As Yoan Moncada left Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Twins with what appeared to be a hand injury, and Andrew Vaughn walked to third base to replace him for his first career appearance at the position, White Sox fans wondered aloud: “Wait, what will happen at third if Moncada misses time?” About an hour later, a possible answer to that question was found in the announcement of the Charlotte Knights lineup for later that day. One name was missing from the lineup sheet: that of former first round draft pick and 2021 Knights standout Jake Burger.
FutureSox’ correspondent in Charlotte, Jeff Cohen, first reported that Burger did not appear to be at Truist Field at all. As the team trickled in, there was no sight of the affable third sacker. Eventually, when the teams lined up for the national anthem, the mashing third baseman was nowhere to be seen. ‘Burger Watch’ was officially on!
The White Sox, meanwhile, stayed mum on the topic, as did the Charlotte Knights. Asked about Burger’s absence post-game, Knights manager Wes Helms cloaked himself in mystery, stating that it was just a day off for Jake. SoxMachine’s Jonathan Lee added to that, reporting that Helms claimed that the Knights simply “held [Burger] out tonight, he had played consecutive days. He was (physically) here, just in between the dugout and the clubhouse.”
As the evening progressed, however, it became more and more clear that this may have all been a ruse. MLB.com’s Scott Merkin eventually tore down the last remaining paper walls of doubt that anyone could have had. “It sounds as if Jake Burger will be joining the White Sox in Detroit”. After two torn Achilles tendons, two full years away from the game, a stint at the CarShield Collegiate League and now with a .964 career Triple-A OPS in hand, Jacob Michael Burger is coming to The Show.
EXCITEMENT
Under normal circumstances, a call-up of a former first round pick — especially a high first round pick — is news for any organization. The thought of being able to see what a player with substantial prospect or draft pedigree can do on a Big League baseball field excites many. The Jake Burger story, however, excites for more than just that one reason.
As I wrote all the way back in January of 2020, a mere few weeks before a worldwide pandemic temporarily halted the baseball season and undermined life as we knew it, Jake Burger was basically missing in action. The outgoing third baseman, whose personality endeared him to White Sox fans everywhere from the moment he was drafted out of Missouri State in 2017, had needed some time out of the spotlight. After two grueling injury- and rehab-filled years, Burger started to reach the point of ‘afterthought’ in casual fans’ minds.
LONG ROAD BACK
Most fans will be familiar with Burger’s comeback origin story by now. After taking Spring Training 2018 by storm, impressing with loud contact and an all-out style of play, he tore his Achilles while running down the first base line. Surgery repaired the problem, but a couple of weeks into rehab, Burger re-tore the same tendon, similarly to what recently happened with young Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Soroka. Mid-2018, Burger’s rehab timeline reset to 12 months.
Early on, the White Sox provided somewhat regular updates on Burger’s rehab, but those came in fewer and further between as time progressed. July 2019, his initial projected return date, came and went. An Instuctional League appearance went by the wayside due to a bruised heel. It was now late 2019 and there was no word on if and when Burger would make it back to the diamond.
With the emergence of Yoan Moncada as a star at third base, people wondered if there would even be room for Burger on the Chicago White Sox, would he make it back. As the 2020 season approached, fans at SoxFest seemed to have not forgotten Burger just yet, but without a clear path to baseball, nobody knew what to expect.
Then, the pandemic hit. The start of the Major League Baseball season was postponed, and the Minor League season canceled. An alternative site was erected in Schaumburg, but initially the word was: no Burger. But then… there was the CarShield Collegiate League. Burger popped up with the Normal Cornbelters for a dozen games and played well. On August 20, 2020, he was added to the Schaumburg facility. The comeback was on.
STORYBOOK COMEBACK
As the White Sox headed into the 2021 season among the favorites to win the American League, Jake Burger showed up to Spring Training a new man. 40 pounds lighter than the year before and 10 pounds lighter than when he was drafted, the third baseman looked fresh, healthy, and — more importantly — like a first round draft pick ready to break out. It was clear that Burger came into the 2021 season on a mission.
The White Sox rewarded Burger’s efforts and gave him one of the more aggressive minor league assignments of recent years. At 25 years old, and never having played professional baseball above the Low-A level, the infielder was assigned to Triple-A Charlotte to open the season. There, he proved ready for Triple-A, while Triple-A clearly was not ready for him.
In 171 at-bats with the Knights up until today, Burger hit .322/.368/.596 with a .964 OPS, 10 homeruns, 15 doubles, 1 triple, 102 Total Bases and a team-leading 36 RBIs. He also got a little tryout at second base, after the Nick Madrigal injury left the White Sox shorthanded at that position. Burger, a natural third baseman, logged 34.1 innings at the position before that experiment appeared to be all but ended. His standout Minor League campaign, however, did not go unnoticed. Both he and recent international signee Yoelqui Cespedes were tabbed to represent the White Sox during the Futures Game.
Turns out, Burger may not make it to the Futures Game on July 13th after all, because he could make his Major League debut this weekend against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. There are many factors at play that could extend his stay in the big leagues beyond a few days of replacing Yoan Moncada at the hot corner. For now, Burger is reunited with Knights teammate and off-season training buddy Gavin Sheets, who has hit the ground running himself after a recent call-up to Chicago. He is also, in a way, reunited with Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, as Scott Merkin noted.
Either way, the Burger call-up is an exciting development all around. It’s fun for the fans to finally get to see the former 11th overall Draft pick. It’s fun for the scouts, front office and other organizational personnel who have worked with Burger between the 2017 Draft and now. Most of all, it must be fun for Jake Burger. After years of pain, suffering, exhaustion and endless hard work, no one has earned this call-up more than him. Go get ’em, Jake.
Photo credit: via Laura Wolff/Charlotte Knights
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