Liam Hendriks will be back in a matter of weeks. He is currently back with the team doing work on the side to ramp up and get back into game shape. Once he returns, one of the bullpen pieces will have to get sent down, the answer on who it is is not very clear.
Considering the White Sox bullpen has pitched much better as of late, the decision on who gets sent down is much more difficult. At this point, you would have to think it is between the three worst performers so far this year: Aaron Bummer, Reynaldo Lopez, or Jimmy Lambert.
Aaron Bummer
One of the most frustrating players on the team, Bummer has not had a good season by any means. So far he has an 8.82 ERA with a 1.776 WHIP. Those are absolutely horrible numbers and by far the worst in the bullpen.
But, what Aaron has going for him is the fact that he is a lefty. Teams always need lefties to come in and provide a positive matchup for the team, but most times Bummer comes in, he seems to just walk people, even the lefties.
Although, when the White Sox DFA’d Diekman, they were comfortable with only one lefty out of their bullpen until Garrett Crochet came back. If they are going to release someone strictly based on performance, it should be Bummer and it is not even close.
Bummer has some good offerings but control has always been an issue for him. In one outing he will strike out three guys and look like a great reliever, while other times you’d think that he has never pitched before. He is under contract for a couple more years so the move is unlikely, but if they are serious and want their best guys in the bullpen, he should be the one to go.
Reynaldo Lopez
Lopez is a curious case, as the former starter turned a good year out of the bullpen last year. He opened up the season as the closer, but his struggles got him removed from that role. Since then he has been a solid option out of the ‘pen.
So far he has a 6.64 ERA with a 1.525 WHIP. These are definitely not good stats, but he has gotten the White Sox out of some pretty tight jams. It is unlikely that Lopez gets sent away as he has 29 strikeouts in only 20 innings, and you need a guy that can provide those types of numbers out of the pen.
He has looked great in his last couple of outings and his numbers are inflated from some early season bad innings. I can’t imagine that they release or send down Lopez, as he is an upcoming free agent and he will most likely be back with the team next year as a solid middle reliever.
Jimmy Lambert
Lambert is the one I am afraid they will send down. He has the least amount of experience in the MLB of the three listed and hasn’t had the greatest of years so far.
He currently has a 5.59 ERA with a 1.707 WHIP. These are similar to Lopez and not great numbers overall. Lambert has some great stuff but his lack of velocity can catch up to him at times and allow him to give up some hits.
He has had some great performances in extra innings, keeping the ballgame right where it needed to be. I would be upset if Lambert is the one to go, as I feel he has some great potential, but since he is the youngest, the White Sox may use that to rationalize the decision.
But, they could always Phantom IL someone until they have to make a decision, as that seems to be something that the White Sox do quite often. They could also send Crochet down to be stretched out as a starter, but that is very unlikely.
Hopefully, the next week or so brings some clarity, but the White Sox have some very intriguing decisions to make.
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Sox have some very intriguing decisions to make