Knights baseball digest: Healed major league players return to Chicago from Charlotte

Through the middle of summer, with a long string of injuries gripping the Chicago White Sox, the Charlotte Knights received an influx of major league talent. For a few months, Charlotte fans saw some of the team’s top players at Truist Field — some playing in Charlotte for the first time, and some returning after climbing through the minors.

Now, with most of those stars recovering and the summer drawing to an end, the big league players have started going back to the majors.

After coming to Charlotte on July 13 to recover from a torn left pectoral, Eloy Jiménez made his return to the White Sox just 13 days later. Following him to the minors was Luis Robert, the 2020 Gold Glover who had torn his right hip flexor in May. After a pair of series with the Knights, White Sox manager Tony La Russa announced Robert would be returning to the team on Monday.

While Robert was in town, the Knights also welcomed Jake Lamb on a short injury rehab. He was reactivated by the White Sox on Aug. 6. Now, the highest-profile bat on the Knights’ roster is former major leaguer Yermín Mercedes, who has been the Knights’ best hitter since being sent down on July 2.

While White Sox fans will be glad to see their stars recovered and ready to contribute in the AL Central once again, Knights fans can still be glad that, even for a short moment, some of the organization’s top players made a return trip to the Queen City.

Knights-Jumbo Shrimp series at a glance

This week will see the Knights travel to the Sunshine State for another weeklong series against their most frequent opponents this season, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

The Knights’ series against the Jumbo Shrimp two weeks ago didn’t go so well, with Charlotte only winning two of the seven games. Between matchups with Jacksonville, the Knights only earned one win in a six-game away slog against the Gwinnett Stripers. And, Charlotte’s best player during that win, Robert, has returned to the White Sox.

Meanwhile, the Jumbo Shrimp have spent the interim winning, registering five victories in seven games against the Norfolk Tides. Even when they were losing, they had impressive performances, like starting pitcher Edward Cabrera tossing 11 strikeouts in a 4-2 loss this past Saturday.

In the season series, the Knights and Jumbo Shrimp are even at 9-9. With Robert and Lamb gone and Jacksonville’s pitching heating up last series, Charlotte could struggle greatly against a team pushing for the top spot in the Triple-A East Southeast division.

Three White Sox prospects to watch this week

Gavin Sheets, 1B/OF

With Robert going back up to the majors, the White Sox had to empty out their crowded outfield, leading to 25-year-old Gavin Sheets getting optioned back to the Knights.

Before going to the Southside, Sheets was one of the Knights’ hottest hitters, batting .292 with seven home runs, eight extra-base hits and 33 RBI. When the White Sox had a slew of outfield injuries in June, he was called up and played strikingly well, recording two hits and two RBI against the Twins on June 30 — the first White Sox player to notch multiple hits and RBI in a debut.

While he played decently well the rest of his time in Chicago, going .225 over the plate with six home runs and 16 RBI, the return of Jiménez and Robert meant Sheets would only see limited at-bats, thereby necessitating his return to Charlotte.

Though likely not providing the same kind of firepower as Robert, Sheets will still be a welcome presence in the Knights’ clubhouse, as well as in the lineup.

Laz Rivera, IF

Infielder Laz Rivera hasn’t even been on the Knights for a month — he was brought up from Double-A Birmingham in mid-July — and he’s already proven himself to be an excellent hitter.

Over 41 at-bats for Charlotte, the 26-year-old has batted .317 with two home runs, seven RBI, five extra-base hits and a .851 OPS. He was a critical piece of the Knights’ only win over the Stripers this past week, launching a three-run homer during the fifth inning of Thursday’s game, which ended in favor of Charlotte, 10-6.

Rivera was a consistent presence in Birmingham, batting .259 with five home runs and 25 RBI this season. Even if he cools off from how well he’s hitting right now, a consistent hitter of that caliber could find a place for himself in the Charlotte lineup.

Mikie Mahtook, OF

In all likelihood, Mikie Mahtook will not make the majors this year. At 31 years old, he might not play big league ball ever again.

But he has been playing some fun baseball in Charlotte.

With a .235 batting average, he’s not the Knights’ best hitter, although his .810 OPS is near the top of the team, especially given 213 at-bats this season. But when he hits the ball, it’s special. He leads the team with 16 home runs and is second on the squad with 36 RBI. His most recent home run — a two-run shot — came in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Stripers. He registered two more hits and an RBI in Game 2.

Mahtook might not be the most exciting or magnetizing player on the team, but there’s something to be said about someone who consistently shows up and plays good baseball, while also giving the fans some highlights and some baseballs to take home.

Triple-A East Southeast Standings