White Sox dismiss Grifol; search for new manager underway

CHICAGO -- The White Sox are undergoing another managerial search, a little less than two years after their last one led to the Nov. 3, 2022, hiring of Pedro Grifol, who was fired by the team Thursday morning.

Bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third-base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar were also relieved of their duties. Grady Sizemore will serve as the team’s interim manager for the remainder of the 2024 season, with Doug Sisson joining Drew Butera as co-bench coaches, Justin Jirschele making the move from Triple-A Charlotte manager to third-base coach and Mike Gellinger rejoining the club as assistant hitting coach.

Sizemore, 42, is in his first year as a Major League coach on the White Sox staff. But according to general manager Chris Getz, Sizemore will not be part of the full-time managerial replacement pool.

“We’re focused on candidates that are currently with other organizations and in uniform,” Getz said Thursday during a 45-minute Zoom. “So, that search will begin now.”

Grifol finished his first career managerial stint with an 89-190 record. He replaced Miguel Cairo, who had replaced Hall of Famer Tony La Russa late during the 2022 season as La Russa battled through health issues. According to then-general manager Rick Hahn, Grifol was chosen from 30 original candidates narrowed down to a much smaller field of final interviews.

Grifol enjoyed well-earned praise after his introductory press conference and even throughout his first Spring Training, but he and the White Sox won little afterward.

His managerial career began with a 3-2 victory over the defending World Series champion Astros in Houston on March 30, 2023, but by the end of April, Chicago had fallen to 8-21 and needed a seven-run ninth-inning rally at home against the Rays to secure that eighth victory on the final day of the month. The club finished that first season 61-101, but fortunes didn’t improve for Grifol or the White Sox in ’24 under Getz.

Chicago followed a 3-22 start with an 11-8 run but endured a 14-game losing streak from May 22 to June 6 and then went through a franchise-record and American League record-tying 21-game losing streak that ended Tuesday night in Oakland. The 28-89 White Sox have an 11-49 record on the road, a 1-18 ledger since the All-Star break, 42 losses after leading and are 0-56 when trailing after six, 0-67 after seven and 0-73 after eight.

Key injuries and underperformance existed across a roster entering the season with no room for error. But the White Sox moved decidedly in the wrong direction.

“There’s a lot of different ways to evaluate a manager and a coaching staff,” Getz said. “I was named general manager [on Aug. 31] last year, and I spent time with the Major League team for the last several weeks. [I] learned more about the makeup of the Major League team, and then as we got into the offseason, was able to dive in deeper to other areas of the organization.

“Through that learning process, I was learning more and more, and then as the season began, it was the first time really to work closely with Pedro, with this staff, from Opening Day. I recognized there were some misalignments along the way.

“Some different belief systems, and there was a lack of production overall,” Getz added. “You look at how many games that we’ve led early and weren’t able to finish, or how many games we haven’t been able to come back to get a win. Obviously, there was something that was broken.”

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, Getz and Grifol met July 31 after Chicago’s 10-3 loss to the Royals, but Grifol stayed on through a 1-5 road trip to Minnesota and Oakland. Getz credited Grifol and his staff for their professionalism, care and passion for the game and the White Sox. Yet, it was clearly time for a change.

“We felt like the time to make this move was now,” Getz said. “There was underperformance. It’s our job to turn the page and move forward and create an environment for the players that we currently have on this roster and for the younger players that are going to be breaking into the big leagues here shortly.

“Finish this season with more positives than we’ve had so far. And you know we are determined to do that. With these changes, it’s an opportunity to get this organization back on track.”