Moncada returns as bats have an explosive game?

ANAHEIM -- After more than five months of waiting, Yoán Moncada is finally back with the White Sox.

His teammates staged an offensive eruption in his honor.

Andrew Benintendi homered twice, Andrew Vaughn and Lenyn Sosa also homered as the White Sox powered past the Angels, 8-4, at Angel Stadium on Monday night. The White Sox have won three straight games to improve to 36-115. They need to win seven of their final 11 to avoid tying the modern Major League record of 120 losses set by the 1962 New York Mets.

“Wins have been hard to come by, so when you can get one, you appreciate it," manager Grady Sizemore said. “When you can get a couple in a row, it's even better. It was a good atmosphere in that dugout, and the guys are happy in there right now.”

The club activated Moncada from the 60-day injured list before their series opener against the Angels. Moncada had been on the IL since April 10 with an adductor strain, suffered running to first base during an early-season series against Cleveland.

Moncada didn't play, but his teammates more than picked up the slack.

The South Siders scored three runs in the first and second innings. Benintendi and Vaughn hit back-to-back homers off Reid Detmers in the first to give the White Sox a 3-0 lead just four batters into the game. Vaughn banged a two-run triple off the center-field wall to highlight the scoring in the second, and Sosa led off the third with a blast.

All three of the White Sox homers off Detmers traveled at least 400 feet, according to Statcast. Benintendi’s two-run shot in the first traveled 415 feet into the right-field stands and left his bat at 101.2 mph. Vaughn’s homer two pitches later traveled 432 feet to left-center field with an exit velocity of 107.7 mph. Sosa’s leadoff homer in the third went 402 feet over the home bullpen in left field and came off his bat at 102.9 mph.

“We could definitely feel the energy in the dugout,” Vaughn said. “We were rolling. Everybody was swinging the bat well and, you know, hitting is contagious.”

Benintendi added a solo shot to right field in the seventh off reliever Guillermo Zu?iga to cap the scoring. He finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs and has four homers in his last nine games.

Even though he didn’t play, merely being back represented a major milestone for Moncada. The 29-year-old third baseman grinded through months of strenuous rehab at the White Sox complex in Arizona and was away from the team entirely throughout the process.

“Those months that I spent in Arizona were really hard because I was dealing with the discomfort and the soreness,” Moncada said through interpreter Billy Russo before the game. “Just dealing with that, being there by myself, that definitely was the toughest part of this.”

Moncada returns to the White Sox as they try to avoid setting the modern Major League record for losses in a season. How much of a role he’ll play remains to be determined.

Miguel Vargas has been the South Siders primary third baseman since being acquired from the Dodgers at the Trade Deadline. Meanwhile, Bryan Ramos has gotten the lion’s share of at-bats as a designated hitter and has backed Vargas up at third since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

With Chicago prioritizing playing time for their younger players, Sizemore said that arrangement will stay the same even with Moncada’s return. Vargas, 24, started at third base, while Ramos, 22, was the designated hitter in the series opener against the Angels.

“I don't have a set plan for anybody, but I'm gonna kind of prioritize Ramos and Vargas right now just because we want to see what these guys can do,” Sizemore said. “So they're gonna probably take priority over Yoán right now, but still gonna try to mix everybody in as much as I can.”

Moncada said there was a point at which he doubted he’d be able to make it back this season. When he initially suffered the injury on April 9, he crumpled to the ground in pain and had to be escorted off the field by two trainers.

His initial rehab stint lasted five games in July before being halted due to what the club called “anticipated soreness.” He didn’t begin his rehab assignment again until August 27.

In the interim, he watched helplessly as the White Sox spiraled to 35-115.

“It's been a really difficult year for everybody,” Moncada said. “For the team. For myself. Just seeing the struggles that the team had, because everybody is trying to do their best, and in my case not being able to do anything to help, I think it added a whole another layer of difficulty to the rehab process.

“At some point, that was on my mind, like, am I gonna be able to get back? I don't know. The road was difficult, but I worked hard and advanced to where I'm here right now.”

Moncada hit .282/.364/.410 in 11 games to start the season before getting injured. He spent the maximum 20 days on a rehab assignment and hit .393/.452/.554 with six doubles, a home run and eight RBIs in 17 games between the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and Triple-A Charlotte.

“[He’s] one more guy that can help us win,” Sizemore said. “He's a proven veteran, a lot that he can do. It's good to have him back.”

But for how much longer? That remains a question. Moncada is in the final year of his five-year, $70 million contract, which he signed before the 2020 season. He has a $25 million club option for 2025 with a $5 million buyout.

In addition to his injury this season, Moncada played 92 games in 2023 due to a back injury and 104 games in 2022 while being limited by oblique, quad, hamstring and foot injuries. He said he’s still not 100% healthy from his current injury, but that he’s “close."

Given that injury history, the amount on his club option and the White Sox current state, it is highly probable the final 12 games of this season will be Moncada’s last with the franchise.

For now, he’s just focused on making those final games as productive as possible.

“Stay healthy, that’s the most important thing for me right now,” Moncada said. “... Right now, I'm just glad to be here. I just want to help the guys here and finish the season strong. Once this year is done, we'll see what happens.”