In a shocking roster move, the White Sox announced the release of infielder Brandon Drury this morning. By far the team’s best hitter this spring, Drury is no longer with the organization, at least for now. The team also optioned reliever Gus Varland to AAA in the same press release. However, the Drury development is the more notable move considering how well he had been playing.
Drury’s Fantastic Spring
A non-roster invite with the White Sox this spring, Drury was on fire offensively. In 39 at-bats over 13 games, he hit .410 with seven doubles, three home runs, and a ridiculous 1.260 OPS. To say he made a positive impression would be an understatement, and he felt like a lock to make the Opening Day roster just a few days ago.
Unfortunate Injury Development
Drury’s injury status likely plays a factor in this decision. He was initially diagnosed with a bruised hand suffered during a collision during a defensive drill several days ago. However, the team upgraded the severity of the injury to a fractured left thumb yesterday. Daryl Van Schouwen, the White Sox beat reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, reported that Drury will have a follow-up visit with Dr. Donald Sheridan tomorrow.
Potential Explanations From White Sox Perspective
Even considering Drury’s injury, releasing him is a surprising move. There are two likely scenarios at play here. The first is that his injury is way worse than initially expected. As a non-roster invite not currently on the 40-man roster, the White Sox would have had to make a corresponding move to add Drury to the team and place him on the injured list. If he will miss an extended period, perhaps they did not feel comfortable adding him to the 40-man roster and potentially losing another player in the process.
The other potential scenario is re-signing Drury to a different contract, giving them more flexibility. The team operated similarly last year with veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar. The White Sox released Pillar towards the end of spring training but brought him back on a new contract before Opening Day. Pillar had non-roster invite status last year, just like Drury had this year. Given the similarities, a reunion with Drury doesn’t feel out of the equation.
White Sox Other Injury Problems
Drury is not the only player whose status moving forward is up in the air. Veteran free agent signings Mike Tauchman and Josh Rojas will likely not be ready for Opening Day either, per Van Schouwen. Tauchman has a hamstring issue, while Rojas has a hairline fracture in his big toe. Both will begin the season on the injured list.
With the injuries piling up for the White Sox across the board, other players now have the opportunity to step up in their absences. The team likely need to choose between several more position players who were not initially expected to make the Opening Day roster. Brooks Baldwin, Nick Maton, Tristan Gray, Bryan Ramos, Dominic Fletcher, and Travis Jankowski could be among this group.
Releasing the team’s best hitter during the spring before Opening Day is unusual. It will be interesting to see if the White Sox and Brandon Drury reunite or if he takes his services elsewhere.
