Following injury-plagued years, Moncada preparing for full workload

CHICAGO -- Yoán Moncada feels good.

The switch-hitting White Sox third baseman has not dealt with back issues throughout the entire offseason, the same debilitating back issues that plauged him for much of the 2023 campaign. He’s working out diligently and is hoping for a return to excellence in ‘24.

It’s a story heard before concerning the now 28-year-old -- a story not always playing out the way Moncada desired. But if Moncada remains healthy, Moncada believes he will contribute.

“I think God has saved something good for me,” said Moncada through interpreter Billy Russo during a White Sox community outreach event on Thursday at a Boys & Girls Club of Chicago near Guaranteed Rate Field. “Hopefully, we are going to see that. Hopefully, I’ll be able to really show and really display all I can do on the field.

“During the first half of that ‘23 season, it was painful, stressful. I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to do stuff and help the team but I couldn’t. It was a really tough time for me. Once I started getting better and stronger, I felt much better and I felt good. That was why I was able to finish the way that I did and that’s how I feel right now.”

Moncada finished 2023 with a slash line of .260/.305/.425 with 11 home runs, 20 doubles and 40 RBIs. The year began with promise; he made the All-World Baseball Classic team while starring for Cuba, then hit .400 over his first seven regular season games. It was during that seventh game of the season when Moncada hurt his back, eventually leading him to believe surgery was a possibility.

Then, he recovered. After missing time in April, May, June and July, Moncada played in 49 of the White Sox’s final 55 games. In his final 41 games, in particular, he produced a .911 OPS, eight homers, 12 doubles and 24 RBIs. That good feeling has continued over the past four months, and Moncada will get a jump-start on Spring Training by arriving in Arizona on February 1 when position players aren’t due to report until Feb. 19. His preparation centers around a full season of action. Again, something heard before, but with Moncada playing a combined 196 games in the last two years.

“The way I’m preparing myself for this coming season is to play 202 games. I want to be healthy. I want to be on the field every day,” Moncada said. “I’ve been working hard to strengthen my abs, back and my legs to get all that core really strong.”

As a team in the midst of a retooling process, having a healthy Moncada in the heart of the order will be a boon to the 2024 White Sox. Moncada remained a stellar defense presence at third amidst the injuries, but the good health usually translates to higher level offense.

It also will help Moncada’s future. He’ll earn $24 million in 2024 as the finale of his five-year, $70 million deal agreed upon in March ‘20. The White Sox have a $25 million option in ‘25 with a $5 million buyout.

“I would love to stay with the White Sox if they want me here. But I don’t know,” Moncada said. “I’m very thankful for the White Sox for the opportunity they have given me after I was traded from the Red Sox.

“They’ve been treating me very well. I like the organization. I like the city. I like the fans. I would like to stay here.”

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol and Moncada had an extended talk on the basketball court at the Bartlett J. McCartin Boys & Girls Club after Moncada met with the media Thursday. Grifol has spoken a few times with Moncada during this offseason and is ready to see the same sort of healthy Moncada presence on display on the field from 2019 and ‘21.

“He feels great, the back feels great, he’s motivated,” Grifol said. “He’s going to put himself in a position to have a great year. We need Moncada. He’s motivated to having a full season under his belt which is good for him.”

“I’m motivated and excited because I’m healthy,” Moncada said. “That’s the only thing I want. If I’m healthy, I know I can do a lot of good things in the field. I’m excited right now to get to Spring Training and start working.”