Gavin Sheets of the White Sox hits an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on May 4, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. Sheets doubled two more times on Sunday. (Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
Joe Puetz/Getty
ST. LOUIS — Playing every day matters. Just ask Gavin Sheets, whose 2024 pace has him on track for a career high 525 plate appearances.
After securing a job in spring training that wasn’t guaranteed, and, after getting regular at-bats as the designated hitter when Eloy Jimenez got hurt, Sheets forced himself into the everyday lineup, even as a right fielder where he won’t come close to sniffing a Gold Glove.
Providing steady production on a team that’s last in the majors in runs will do that.
“You definitely keep a rhythm,” Sheets told the Sun-Times of the advantage of playing every day. “But the biggest thing for me is not putting too much pressure on myself with every at-bat when you do. You know your at-bats are coming. It’s not like, hey if I don’t get a hit today I might not play this week. That is the biggest thing, you take each at-bat as they come, you’re not as results oriented, you’re more process oriented.”
Sheets is batting batting .263/.357/.444 with three homers and an .801 OPS that led all Sox hitters by plenty – Jimenez was next at .697. Manager Pedro Grifol started the left-handed hitter against Cardinals left-handed opener, Matthew Liberatore, on Sunday.
Such at-bats are “huge,” said Sheets, who grounded out twice against Liberatore – once at 101.8 exit velocity, once at 72.8 – and doubled against lefty John King in the eighth.
Against right-hander Giovanny Gallegos, Sheets cracked his ninth double in a four-run seventh inning that gave the Sox a 5-1 lead and a chance to win just their second series of the season but second in their last three.
The second double was Sheets’ first hit against a lefty in 14 at-bats this season. He was .112/.165/.135 in his career against left-handers going in.
“Really, the first time in my career lefties and righties so it’s been great,” he said. “Embraced it, enjoying the everyday soreness and all those aspects, making the most of it.
“I got an opportunity with Eloy [getting hurt] and made the most of it,” Sheets said. “Now I have to be plugged in wherever I can play – right field, first base, DH. That’s just the biggest thing. Wanted a chance and an opportunity and trying to make the most of it.”
Ramos shines in first start
A day after making his major league debut off the bench, third baseman Bryan Ramos drove in Paul DeJong with a sacrifice fly in his first at-bat and singled and scored on Robbie Grossman’s sacrifice fly.
Crochet sharp
Lefty Garrett Crochet pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out six, walking no one and allowing three hits including Willson Contreras’ homer and Lars Nootbar’s smash single that caromed off his left shin.
Crochet threw 88 pitches, 60 for strikes.
Dad-gum adductors
Infielder Nicky Lopez, who looked a bit wobbly running out a ground ball Saturday, has some adductor soreness, Grifol said, and was given the day off.
“But Nicky is a gamer,” Grifol said. “I’ve seen him play with all types of stuff. He never wants out of the lineup, he plays with pain, through pain. It was my choice not his, to make sure we calm that down a little bit and get him back to 100 percent.”
Jimenez Yoan Moncada are on the injured list with adductor strains.
Robert is expected to begin his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte in about a week.
Clevinger close
The Sox are officially TBA for their series opener at the Rays Monday, but the plan is for Mike Clevinger to make his season debut.
Leone “feeling good”
Reliever Dominic Leone, who left Saturday’s game with low back stiffness after facing one batter, was well enough to throw a medicine ball and baseball Sunday.
“He came in feeling good today,” Grifol said.