Brooks Baldwin Sidelined by Elbow Inflammation

Brooks Baldwin has been out of action since March 6, sidelined by right elbow inflammation that clouds the White Sox outfield picture just weeks before Opening Day.

Baldwin said he felt the injury while throwing to bases during a recent spring training workout. The Sox have been monitoring him daily, but no decision has been made about his availability when the regular season opens.

“Talking to the trainers, we got an image, we got everything done,” Baldwin said Friday. “But a lot of soreness in there, [we’re trying] to get it to calm down and take it day to day and see where we’re at.”

The severity remains unclear. Baldwin acknowledged he dealt with elbow soreness last season and said he does not believe anything is torn, but he plans to consult additional specialists before drawing any firm conclusions.

The timing stings. Baldwin was coming into camp with genuine momentum. At the plate last spring, he had batted .253 with a .769 OPS and a wRC+ of 112, numbers that gave the Sox real optimism. Much of that success came after he returned to the wide, open batting stance he used at UNC Wilmington, a adjustment that helped him keep his head still and track pitches more cleanly.

This spring, he felt like he was building on that foundation.

“I thought at-bats were going good [in spring training],” Baldwin said. “I saw the ball well. Defensively, [I] was getting good jumps in the outfield and tracking balls down pretty well.”

With the infield largely set, the Sox had planned to use Baldwin exclusively in the outfield this season. The organization believes his athleticism fits either corner spot. The challenge has been the mental side of outfield defense, specifically reads off the bat. Chicago was counting on more reps and routine to sharpen that part of his game.

Now that plan is on hold, and the outfield competition grows more complicated.

The Sox have options, but none of them are clean answers. Tristan Peters and Derek Hill are both defense-first outfielders who carry real questions at the plate. Hill is the better glove of the two. Manager Will Venable has called his defense “elite” and said Hill is a player who is still coming into his own as an overall contributor. Both are on the 40-man roster, which gives them a logistical edge in any roster crunch.

Jarred Kelenic offers a different profile. A former top prospect with more offensive upside and legitimate pop in his bat, Kelenic started Friday’s game in center field and collected a base hit. He gives the Sox something Peters and Hill simply do not.

Aside from the starting rotation, the outfield is where the most consequential roster decisions are shaping up before Opening Day. Baldwin’s elbow adds a layer of uncertainty to what was already the team’s most unsettled position group.

The Sox have made no moves yet, and the day-to-day nature of Baldwin’s situation means they are not there yet. But if he cannot get healthy in the next few weeks, the front office will have real choices to make about who breaks camp in the outfield.

On a lighter note from Glendale, catcher Kyle Teel returned to Sox camp this week after representing Team Italy and came back with an unusual request. He wants an espresso machine in the White Sox dugout. Italy had one during the World Baseball Classic and kept the tradition going this year. Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, serving as Italy’s captain, came up with the idea of celebrating home runs with a shot of espresso. Teel is apparently sold on the ritual.

Whether the espresso machine makes it to the South Side remains a lighter storyline in an otherwise serious spring. The Sox have bigger questions to answer, and Brooks Baldwin’s elbow is at the top of that list.