White Sox Minor Keys: May 19, 2022

After a meteoric rise from Birmingham to Chicago last year, Romy Gonzalez can’t catch a break in Charlotte so far in 2022.

He got off to a surprisingly slow start, hitting .217 in April with 21 strikeouts over 54 plate appearances.  Then, he hit the IL on April 26 with a mild hamstring issue.  And when he returned on May 12, he suddenly finds himself the odd man out for a middle infield position.

Danny Mendick is back in Charlotte, and the plan is to get him the regular at bats he wasn’t getting on the bench in Chicago. He’ll play multiple positions but mostly at middle infield. The other middle infield priority is Yolbert Sanchez, who seems to be being fast-tracked to Chicago.

There would probably be enough ABs to go around if it was just the three of them, but Wes Helms is committed to getting his hot hitters in the lineup, and right now that includes middle infielder Zach Remillard, who has a slash line of .292/.379/.406, and is a different guy than a year ago.

(The true odd man out in the middle infield mix is Laz Rivera. And add Ryder Jones to the list of guys without ABs, stuck behind Jack Burger at 3B.)

Gonzalez was previously an outfielder and could sneak a few at bats there, but the team is committed to playing the hot bats of Blake Rutherford and Micker Adolfo regularly, along with Adam Haseley and Mark Payton in center.

As a result, Gonzalez hasn’t been able to get off the mat. He’s 1-for-10 with two walks and two strikeouts in May, which dragged his average below .200 for the season (.196/.318/.286). These things seem to work themselves out, often rather quickly. But for now Gonzalez must bide his time — at a time when he is so anxious to get back out on the field.

Charlotte 9, Norfolk 6

• Adam Haseley went 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
• Danny Mendick was 1-for-3 with a double, HBP and a K.
• Jake Burger, 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Yolbert Sánchez hit his first Triple-A homer, part of a 2-for-4 night.

Birmingham 16, Rocket City 4

• José Rodríguez had a perfect game at the plate, with a double, two singles, two walks and a catcher interference.
• Lenyn Sosa drove in five during a 3-for-6 night, including a double.
• Sean Burke picked up his first Double-A win: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Asheville 9, Winston-Salem 7

• Oscar Colás went 1-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
• Bryan Ramos is starting to pick it up, going 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.
• Luis Mieses was 2-for-5 wit a double.

Fayetteville 5, Kannapolis 4

• James Beard went 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.
• Wes Kath, 2-for-4 with a walk.
• Colson Montgomery was 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
• DJ Gladney, 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Chase Krogman walked twice and struck out twice.