White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Dealing with sore quad
Rotowire
Cespedes has been limited to just one Cactus League at-bat because of right quad soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
It's not clear when, or if, Cespedes might be cleared for more games this spring. The outfield prospect spent all of the 2022 season at Double-A Birmingham, but he could move up to Triple-A Charlotte to open the 2023 minor-league season if he's back to full health in time.
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White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Homers twice
Rotowire
Cespedes went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI against Double-A Chattanooga on Sunday.
Cespedes tallied his first two home runs of the season Sunday, including a three-run shot in the eighth inning. He's provided plenty of pop with Double-A Birmingham to start the season, maintaining a .514 slugging percentage and .353 wOBA through 40 plate appearances. However, across 140 total plate appearances at the level -- including a stint at the end of the 2020 campaign -- Cespedes is striking out at a 28.6 percent clip.
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White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Invited to major-league camp
Rotowire
Cespedes will serve as a non-roster invitee during spring training in 2022.
Cespedes was promoted to Double-A Birmingham in August of 2021, and he slashed .298/.340/.404 with a homer, 14 runs, seven RBI and eight stolen bases across 27 appearances against the higher level of competition. The 24-year-old will be able to develop with the big-league coaching staff this spring but will presumably begin the regular season at the Double-A or Triple-A level.
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White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Moves up to Double-A
Rotowire
Cespedes was promoted from High-A Winston-Salem to Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday.
Cespedes was able to bounce back from a slow start at Winston-Salem to hit seven homers and 17 doubles while slashing .278/.355/.494 across 199 plate appearances. He'll now make the move to Double-A, perhaps slightly quicker than originally expected.
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White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Making adjustments in High-A
Rotowire
After smacking a pair of doubles Tuesday for High-A Winston-Salem, Cespedes has lifted his batting line to .286/.350/.491 with six homers, nine steals, 16 RBI and 33 runs in 40 games.
He's been red hot, batting a crisp .353 over his last 21 games. Though Cespedes still isn't walking much, he's actually managed to improve his strikeout rate markedly since the last time we checked in with him, as it's fallen to 27.9 percent -- still not great, but a lot better than the 34.1 percent figure he was sitting on in mid-July. In fact, he's actually gone without a whiff in three straight games for the first time in his minor-league career, and he has a 4:5 BB:K across his last eight contests. Altogether, it looks like the 23-year-old Cuban may be turning a corner in his development, and it's worth watching what happens when he moves up to Double-A, which should happen next year.
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White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Having contact issues in High-A
Rotowire
Cespedes is hitting .211/.286/.447 across 19 games for High-A Winston Salem.
When he hits the ball, he hits it well -- 10 of his 16 knocks have gone for extra bases (four homers, six doubles). However, Cespedes has a brutal 3:29 BB:K, and you don't see too many 23-year-olds post strikeout rates that high (34.1 percent, to be precise) in High-A ball and go on to reach the majors. There's no doubt that Yoenis Cespedes' little brother is all tooled up, but his uber-aggressive approach isn't doing him any favors right now.
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White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Added to active roster
Rotowire
Cespedes (not injury related) was added to High-A Winston-Salem's active roster Saturday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Cespedes had been dealing with visa issues across the past several months, but he's been training and playing in simulated games at the White Sox's spring training facility in Arizona recently. He'll make his 2021 debut with High-A Winston-Salem but could progress to Double-A Birmingham in the near future.
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White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Waiting on 2021 debut
Rotowire
Cespedes continues to train and play in simulated games regularly at the White Sox's spring training facility in Arizona while he awaits approval on his work visa, which he's expected to obtain by the end of June, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Cespedes has been working through visa issues since spring training, but the White Sox are apparently optimistic his situation will be resolved in the next week or two. Once that's formally resolved, Cespedes is expected to report to Double-A Birmingham to begin his career in affiliated ball. The 23-year-old younger brother of Yoenis Cespedes signed a $2 million contract with the White Sox this past winter after attracting attention for his play with the Cuban national team in recent years before he defected in January 2019.
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White Sox's Yoelqui Cespedes: Waiting on visa issues
Rotowire
Cespedes will head to Double-A Birmingham once some visa issues are resolved, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.
The younger brother of Yoenis Cespedes is currently in extended spring training, but he will head to Double-A for the start of his age-23 season once that gets resolved.
