Moncada maturing, seeing 'big difference' in '18

CHICAGO -- Yoán Moncada has posted a .236/.330/.420 slash line over his first 100 games as part of the White Sox, a milestone he reached via Friday's contest against the Brewers. The switch-hitter also has 15 home runs, 19 doubles and 42 RBIs to go with 51 walks and 145 strikeouts.
But beyond those overall numbers, the 23-year-old feels like a different player compared to his White Sox debut on July 19 of last season.
"I see a big difference," said Moncada through interpreter Billy Russo. "I feel that I've improved a lot. My comfort level right now is higher than it was last year.
"The way that I know the game, my knowledge of the game is higher than last year. Now I feel like I belong here. It's a continuation of the work and the process that I'm passing through. I'm still a young guy trying to learn new things, and that's part of it, too."

Moncada has a .242 average and .751 OPS over 206 plate appearances in 2018. He has seven homers, 20 RBIs and 11 doubles, but there's a decided difference between his left-handed and right-handed production.
From the left side, Moncada has a .269/.351/.500 split, vs. .167/.241/.229 from the right side. All seven of his homers have come left-handed, but Moncada believes experience and repetition play the biggest role in the difference.
"I face a right-handed pitcher probably 7 of 10 times, and in a series, I face a left-handed pitcher twice at most or even twice a week," said Moncada, who is a natural right-handed hitter. "You don't have that repetition of consistency facing a left-handed guy. I always try to do my best and try to check things I can do better. But at the end of the day for me, it's about more consistency facing those guys."

Uecker will join Hawk
Iconic Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker, one of the great entertainers ever associated with baseball, will join Ken "Hawk" Harrelson for an inning or two during Sunday's White Sox broadcast. Harrelson broadcasts primarily home Sunday games during his 33rd and final season in the White Sox television booth, and he has been friends with Uecker dating back to their playing days.
"As a matter of fact, he's the first guy who told me I should be a broadcaster when he saw me play," Uecker said. "But he's been doing it here a long, long time. He's a favorite of a lot of fans. He's a baseball guy.
"I think it's hard for Kenny to walk away too, to leave this, and to leave [White Sox chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] and the White Sox organization. But I think he's doing the right thing to spend time with his family and his kids and grandkids. He's done enough. He's done a lot of great work. I've been on his bandwagon for the Hall of Fame for the last couple of votings."
Uecker believes Harrelson will eventually get that deserved Hall of Fame call, and he plans to vote for Hawk again this year.
Injury updates
• Third baseman Matt Davidson, on the disabled list retroactive to May 25 with back spasms, took grounders pregame for a second straight day.
"Yesterday was the first day he got on the ground, took ground balls, hit and ran, took some swings," said White Sox manager Rick Renteria of Davidson, who also is hitting in the cage. "Usually, today is the day you feel a little soreness after the activity that he had. We'll see how he feels today after today's workout. He's out there right now, so that's a good sign that he's feeling good enough to continue his work."
• Carlos Rodón is scheduled to make his fourth injury rehab start and third with Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday. Rodon, who is working his way back from arthroscopic shoulder surgery last September, has fanned 20 and walked two while allowing one run over 12 2/3 innings. Renteria would not guarantee that Rodon's next start after Sunday would be with the big league club.