Bryan Ramos looks like the type of player who would benefit from a rebuilding season. After the White Sox’ dreadful start, any far-fetched hopes of competing in the American League Central were gone, seemingly opening the door for prospects to get an extended look in the majors.
But before the game Saturday against the Guardians, manager Pedro Grifol wasn’t ready to commit to keeping Ramos, 22, in Chicago.
“It’s not obvious [that he won’t be sent down], but he’s got to continue to play,” Grifol said. “This is not four out of seven or anything like that. This is a long haul. He’s doing really well right now. We’re taking it day by day with him.”
Through Friday, Ramos was hitting .318 and playing solid defense at third base. But the Sox might have to make a decision soon, as Danny Mendick (lower-back tightness) ran on the field Saturday afternoon and is due to begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Charlotte. Grifol didn’t specify when that would begin.
In the meantime, the Sox will continue evaluating Ramos, who needs to play every day regardless of where he is. Grifol said the team wouldn’t be quick to make a call on Ramos.
“Right now, he’s doing everything he’s capable of doing to show that he belongs here,” Grifol said. “He’s putting good at-bats together; he’s playing good defense. But at the same time, he is extremely young. This is his first taste of the big leagues.”
Man of Leasure
Reliever Jordan Leasure has emerged as a dependable high-leverage arm. On Friday, he picked up his second career save, and he was arguably better Thursday.
With the Sox leading Cleveland 3-0, Leasure entered in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. He struck out Bo Naylor and Tyler Freeman before inducing a Kyle Manzardo groundout to second to end the threat.
“He was never fazed here,” Grifol said. “Even the first day we threw him out there, even in spring training. He was always calm; he was always under control. The bigger the moment, the more relaxed he was, it seemed like.”
Coming into this game, Leasure had a 2.20 ERA, 11 strikeouts and two holds in 17 appearances. Thanks to his mix of a four-seam fastball, slider and curveball, Leasure has been difficult to hit. According to Baseball Savant, of the 48 batted balls against him, only one has been barreled up (exit velocity of at least 98 mph).
“I don’t know what’s ticking inside, but I know he looks comfortable out there,” Grifol said. “When you couple that with some talent and some weapons, it’s a pretty good combination.”
A different Sheets
In 2023, Gavin Sheets struggled with his command of the strike zone. He walked 28 times, struck out 66 times and had a .267 on-base percentage.
Sheets has shown improvement this season, coming into Saturday with 25 strikeouts but also 16 walks. His on-base percentage jumped to .353.
“He’s got a good eye,” Grifol said. “There’s no reason for him to get out of the strike zone and try to make something happen when it’s not there. Just leave it to the next guy.”
