Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa said that New York Yankees designated hitter Josh Donaldson directed a racist comment toward White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.

Following his team's 7-5 defeat Saturday, La Russa told reporters that Donaldson "made a racist comment." He declined to provide any further details, saying the allegation was "as strong as it gets."

Anderson said that Donaldson called him "Jackie," referring to baseball legend Jackie Robinson. He added he concurred with La Russa's description of the remark as "racist."

Donaldson confirmed the allegation and said he was referencing a remark Anderson made in 2019.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein, Anderson said, "I kind of feel like today's Jackie Robinson," referencing his individual flair, which is largely frowned upon in MLB.

Donaldson told reporters he had joked with Anderson about the remarks when he played with Atlanta in 2019 and his team faced Chicago. The 2015 American League MVP said he was not "trying to be racist" and apologized.

According to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, MLB is already looking into the matter.

In the bottom of the fifth inning as Donaldson was preparing to bat, White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal began talking to Donaldson and appeared to point toward Anderson at short. The benches cleared, and Anderson was held back and brought to the dugout by teammates Jose Abreu and Gavin Sheets.

In the Yankees' 10-4 victory over the White Sox on May 13, Anderson took exception to Donaldson's actions during a tag play at third.

Robinson became MLB's first Black player in 1947, opening the door for his peers and future generations of Black players.

"It's the guy that paved the way for a guy like me," Anderson told MLB.com's Scott Merkin of the Hall of Famer in April, during the league's annual celebration of Robinson's legacy. "Just what he brought to the game, he means so much to the game, he means so much to the world, he means so much to the community. This has been going on since before I was born, so it's super special."

Wednesday's game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians has been postponed amid multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the Guardians organization.

The Guardians previously announced manager Terry Francona was among the positive tests. Bench coach DeMarlo Hale was set to fill in amid Francona's absence but also tested positive. 

The team has not disclosed which (if any) players tested positive, saying only "other uniform personnel and some traveling support staff" were among the positive tests. More information will come when the Guardians place players on the COVID-19 injured list. 

This is the first game of the 2022 season postponed because of COVID-19. MLB postponed nine last season.

Francona, 63, has missed most of the last two seasons amid health issues. He managed only 14 games in 2020 because of gastrointestinal issues, and he stepped away last July amid hip and foot problems before returning for the 2022 season.

The Guardians are not slated to play again until Friday against the Minnesota Twins. It's possible they will be able to play the game with a limited coaching staff, depending on how many positives there are among players.

Cleveland could also bring up some coaches from its minor league system on a temporary basis. 

Former Chicago White Sox athletic trainer Brian Ball filed a lawsuit against the MLB franchise on Tuesday alleging his employment was terminated in October 2020 because of discrimination against his sexual orientation, age and disability.

The Athletic reported the civil suit alleges the White Sox violated the Illinois Human Rights Act and have caused Ball to suffer from severe mental anguish and emotional distress. He's seeking punitive and monetary damages. The club has denied the allegations.

"It is extremely disappointing that a former colleague, who was supported, developed and promoted over two decades, chose to attack the club in this way," the team said. "It is also surprising to many who know Brian, and supported him throughout his career, to read the allegations included in his lawsuit."

The lawsuit states Ball, a 20-year employee of the White Sox, is gay and that it became known to "multiple members" of the organization in February 2018, per The Athletic.

In December 2018, he was promoted to head athletic trainer following the retirement Herm Schneider. He signed a two-year contract extension in October 2019.

The lawsuit notes the club shifted him to a new role, director for the care of players, in February 2020 and urged him to take a leave of absence after being attacked during a carjacking in July 2020.

Ball alleges that, while he was away from the team, general manager Rick Hahn suggested to other members of the staff the trainer "had either a gambling, alcohol or drug addiction that was related to the July carjacking," according to The Athletic.

"None of those accusations were or are true," Ball's lawsuit states.

Ball said the club denied him an opportunity to return after recovering from the attack, and he added that he heard from someone in the organization two months after his termination the decision was based on his sexual orientation.

The White Sox said he was fired "based on his performance," per The Athletic.

Chicago then promoted James Kruk to head athletic trainer. He'd served as an assistant to Ball for the previous two years (2019-20).

Starting pitcher Frankie Montas is likely the next star player to be on the move as the Oakland A's continue their roster teardown. But at least one team reportedly won't pursue the right-hander.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the Chicago White Sox have moved on from negotiating with the A's and that Montas wasn't even the pitcher they were trying to acquire.

"Reports of the White Sox’s involvement were exaggerated," Heyman wrote. "The South Siders made an attempt to land Indiana product Sean Manaea, but sources say of any talk regarding Montas: 'That ship has sailed.'"

Heyman added there is "nothing hot" regarding Montas at the moment and that Oakland could choose to hold on to him until the Aug. 2 trade deadline. The team would likely require a substantial package to deal Montas, who "is seen as a potential superstar by some," per Heyman. 

Montas has made two starts in 2022 and has a 1-1 record. He's pitched 11.1 innings with 12 strikeouts and a 4.76 ERA. 

The 29-year-old is a rising star who looks like he is on his way to becoming an ace of a starting rotation. He went 13-9 last season with a 3.37 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 187.0 innings of work. It was his first time recording 10 or more wins in a season.

Montas made his major league debut with the White Sox as a relief pitcher in 2015. Chicago traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers later that year, and the Dodgers sent him to Oakland the following summer.

In addition to trading Manaea, the A's gutted their core this offseason by shipping away Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman in exchange for prospects. It wouldn't be a surprise if Oakland continued to make moves throughout this season.

The Chicago White Sox announced that left fielder Eloy Jimenez is day-to-day after exiting his team's home game against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday with a left ankle contusion. 

The left fielder fouled a ball off of his foot in the bottom of the third inning and managed to stay in to play defense before Leury Garcia pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the fifth.

Jimenez hit .249 (.740 OPS) with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 55 games for the White Sox in 2021. He is hitting .235 this year and smacked his first homer of the season on Wednesday when he took M's left-hander Robbie Ray deep for a second-inning solo shot.

The 24-year-old is a four-year MLB veteran. He broke into the big leagues with 31 home runs in 122 games during his rookie year in 2019. Jimenez posted an .891 OPS in 2020 en route to leading the White Sox to playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

Hopefully, Jimenez is back soon, but it'll be a quick turnaround for him as the White Sox play again Thursday at 2:10 p.m. ET versus the M's. Chicago's next series starts Friday evening at home versus the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Chicago White Sox placed star pitcher Lucas Giolito on the injured list Saturday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Per ESPN 1000 in Chicago, White Sox manager Tony La Russa said Giolito will land on the IL with an abdominal injury and miss at least two starts.

The White Sox announced Friday that Giolito had to leave his start against the Detroit Tigers early because of left abdominal tightness.

Giolito made it through just four innings of Friday's start, leaving the game with Chicago leading 3-0.

The 27-year-old ace was locked in, allowing just one hit and two walks, while striking out six. Things went south for the White Sox after he exited, however, and they lost the game 5-4.

Since struggling early in his career, including posting a 6.13 ERA in 2018, Giolito has developed into one of the top starting pitchers in Major League Baseball.

Giolito has finished 11th or better in the American League Cy Young award voting in each of the past three seasons, including a career-best sixth in 2019, which was also when he received his first and only All-Star nod.

He set career highs with 14 wins and 228 strikeouts that season, while also posting a 3.41 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.

After being limited to just 12 starts in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Giolito was strong again last season, going 11-9 with a 3.53 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 201 strikeouts in 178.2 innings pitched for a White Sox team that won the AL Central.

While the White Sox have the entire season ahead of them, Giolito's injury comes at a less-than-ideal time given that Lance Lynn underwent knee surgery this week that is expected to keep him out for four weeks.

With both Lynn and Giolito out, Chicago will have to lean heavily on Dylan Cease as its ace, and it will also need plenty out of the supremely talented Michael Kopech, who spent last season in the bullpen.

Dallas Keuchel and Vince Velasquez will be asked to step up as well, plus the White Sox recently signed veteran Johnny Cueto, who they may try to get to the majors quickly after getting him ready in the minors.

La Russa will also have to lean on a stacked lineup led by Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson and Luis Robert to produce plenty of offense.

The Chicago White Sox are doing what they can to protect the players and employees within their organization.

"The Chicago White Sox are requiring all of our employees to be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination status, and this requirement extends to our minor-league players as well," the team said in a statement, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. "We believe this is the right thing to do to protect the health and well being of all our players and staff across the organization."

Passan noted this means all minor-league players must have their booster vaccines before spring training even though Major League Baseball is not requiring minor-league players to be vaccinated at large.

Passan provided more context to the situation:       

That the White Sox are taking proper precautions isn't a surprise considering they reached the 85 percent vaccination threshold at the major-league level in May of last season, per Lamond Pope of the Chicago Tribune.

Reaching that threshold meant fewer restrictions for players when it came to things like mask wearing and eating at restaurants when they were on the road.

"We all are being smart," shortstop Tim Anderson said at the time. "Just do what makes sense."

As for baseball as a whole, there is still a lockout as the league and the players' association attempt to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. There was a delay at the start of the 2020 campaign as the two sides ironed things out related to a number of issues, including health and safety protocols while playing during a pandemic.

The White Sox are taking matters in their own hands with this decision.

