White Sox are still trying to solve their leadoff puzzle

MINNEAPOLIS — Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable knows his team has to get more production out of the leadoff spot. The problem is trying to find which player on the roster is going to do just that.

Heading into Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, Venable had employed five players in the leadoff spot during the team's first 23 games. Combined, they had slashed just .191/.287/.303 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI.

Venable tried out his sixth player in the leadoff spot on Wednesday, inserting Joshua Palacios into the top of the order. The 29-year-old Palacios had struggled in his career as the first batter, slashing just .135/.188/.297 in 82 plate appearances.

Those numbers aren't convincing of Palacios providing the long-term answer to Chicago's leadoff issues, but Venable was blunt when assessing his options before Palacios' Chicago debut in the top spot.

"I don't think it's trying out as much as we have who we have here, and that changes every day as guys get injured and, as you know, guys need days off," Venable said. "So it's like, on that day, what are we going to do? It's about just trying to string good things together. So you have to input a lot of different things in your calculus. It just ended up in Joshua today."

Palacios somewhat moved the needle for Chicago on Wednesday, slapping a single in his second at-bat before drawing a key walk against Twins reliever Cole Sands in the fifth, eventually coming around to score and give the White Sox a temporary 3-2 lead.

He finished 1-for-3, which could get the left-handed-hitting Palacios back in the top of the lineup against a right-hander in the near future.

It may not be a permanent fix, but Palacios temporarily breathed life into the leadoff spot on Wednesday. However, much more needs to be done to inject consistent offense into Chicago's DNA as the White Sox fell to 5-19 on the season with a 6-3 loss, their 14th consecutive defeat inside Target Field.