Yoán Moncada returns from the injured list and the Chicago White Sox move Jake Burger to 2B – The Denver Post

There were times that manager Pedro Grifol wasn’t sure if Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada would return this season from lower back inflammation.

“It was day to day,” Grifol said Tuesday afternoon. “He’d come in and say, ‘I feel good,’ and I would be optimistic that he would be back. And at times he would say, ‘I’m not feeling good.’”

The last couple of weeks had Grifol believing Moncada was heading in the right direction. Tuesday, the Sox reinstated Moncada from the 10-day injured list and he was in the lineup for the City Series against the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“I feel good,” Moncada said through an interpreter. “After all I’ve been dealing with, this is the first time I really feel good.”

Back issues have limited Moncada this season.

He went on the IL on June 14 with the lower back inflammation, his second back-related stint. He was on the IL from April 11 to May12 with lower back soreness.

“I feel good, not 100%, but I feel good enough to play,” Moncada said. “This is something I have to deal with. This is probably the best I have felt since everything happened.”

Moncada has a .232/.279/.370 slash line with eight doubles, three home runs, 13 RBIs and 17 runs in 38 games this season.

Moncada appeared in eight rehab games with the Triple-A Charlotte, collecting nine hits in the last four games.

“His rehab was pretty long, which was nice,” Grifol said. “He was able to get his body into playing shape, and just take your time and get back to a level of playing that we feel comfortable with because he’s taking his time with his rehab.”

With his return, the Sox shifted Jake Burger to second base.

“It’s been three years of a lot of work,” Burger said of learning the position. “In ’21 I started some games at second at Charlotte and I used that offseason to work at second base. (Infield coach) Eddie (Rodríguez) and I have put in a ton of work the last few weeks. Feel good about everybody’s confidence in me to start there.”

Entering Tuesday, Burger has played two innings at second this season. He appeared at the position in three games (five innings) last season.

“Obviously it’s a little more different than third base,” Burger said. “You have a lot more time on groundballs. That’s a positive. It’s working on the transfer the last couple weeks, on double plays and different arm slots for throws.”

Grifol said Burger’s improvements defensively at third base played a role in the decision to try him at second.

“We started this process probably a month and a half ago and an opportunity hasn’t really shown up until right now because we’ve got everybody almost healthy,” Grifol said. “So to keep his bat in the lineup, when you compare the work he’s put in and what Eddie Rodríguez is telling me, the improvements that he’s made at third base, how well he’s playing third base, let’s give it a shot. With the bat in there, I’d give it a shot. Let’s go do it.

“The agility he’s showing (at third), the looseness that he’s showing defensively, my communications with Eddie and what he feels about it, let’s face it, it’s the bat. We want him to go over there and make the routine play and just do the best you can because we want your bat.”

Moncada is open to moving back to second, a position he played earlier in his career, if called on.

“I would play any position they ask me to play,” he said. “I’m here to help the team. I don’t have any problem to move around.”

Grifol said that’s not a conversation for today.

“Does it make sense? Maybe, but does it make sense right now? No, I don’t think so,” Grifol said. “We’ll see how this plays out. That’s something that’s probably an offseason thing. Does it make any sense right now? Coming back from a back injury, just keep him over there comfortable and let him go ahead and try to finish the season healthy, and then we evaluate the team and see how it is and see what we’re going to do in the offseason. And then we’ll see where it goes from there.

“I would never take that off the table, but right now it’s not on anyone’s mind.”

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