In my Deep Thoughts column Thursday, I mentioned that in sports crisises, there is opportunity. It was referencing the Matt Moore injury, but the same logic can now be applied to Chicago, where starting White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia is done for the season after suffering a torn labrum on Wednesday.
Garcia had been doing well so far this season. He already had two homers and was batting .267/.353/.467. Power has always been an issue for Garcia and shoulder injuries, especially one as serious as a torn labrum, are never good for that. We’ll see if he can rebound in 2015.
Chicago has recalled Jordan Danks from the minors to take Garcia’s spot on the roster. He raked in spring training, batting .351 with four homers, so there’s a chance he’ll get an opportunity for some playing time with the big club now.
However, keep in mind that Danks is a .229 hitter in the majors over 129 games (254 plate appearances). While he’s done well in the minors in the past, he needs to show he can hit in the majors before he’s worthy of trusting.
The other problem is prior to Garcia’s injury, the White Sox had four players for three spots — Garcia, Adam Eaton, Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza. In theory that means that means Chicago now has three starting outfielders, which would send Danks to a reserve role. Manager Robin Ventura has done some unexpected things in the past -- playing Viciedo over De Aza (who is a far better defender) for example – but it would be surprising for Danks to get a ton of playing time over those guys.
So, if the Garcia injury benefits anyone, it would be De Aza and Viciedo. Common sense suggests both have a bit more job security today than they did yesterday. If you can snag them cheaply, either on the wire or in a trade, now would be the time to try.
Single-league owners can roll the dice with Danks and hope he plays. It wouldn't seem to make the most sense for him to unseat the other two, but sometimes managers surprise us. Ventura's done it a few times already. It's worth a flier to see if he does again.
For more analysis of fringe fantasy options, check out this week's Deep Thoughts.