Designated hitter Bryan Ramos has been placed everywhere in the Sox’ lineup since being called up in September, batting seventh, eighth and third.
Ramos led off for the Sox on Friday after putting together productive at-bats since returning to the majors on Sept. 4. He’s slashing .273/.333/.546 with a .879 OPS over a three-game stretch entering Friday’s game.
“I want him in the lineup because in the limited time he’s been here, he’s been swinging really good,” manager Grady Sizemore said. “All the at-bats look great. I have been able to move him around, and it hasn’t really rattled or bothered the next day. Just with who we had in there — I didn’t have our typical leadoff guys in there — so it just seemed to fit.”
Sizemore wants a good look at Ramos, and with 14 games remaining in the Sox’s season, it would behoove the club to see what Ramos can do after his strong start.
Sizemore isn’t surprised to see Ramos having success despite DHing and being juggled around the lineup. When he was first hired by the Sox as a major-league coach and visited the complex, he said he regularly saw Ramos working out or in the cage.
“Happy for him to have that success since he’s been up here, and hopefully we can just feed off of that and get him going,” Sizemore said.
Eder called up
The White Sox have called up left-hander Jake Eder — their No. 22-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline — after an injury to right-hander Matt Foster (lower back disc herniation).
Eder was acquired in last year’s trade with the Marlins for third baseman Jake Burger. Burger has slashed .261/.315/.464 since joining the Marlins with 34 home runs. On the other hand, Eder has struggled throughout his time in the Sox organization.
The left-hander sported a 9.87 ERA with a 1.99 WHIP over nine starts with Triple-A Charlotte. His struggles with command have become more pronounced after his recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2021. The Sox won’t put too much on Eder’s plate.
“Out of the bullpen,” Sizemore said of Eder’s role. “Kind of similar to [Sox pitcher Jairo Iriarte] role where we’re trying to introduce it early, try to give him one inning at a time.”
Fletcher’s defense
Right fielder Dominic Fletcher has been a solid defender despite his diminutive stature. Fletcher grades out fairly well according to Baseball Savant’s fielding metrics — he’s in the 67th percentile for Outs Above Average and 79th percentile for arm strength. He also has seven defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. His solid defense provides value despite his hitting woes.
“Defensively, he’s unique out there,” Sizemore said. “He does a lot of things well but again, I don’t think there’s too many right fielders like that.
“He finds a way to impact the game and save runs like no one else. You’re seeing a guy where if he had qualified innings right now, he’d probably be at the top of the list for a Gold Glove. Just seeing that he’s already up there on runs saved with half the innings some of these guys have just shows how talented he is.”