De Aza a bright spot as Sox lose more ground
Alejandro De Aza is making the White Sox think about the present and the future.
The 27-year-old outfielder has been with the Sox since July 27, when a roster spot opened after Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen were traded.
Right fielder Dayan Viciedo was the more deserving choice at Class AAA Charlotte, but he was dealing with a sore hand at the time of the deal.
The Sox also needed a more versatile outfielder, and De Aza has shown he can play all three spots at an above-average level.
De Aza also had the offensive qualifications when he was summoned from Charlotte.
His .322 batting average ranked second in the International League, and De Aza was fourth with 29 doubles and fifth with 22 steals and 5 triples.
“I was just trying to do my best, do my job there,” De Aza said. “Anything can happen when you do your job.”
De Aza has been doing the job since landing with the White Sox.
The left-hander had a solid hitting line — .302/.339/.472 — after going 2-for-5 and driving in 3 runs during Sunday's 10-0 win over the Texas Rangers.
Heading into Tuesday night's 5-4 loss to the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., De Aza was batting .349 in his last 15 games while adding welcome speed on offense and defense.
With Carlos Quentin still nursing a sprained left shoulder, De Aza was back in right field against the Angels, and he continued to produce with an RBI single with two outs in the third inning.
De Aza singled again in the eighth inning and stole second base.
That set the stage for Paul Konerko's RBI single that tied the game at 4-4. It was Konerko's 2,000th career hit, and he became the 13th player in White Sox history to achieve the milestone.
The Angels answered right back in the ninth inning and won when Peter Bourjos singled off Sox reliever Jason Frasor with the bases loaded and one out.
The White Sox fell 6½ games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.
As for the future, the White Sox have the option of cutting ties with Quentin and left fielder Juan Pierre this off-season. Viciedo would be the likely candidate to take over for Quentin. Could De Aza step in for Pierre and play every day?
“Well, he was an everyday player in Triple-A,” manager Ozzie Guillen said on the Sox' last homestand. “I don't see why not. I'm not going to say yes, but I think he has the tools to be. He makes the plays in the outfield, he makes contact, has good speed, pretty good arm.
“And it seems like he's been facing pretty good pitching. He's been facing pretty good ones and he's handled them very well. I don't see why he can't play every day.”
As for Quentin, he missed his second straight game with the shoulder injury and doesn't expect to be ready until Friday at the earliest.
“It feels better,” Quentin told reporters before the White Sox played the Angels. “I did treatment. I checked out the range of motion and went from there. It's a good sign that it's better and not the same. If it was the same, then it would be more of a concern.”
sgregor@dailyherald.com