. He hit a three-run shot off Daniel Lynch in the third inning. Meidroth has two home runs and seven RBI over his last two games. He’s hitting .271 with a .756 OPS and 63 RBI with five games left in the regular season.

Meidroth got the game started with a bang, crushing Matthew Liberatore’s very first pitch for a 398-foot (103.7-mph EV) leadoff home run. He then led off the third inning with a 391-foot (103.9-mph EV) solo shot that tied the game at 2-2. The 25-year-old infielder is having a solid season at the dish, slashing .269/.345/.402 with 14 homers, 53 RBI and three stolen bases in 591 plate appearances.

It’s an extremely rare off day for Vargas with Colson Montgomery taking over at the hot corner and Chase Meidroth at shortstop. The 26-year-old is in the middle of a career year at the dish, slashing .250/.361/.482 with 95 runs scored, 30 home runs, 79 RBI and 16 steals in 627 plate appearances over 142 games.

Meidroth has started every game this week at second base for the White Sox, so he’ll get a well-deserved day off in this one. Sam Antonacci will cover second base while Brenton Doyle draws a start in center field and will hit eighth for the White Sox against Twins’ right-hander Zebby Matthews.

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.

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.