White Sox Send Oscar Colas to Charlotte in Series of Roster Moves

It's been a roller-coaster season for Chicago White Sox rookie Oscar Colas. Another twist occurred Monday when Chicago optioned Colas to Triple-A Charlotte, making the 24-year-old's second stint in the minors. After making the team out of camp, Colas opened the season as the starting right fielder on the South Side.

Many expected the Cuban outfielder to acclimate well to the big-league level after a solid 2022 performance in the minors. However, the White Sox demoted him to Triple-A after a 25-game MLB stint to begin the season, during which he slashed a meager .211/.265./276 in 84 plate appearances. Colas returned to Charlotte and his old ways of hitting down on the farm, slugging nine homers and driving in 29 runs with a .866 OPS in 212 plate appearances.

He produced well enough to get another call-up but hardly improved. Colas slashed .219/.253/.331 in 179 plate appearances across 50 games his second time around with the White Sox. He hit four homers and had 12 RBIs in that span. This led to his recent demotion and likely an open competition for the starting right field spot on the 2024 White Sox.

The Pitchers and a Catcher

In an accompanying move, the White Sox promoted pitcher Deivi Garcia and catcher Carlos Perez from Charlotte and, along with Colas, sent down reliever Edgar Navarro. With the addition of Perez, the White Sox now carry three catchers on their 28-man roster.

This is Perez's fourth stint with the big-league club in 2023. In 18 games and 30 plate appearances, he hit .240/.267/.345 with the White Sox. With Triple-A Charlotte, he's slashed 241/.295/.408. Perez will share catching duties with Yasmani Grandal and Korey Lee over the remaining 19 games.

Chicago claimed Deivi Garcia off waivers from the New York Yankees on Aug. 10. Garcia made two appearances for New York and earned a save while pitching to a 1.59 ERA earlier this season. He's spent the vast majority of 2023 in Triple-A with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Yankees affiliate, and Charlotte, where he allowed two runs over nine innings and seven games.

Navarro returns to Charlotte after his second big-league stint in which he made six appearances and pitched to an ERA over nine. Despite the high ERA, he did provide scoreless outings in five of his six games.

What's On Tap Next?

Oscar Colas's 56 big-league games have been a disappointment. The former top-100 prospect will have to earn his spot on the MLB roster in 2024, and the White Sox should provide some tough competition for him. Carlos Perez should see playing time ahead of Yasmani Grandal, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

Deivi Garcia, a former top-100 prospect, will be another project that Chicago's coaching staff hopes to turn around. Or at the very least, he's another arm to help get through the remainder of the 2023 season's innings.