PEORIA, Ariz. — The Chicago White Sox know they’ll have Andrew Benintendi in left field and Luis Robert Jr. in center.
The competition continues this spring for right field and reserve outfield slots.
“It’s not about their spring training stats, it’s really not,” manager Pedro Grifol said before Thursday’s split-squad games against the Kansas City Royals in Glendale, Ariz., and the Seattle Mariners in Peoria. “It’s the way they control the strike zone, it’s about what they bring to the table as far as the team is concerned. How they fit on the team.”
Gavin Sheets and Oscar Colás made the most starts in right field, 61 and 59, respectively, for the Sox in 2023. Sheets, who hit .203 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs in 118 games, made adjustments this offseason to “get more athletic at the plate.”
“Making there be more room for error,” Sheets told the Tribune on Monday. “I felt like last year I had to be perfect with every swing and wasn’t giving myself a chance, if it wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t going to work.
“I love where it’s at right now.”
He homered twice Thursday against the Royals while starting at first base. He has made three appearances at first, one as the designated hitter and one in right this spring.
Colás, who hit .216 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 75 games, had a couple of stops in the big leagues before finishing the year at Triple-A Charlotte.
“Last year was a very important year for me, it was a learning experience,” Colás said last week through an interpreter. “I didn’t know what to expect about that level. Now I know. I think that’s very important.
“I think that the biggest takeaway from me was to control my anxiety. Don’t try to speed up the game. Don’t try to go too fast. Don’t try to go fast or too slow. Just the same level.”
Photos: An inside look at White Sox spring training
Eloy Jiménez, who made 14 starts in right field last season and was largely a designated hitter, has exclusively been a DH in games this spring — where he’s a blistering 7-for-11 with six RBIs in four games.
The Sox added outfielders Dominic Fletcher and Zach DeLoach in separate deals on the same day in February. DeLoach was acquired as part of a trade with the Seattle Mariners. His wife, Samantha, coaches a select volleyball team, and he was helping her take stats when he got the call about the trade.
“(Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto) was hearing all the whistles and screaming in the background, I thought that was funny,” DeLoach told the Tribune on Thursday.
DeLoach worked on the mental aspect of his game during the offseason.
“Putting myself in counts in the cage when there’s not a live pitcher throwing in a game, trying to get myself comfortable with the two-strike counts, the full counts and working on seeing different pitches out of the machine,” DeLoach said. “Challenging myself each day to grow as a player.”
DeLoach hit .286/.387/.481 with 23 homers and 88 RBIs for Triple-A Tacoma in 2023. Fletcher, who came to the Sox in a trade from Arizona, hit .301/.350/.441 with two home runs, 14 RBIs and 10 runs in 28 games during two stints with the Diamondbacks in 2023. He also played in 66 games with Triple-A Reno.
Fletcher has already appeared in left, center and right this spring.
“I’m comfortable going out there in any position,” he told the Tribune on Saturday. “Just try to find a way to help the team and get in the lineup.”
The Sox also have plenty of veterans in camp. Rafael Ortega, Mark Payton, Brett Phillips and Kevin Pillar each signed minor-league deals in the offseason and are at spring training as nonroster invitees.
Ortega, who hit .219 in 47 games for the New York Mets last season, is eager to help in any way he can.
“I know those little things are going to help this team,” Ortega told the Tribune on Thursday. “ The most important thing for a baseball player is to know who he is. And when you know who you are, you can focus on what you can do the best and then do the best.
“That way you can help the team.”
Brett Phillips, who played 39 games with the Los Angeles Angels last season, noted some of the offseason additions the Sox made as part of his reason for joining the organization.
“Seeing the quality of guys they had signed, character guys, I knew it would be a good fit for me,” he told the Tribune on Tuesday. “It feels nice that you’re still wanted, it gives you confidence and encouragement to play this game. I’m still passionate about being the best I can be, working hard.”
The Sox also claimed Peyton Burdick off waivers last week.
“Even after (Thursday), with two games and everybody is going to play, it’s still going to take a little time,” Grifol said of the early evaluation process of the outfielders. “And it should. We’re not rushed to make those decisions. These guys have to go play and compete. Competition is healthy.”
Shoulder soreness sidelines a pair of relievers
Right-handed relievers Jimmy Lambert and Joe Barlow are dealing with shoulder soreness, Grifol said. Lambert is likely sidelined for 10 to 14 days, while Barlow might be out longer.
Lambert had a 5.26 ERA in 35 outings (one start) for the Sox in 2023. Barlow, who spent the last three seasons in the bullpen for the Texas Rangers from 2021-23 is in camp as a nonroster invitee.