Chicago has four minor league teams in its system: the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, Double-A Birmingham Barons, A-Advanced Winston-Salem Dash and the Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.                

Cuban sensation Oscar Colas will bring his rare blend of talents to the Chicago White Sox after the two sides agreed to a deal on Tuesday.

The White Sox announced they agreed to a deal with Colas that includes a $2.7 million signing bonus.

James Fegan of The Athletic reported Colas is expected to join the minor leagues once his visa clears.

Francys Romero of Las Mayores was the first to report Colas was defecting from Cuba. 

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in January 2020 that Colas was seeking a deal from a Major League Baseball team. 

Because of the process of establishing residence in a third country and getting cleared by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, it wasn't clear how long Colas would have to wait before MLB gave him the necessary approval to sign a deal. 

Scouting reports suggest Colas, who played in the outfield in Japan in 2019 and can also pitch, has the tools to be the most dynamic international prospect since Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels in Dec. 2017. 

MLB.com had Colas ranked as the No. 5 international free agent, adding he was nicknamed "Cuban Ohtani" before he gave up pitching.  

Colas hit .300/.353/.511 with 12 homers and 48 RBI in 73 games with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2019. He didn't pitch with the team, so it will be on the Sox to decide if they want to try him back on the mound. 

If Colas goes back to being a two-way player, it could delay his MLB arrival given the likely development he will need in the minors to build up his arm strength. 

Regardless of what path Colas takes, the White Sox have added one of the best young prospects in baseball to their farm system.

One reason the White Sox have elevated themselves as one of the best teams in the American League is their willingness to be aggressive on the international free-agent market. 

Jose Abreu and Luis Robert are two of Chicago's best players. The organization signed them after they defected from Cuba. 

Colas has tremendous potential and is only 23 years old. He will likely need some time to develop in the minors, but his natural talent and ceiling are so significant that he could force himself onto Chicago's 26-man roster soon. 

Former Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles general manager Roland Hemond died Sunday at the age of 92.

Hemond also spent 19 years in the Arizona Diamondbacks' front office, and per Noah Trister of the Associated Press, the organization released the following statement from Hemond's family: "He passed peacefully in his son Jay's arms. The Hemond family shared many laughs with him until the end, and we appreciate the love and support of all his baseball family."

Hemond was GM of the White Sox from 1970-85 and of the Orioles from 1988-95. His time in Chicago saw him win the Sporting News Executive of the Year award in 1972 and the United Press International Executive of the Year award in 1983. He won the Sporting News Executive of the Year award for a second time in 1989 with the Orioles.

While neither the White Sox nor Orioles won a World Series during his tenure, Chicago made it to the American League Championship Series in 1983, and a Baltimore team he largely constructed reached the ALCS in each of the two seasons after he departed in 1996 and 1997.

The Rhode Island native's Major League Baseball career began with the Boston Braves in 1952, and he won his first World Series in 1957 while serving as the assistant scouting director for the relocated Milwaukee Braves.

Hemond also had a stint in the California Angels front office from 1961-70 before his run as a GM with the White Sox and Orioles.

The Diamondbacks didn't officially enter the league until 1998, but Hemond was part of their front office beginning in 1996 until 2000, and he later returned for another stint from 2007-17.

In between, Hemond returned to the White Sox from 2001-07 as an executive adviser and was on the staff when they won the World Series in 2005.

Along with being a two-time World Series champion and three-time Executive of the Year, Hemond won the Branch Rickey Award in 2003 in recognition of his community service, and he won the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award in conjunction with the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

MLB announced the winners of the Reliever of the Year Award on Wednesday.

In the American League, Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks took home the honors for the second consecutive season. The National League recipient is Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader, who won the award for the third time in his career.

Hader earned the honors in 2018 and 2019 and is now the first-ever three-time winner since the award's inception in 2014. At 27 years old, he has established himself as one of the best relievers in all of baseball since joining the Brewers in June 2017.

Hader finished with 34 saves and a career-best 1.23 ERA this past season. He was lights-out after the midway point of the year, as he didn't allow a run after July 28. Hader held opponents to a .126 batting average, the best among relievers by 22 points.

Hendriks signed the biggest contract for a reliever in average annual value last winter at three years and $54 million, and he proved that he was worthy of every penny. The 32-year-old led the AL with 38 saves and had a 2.54 ERA. His 2.7 WAR last season was the best among all MLB relievers, per FanGraphs.

The White Sox added another All-Star closer to their bullpen at this year's trade deadline, acquiring Craig Kimbrel from the Chicago Cubs. While Kimbrel didn't work out as a setup man, Hendriks remained a consistent force on the back end of the bullpen. He helped lead the White Sox to their first AL Central title since 2008.

Per MLB.com, the Reliever of the Year Awards are voted on by former relievers Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers and Lee Smith, John Franco and Billy Wagner.