(Audacy) For the second year, observers have been left scratching their heads as to what's sinking the Chicago White Sox, who have stumbled out of the gate.
After being swept over the weekend by the MLB-leading Rays, the White Sox sit at 7-15 through action Sunday. They haven't won back-to-back games or a series yet this season, and early signs suggest it could be another frustrating campaign.
This wasn’t supposed to happen again. The White Sox underachieved by going 81-81 and missing the playoffs in 2022. After the season, manager Tony La Russa stepped down due to health issues, and Chicago replaced him with Pedro Grifol. The expectation was the talent on the roster would be better positioned to live up to its capabilities.
Part of the White Sox's struggles can be chalked up to injuries, but they've nonetheless disappointed. In his weekly appearance on the Mully & Haugh Show, Audacy Sports insider Jon Heyman shared his belief that the White Sox's current woes suggest La Russa wasn't their problem before.
“Normally you look at Memorial Day to try to figure it out, but this has been going on for more than a year at this point with a team that was underachieving," Heyman said. "We thought last year … maybe La Russa was the issue, but at this point I don’t think so. I think there’s something going on with the roster that is not right. They need to shake things up a little bit.
“The injuries are certainly a major factor in this, but this has been going on too long at this point in my mind. Normally, like I said, Memorial Day, but the fact that it has been going on more than a year, I think they’ve got to look at it right now.”
Listen live to 670 The Score via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker