White Sox’s Yasmani Grandal out 4-6 weeks with torn tendon in left knee

White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal will miss four to six weeks after suffering a torn tendon in his left knee during Monday’s loss to the Twins. Grandal’s loss is a massive one for the White Sox, who are already without everyday starters Nick Madrigal, Eloy Jiménez, and Luis Robert, though they have some cushion since they’re six games ahead in the AL Central and most of the division is in some form of a rebuild.

Grandal is having one of the weirdest offensive seasons in baseball history, hitting .188/.388/.436, good for an .824 OPS that leads AL catchers with at least 200 plate appearances. He ranks second in the majors with 60 walks and has done a stellar job of getting on base and making the most of his plate appearances despite his infrequent hits.

He’ll be replaced on Chicago’s active roster by 27-year-old catcher Seby Zavala, who last appeared in the big leagues in 2019. Zavala is known primarily for his defense, and like Grandal, he’s taken a lot of walks while struggling to make contact, though he hasn’t hit for nearly as much power, posting a .178/.291/.339 slash line.

It should be interesting to see if the White Sox start getting Yermín Mercedes, who was optioned to Triple-A on Friday, more work behind the plate and eventually bring him back as an option behind the plate. Mercedes caught frequently in the minors but caught just two innings this year while serving primarily as the White Sox’s DH. He started behind the plate in his debut for Charlotte on Saturday.