The White Sox have launched outfielder Oscar Colas, in response to an announcement from the membership’s Triple-A affiliate, Charlotte Knights. Colas was beforehand outrighted off the membership’s 40-man roster again in March, so the transfer has no affect on Chicago’s main league roster.
It’s an unlucky finish to Colas’s time within the group. The 26-year-old was a reasonably high-profile participant in Cuba and Japan earlier than he came visiting to affiliated ball by signing with Chicago for a $2.7M bonus in early 2022. He crushed minor league pitching that yr and put himself on the map as a consensus top-100 prospect within the sport headed into the 2023 season. He broke camp with the crew after a powerful spring coaching, however finally struggled badly throughout 75 video games with the White Sox that yr. He hit simply .216/.257/.314 in 263 journeys to the plate, with an elevated 27.0% strikeout fee in opposition to a lackluster 4.6% stroll fee.
These numbers weren’t sufficient for the White Sox to proceed using with Colas even amid a disastrous 101-loss season, and he was shipped again to the minors. As soon as again in Triple-A, Colas regained his hitting prowess considerably and slashed .272/.345/.465 with the Knights in 54 video games down the stretch. Because the White Sox dove headfirst right into a rebuilding part in 2024, many anticipated that Colas would obtain one other alternative to come back up and attempt to set up himself within the majors with the membership. That by no means got here to move, nonetheless, as reps in proper subject have been as an alternative primarily cut up between Dominic Fletcher, Gavin Sheets, and Tommy Pham.
Relegated to Triple-A for nearly the whole thing of 2024, Colas hit .273/.368/.273 with a 26.3% strikeout fee and a ten.5% stroll fee within the 13 video games he did play within the majors final yr however recorded no extra-base hits within the majors and noticed his efficiency within the minors take a noticeable step again as he slashed simply .246/.332/.400 throughout 400 journeys to the plate. Colas didn’t issue into the membership’s plans for the outfield this yr both, as crew brass added gamers like Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater to the combo quite than give Colas one other alternative. This yr, he posted a brutal .163/.245/.255 slash line throughout the Double- and Triple-A ranges in 29 video games (110 plate appearances) earlier than the White Sox determined it was time to drag the plug.
Now that the White Sox and Colas have parted methods, the outfielder is free to signal with any of the league’s 29 different groups. The outfielder received’t flip 27 till September and isn’t terribly far faraway from sensational numbers within the higher minors, so it wouldn’t be a shock if an outfield-needy membership gave him a name to function a depth possibility or harm substitute. One other attainable possibility can be to discover the opportunity of enjoying abroad, constructing on his stint with NPB’s Fukuoka Softbank Hawks through the 2019 season. If Colas is unable to search out a pretty stateside alternative, he’s actually younger sufficient to search out success abroad earlier than trying to make an MLB comeback as a handful of different gamers have executed through the years.
