MINNEAPOLIS — The Chicago White Sox won 18 games in May, their most in any month since 19 victories in May 2021.
“It was a quality month,” general manager Chris Getz said before Monday’s game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
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“I think I’ll start with just the last week, the homestand with Minnesota and Detroit. It was two great series. We’ve been able to stack a handful of those throughout the month of May. A testament to the players stepping up. They enjoy playing with each other, they play to win.”
The Sox won three of four against the Twins and swept a three-game series against the Tigers. The homestand concluded Sunday with a late rally for a 2-1 victory against Detroit. It was the team’s 16th comeback win this season, the most in the American League.
“Even the games we were maybe even out of it, or certainly down, they just don’t give in,” Getz said. “To see them respond the way that they have is great. And to get the support from the fans like we have is really cool to see. They are really embracing the energy that they bring and just the joy that they have in a winning style of baseball.”
The Sox went 18-10 in May, the second-best winning percentage (.643) in the AL behind the Tampa Bay Rays (18-8, .692).
They’ll look to continue the success in the short-term without first baseman Munetaka Murakami, who went on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right hamstring strain suffered Friday.
“It’s an opportunity for Jacob Gonzalez, who’s been doing very well at Triple-A, having 19 home runs in two months is significant,” Getz said. “His first game yesterday was a positive, good at-bats. We’re not expecting him to be Mune, by any sense, but he’s going to be helpful. These guys, they believe they can win any night. And that’s pretty much throughout the roster and I think that’s become something that’s believed throughout the organization, too.
“Injuries are part of this game. You look around our division or just the league, there are some teams that have been hit hard, harder than us. And this is just part of navigating a major-league season. And once again, an opportunity for Jacob and others to step up.”
Murakami could be out four to six weeks.
“It’s so early on with his recovery, you don’t want to get ahead of yourself,” Getz said. “It’s the first time we’ve experienced an injury with Mune, too and everyone heals differently. It’s important not to rush to any conclusions just because we don’t know how he’s going to recover.”
Gonzalez, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2023, went 1-for-3 on Sunday.
Called-up players have made an impact for the Sox all season. Getz gave a tip of the cap to the managers throughout the Sox minor-league system for aiding them along the way.
“We feel really good about our minor-league managers,” Getz said. “And I know obviously there’s hitting coaches, pitching coaches and rovers, field coordinator and they’re all part of the development of the player. But I really want to highlight our managers because I think those guys have done a really outstanding job. I talked to (director of player development) Paul (Janish) on the way here, who had just talked to (Triple-A manager) Chad (Pinder) about some of the players on that roster and where they’re at with their development.
“And we just trust the group that we have, and rightly so, because guys have continued to get better and perform at the major-league level. And it doesn’t always translate right away at the major-league level, so I credit them because a lot of these guys have done well right out of the gate. We feel like our development system and process might be the best that it’s been in a while.”
Injury update
The Sox returned outfielder Austin Hays from his injury rehab assignment with Charlotte because of a recurrence of soreness in his left calf. Hays has been on the IL retroactively since May 2 with a left calf strain.