Chris Getz talked in recent days about the White Sox’s options in right field, mentioning the availability of in-house options to go with any additions throughout the next few months. One of those in-house options appears to have slipped under the radar.
According to the White Sox’s MLB transaction page, the club has signed outfielder Rafael Ortega to a minor league contract that likely includes an invitation to Spring Training.
Ortega, 33, spent the 2023 season with the New York Mets, hitting .219/.341/.272 with an 83 wRC+ in 136 plate appearances with the club. He has been in the majors in parts of seasons since 2012, spending time with the Rockies, Angels, Marlins, Braves, and Cubs before heading to New York last season. He is a career .247/.324/.352 hitter and his career 89 wRC+ isn’t far off of his 2023 numbers. His best season came in 2021 with the Cubs, in which he his .291/.360/.463 with 11 home runs in 330 games. However, his .355 wOBA and .311 xwOBA show that season to be more of an outlier than a predictor of future success.
With the White Sox largely open to letting veterans get some time on the field this season, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Ortega gets some time on the major league roster as a left-handed bat who’s able to draw some walks. In terms of defense, he has been passable in the outfield throughout his career, never posting a season with less than -1 Outs Above Average (OAA) in his career – however, yearly values tend to hover around 0 to +1 OAA, so he’s average at best.
In other words, look at this mostly as a depth move with another veteran to be around the club during the Spring.
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