The White Sox can use any sort of positive developments they can get, and Andrew Benintendi’s second-half surge has provided a welcome jolt of offense to a team that’s last in runs and numerous other offensive categories in the major leagues.
It’s the least chairman Jerry Reinsdorf can expect from the player who signed the richest contract in franchise history, a $75 million, five-year deal handed out before last season that falls in line with other unfortunate big-money choices of recent past such as Yasmani Grandal (four years, $73 million) and Dallas Keuchel (three years, $55 million). Such deals dispute the notion that Reinsdorf doesn’t spend enough – although he cut payroll this year and will again in 2025 — but underscores the Sox’ failure to spend wisely.
All Benintendi has done under contract is experience 101 losses last season and 115 this season going into Tuesday’s late game against the Angels. For his part, he hit a walk-off home run against the Athletics Saturday in Chicago and belted two homers in Monday’s 8-4 win against the Angels, pushing the Sox winning streak to three.
That’s right, three. Just one shy of their season high from May 8-11 against the Rays and Guardians.
Whether Benintendi’s rediscovered bat, missing through an injury-nagged season in 2023 and the first half of ’24, is enough to help the Sox finish the season with an unexpected run of winning baseball is doubtful. After closing the series against the beatable Angels, who entered Tuesday with a 60-90 record, the Sox have three games at the Padres this weekend, three at home against the Angels next week and three at the Tigers next weekend to finish this nightmare of a season.
Batting .279/.351/.552 with 13 homers in 53 games since July 14, Benintendi was the team leader in home runs with 19 through Monday, crediting a toe tap at the plate for the turnaround. He was batting .339/.417/.629 with five homers in his last 18 games.
“It’s been fun to watch. He’s on a nice little stretch right now,” interim manager Grady Sizemore told reporters Monday. “He’s doing it against righties, lefties — being a guy that comes through in the clutch for us in the middle of the lineup.”
But it’s doubtful the surge is establishing a glimmer of hope that a taker can be found for Benintendi in an off-season trade. The Sox are expected to cut payroll, as the Sun-Times has been reporting throughout the season, but corner outfielders are not hard to find.
“They made a horrible deal and are pretty much stuck,” a major league front office executive told the Sun-Times, adding the Sox’ chances of moving the contract are close to nil.
In the meantime, the Sox will take whatever Benintendi can give them.
“It’s got to give him a good feeling going into the offseason and make him probably even hungrier to come back stronger and improve and just get better,” Sizemore said.
NOTES: Yoan Moncada, who likely is in his final season with the Sox, did not start for the second night after returning from his injury rehab assignment Monday.
*The Sox starter for the series finale Wednesday afternoon is TBA, with a bullpen game a possibility. Garrett Crochet, Chris Flexen and Sean Burke are the Friday-Sunday starters at San Diego, where the Sox will not be facing ex-teammate Dylan Cease.
*Entering Tuesday, the Sox had three straight multi-homer games for the first time this season. They had eight homers in the last three games.
*The Sox were trying to avoid joining the 2020 Nationals as the only teams to go winless in a season when trailing after six, seven and eight innings, per Elias.