White Sox dealt major setback as $75,000,000 star suffers hand injury in Spring Training

The 2025 regular season has yet to start, however, the Chicago White Sox have already suffered a noticeable setback when it comes to one of their top stars. Veteran outfielder Andrew Benintendi will potentially miss the beginning of the season after going down with an injury.

The former All-Star suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right hand after being hit by a pitch during the team's Spring Training victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. The White Sox outfielder was hit on the hand by Cleveland pitcher Logan Allen in the first inning, and even though he tried to remain in the game, he was removed by the team's trainer.

Following the game, Chicago announced that the injury will keep Benintendi out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks as he recovers. The loss of Benintendi is a significant loss for the White Sox as he is one of the most established players on the roster. The team added a few veterans on one-year deals who could fill the void, including Austin Slater, Michael A. Taylor and Mike Tauchman.

Although there is a chance that Benintendi could return by Opening Day, this is not the start to the year that the team was hoping for considering their disastrous 2024 season. Last year, Chicago posted a dismal 41-121, setting a new record for the most amount of regular season losses in modern MLB history.

The injury to Andrew Benintendi is a blow to the club on another level as the team has been looking to offload some of their expensive contracts in recent seasons as they rebuild the roster. Benintendi is in the third year of his five-year, $75,000,000 deal he signed in free agency. If the team struggles again this season, it would be unsurprising to see Benintendi potentially on the move at the trade deadline.

Andrew Benintendi is not the only White Sox player who could be on the move this season

Chicago could look to make several significant moves this season if they are unable to get back on track. While Benintendi could net the club an intriguing young asset, Luis Robert Jr. is another player who has been mentioned in trade rumors for several months now.

The White Sox have made a number of significant moves in recent years as the team not only sheds payroll but also to bolster their farm system. Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Eloy Jimenez are some of the names that have been dealt over the past few seasons, it would be unsurprising to see this trend continue in 2025.