White Sox could dump exciting player amid newest development

The Chicago White Sox continue to stay afloat in spite of losing Munetaka Murakami for the next month-plus, but there is no question that their offense could use some assistance now that his bat is no longer in the lineup.

The White Sox lacked offensive depth even with Murakami healthy, so now that he is sidelined, things could become dire for Chicago pretty quickly.

On the bright side, outfielder Everson Pereira has begun a rehab assignment down at Triple-A as he makes his way back from a pectoral injury. He has been out since late April, so getting his bat back will definitely be nice.

The issue is that the White Sox will have to make a roster move to accommodate Pereira’s return when he is ready. What exactly will they do in that regard?

Well, it will likely come down to Derek Hill or Rikuu Nishida, and Noah Phalen of Southside Showdown sees one simple solution here.

Chicago White Sox urged to demote Rikuu Nishida

Because Hill is a 30-year-old veteran, Phalen feels that the best move would be for Chicago to demote Nishida back to Triple-A.

“If I had to guess, I think the White Sox value Derek Hill enough as a veteran presence that they’ll keep him around and option Nishida to Triple-A. It’s a move that can always be undone later if it doesn’t work out and it gives them an opportunity to see if Everson Pereira can be an everyday player at the big league level,” Phalen wrote.

Nishida has played in 11 games for the White Sox this season, going 6-for-27 with a couple of RBI. He is a terrific defensive player who also flashed some impressive offense down in the minor leagues, having slashed .323/.449/.384 with a homer and 12 RBI between Double-A and Triple-A this year before being called up to the majors.

The 25-year-old, who has even drawn comparisons to Japanese legend Ichiro Suzuki, stole 40 bases at Double-A last season and swiped 49 bags between Single-A and Double-A in 2024.

There is no question that Nishida is an exciting player oozing with potential, but for now, the most prudent decision for the White Sox would probably be to send the 5-foot-6 speedster back to the minors to further hone his craft.

That would then allow Chicago to get Pereira — who has very impressive offensive potential himself — into the lineup.

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