Player News
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Maldonado was released by the White Sox after he cleared waivers Sunday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. The veteran catcher was designated for assignment by Chicago on Wednesday, and it's hardly a surprise he passed through waivers unclaimed. Maldonado has a .119/.174/.230 slash line in 147 plate appearances this season and may have a tough time finding another landing spot in the big leagues.
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The White Sox designated Maldonado for assignment Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome of The Athletic report. After slashing .119/.174/.230 across 147 plate appearances during what has been the worst season of his career at the plate, Maldonado has now officially lost his roster spot with the White Sox. Given his poor performance, the 37-year-old backstop will most likely pass through waivers unclaimed, at which point he would have the option to elect free agency.
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Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Twins. Maldonado entered July with only one home run for the season, but he's now slugged three long balls in his last four games. He'll remain the clear backup to Korey Lee on the depth chart and has typically been drawing a start every three games.
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Maldonado went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored the three RBI in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Guardians. The veteran backstop belted a two-run shot off Tim Herrin in the eighth inning, giving Maldonado his second homer of the year and first since Apr. 26. The 37-year-old has had a miserable season at the plate even by his own poor standards, slashing .096/.144/.160 through 135 plate appearances with a career-worst 34.8 percent strikeout rate, but the White Sox seem content with his defensive contributions when he's in the lineup.
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Maldonado will start at catcher and bat ninth in Thursday's game against Atlanta. Top backstop Korey Lee is getting a breather for the day game after he started at catcher in each of the previous three days, so Maldonado will get a turn behind the plate. Maldonado is valued for his defense, but with an .088/.140/.132 slash line and a minus-24 wRC+, he's been the league's least-productive hitter among all players with at least 100 plate appearances this season.
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Stats
Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BB | KO | SB | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | CHW | 48 | 135 | 9 | 16 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 51 | 0 | .118 |
2023 | HOU | 117 | 362 | 33 | 69 | 15 | 36 | 30 | 139 | 0 | .190 |