Colás among first round of spring moves despite 'good camp'

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Oscar Colás was part of the 12 roster moves made by the White Sox prior to Friday’s 2-1 loss against the Guardians, reducing the number of players in camp to 59.

The 25-year-old left-handed hitter was a featured part of the White Sox lineup for the first month of his 2023 rookie season, but after a subpar overall performance with a .571 OPS and too many fundamental mistakes, general manager Chris Getz mentioned Colás would need time in ‘24 at Triple-A Charlotte as far back as the General Managers Meetings at the start of November.

That plan was followed through on via the team’s first round of moves, but not without some positive reinforcement from manager Pedro Grifol.

“He really didn’t do much that was wrong,” Grifol said of Colás, who was 3-for-16 with one double this spring. “We saw improvements on every facet of his game. We are happy where he is right now. I explained to him, thoroughly, that he had a good camp.

“Numbers within the numbers. And we are happy with his progression. He’s still in the plans for this organization. He’s powerful and athletic. We are going to do everything in our power to unleash that the right way and continue to develop him so he can be someone who helps us down the road.”

Colás played in one Cactus League game at first base last Saturday in Surprise and has done work at the position on the back fields of Camelback Ranch over the last 10 days. But Grifol wants Colás to work in the outfield and wants Colás to find the balance between playing at 100 mph defensively as he did when first joining the team to being a little too cautious this current Spring Training.

“Last year, he was running wild. This year, he was really careful,” Grifol said. “He has to blend that aggressiveness and that carefulness together and become that fundamental player that can be electric. He’s become fundamentally sound, but a little tentative to not make mistakes.

“He’s got to meet it in the middle. That doesn’t just happen. You work yourself into that. It’s a feel. That’s where he is. He's in the process of working himself into knowing exactly what percentage he needs to be playing baseball at to be powerful and electric and to minimize mistakes. That’s a process. That’s why we have the Minor Leagues. He’s well on his way to doing that.”

A big priority for Colás simply is to play games, and he’ll get that opportunity with Charlotte after last playing for the White Sox on Sept. 10, 2023.

“We all are really happy with what he did this camp,” Grifol said. “His body is in great shape. I mean, there’s no negatives to him right now. Everything is headed in the right direction.”

Fedde's strong ground game

Erick Fedde felt “so much better” in his second start with the White Sox covering three innings against the Guardians on Friday. He allowed two hits and one walk, without a strikeout, but was helped by two double plays.

Fedde had a ground-ball rate above 50 percent in five of his six seasons with the Nationals, according to Statcast. So, solid defense behind his sinker will be a much-welcomed boost.

“Double play is a best friend right there,” Fedde said. “It always gives me a chance to get out of innings. Quick innings. After the first [start], I was kind of frustrated with my inefficiency. And today was pretty much the exact opposite. Really happy with that.

“I’ve been going to games, not only when I pitch, and [the defense] has looked great. I’m really happy. Any time you feel really confident with the guys behind you, it makes it that much easier to go right at people.

Third to first

• Brad Keller agreed to a Minor League deal with the White Sox and received an invitation to big league camp. The right-hander, who is very familiar to Chicago fans, pitched his first six seasons with the Royals and posted a 3-4 record with a 4.57 ERA over 11 games (nine starts) in ‘23.

• Right-hander Davis Martin and infielder José Rodríguez were optioned to Triple-A Charlotte as part of Friday’s moves. Left-hander Jake Eder was optioned to Double-A Birmingham and left-hander Ky Bush was reassigned to Minor League camp.

• Chris Flexen makes his first White Sox start Sunday against the Giants. His first appearance with the team came in relief.