Chicago White Sox Third Baseman Yoán Moncada Finally Starting Rehab Assignment

Yoán Moncada, who has been out since early April with a left adductor strain, is joining the Chicago White Sox's Arizona Complex League affiliate on Tuesday.

Apr 6, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (10) warms up prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. / Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada is starting a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday, according to reports from the Chicago Sun Times' Daryl Van Schouwen and others.

Moncada has been out with a left adductor strain since April 9, when he fell trying to run out a ground ball. He was placed on the 10-day injured list and ruled out three-to-six months the very next day, then got transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 12.

Last month, White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters he expected Moncada to be back around the All-Star Game, which was on the optimistic end of his initial timeline. The 29-year-old infielder remains on track for that return date, considering he has 10 days until the regular season picks back up post-All-Star break.

Moncada was batting .282 with three doubles, a stolen base, five walks, a .774 OPS and a 0.4 WAR in 11 games this season before he went down. It looked like Moncada was in for a bounce-back season after a few inefficient and injury-plagued and campaigns, despite the fact that he was yet to record a home run or RBI.

A back injury limited Moncada to 92 games in 2023. Oblique, quad, hamstring and foot injuries led to him appearing in just 104 games in 2022. After playing in 86.1% of the White Sox's games from 2017 to 2021, he has appeared in just 49.6% of their games since.

Even when he was playing, Moncada wasn't putting up great numbers as of late. He averaged 11 home runs, 44 RBI and a 1.5 WAR per season from 2020 to 2023, batting .243 with a .720 OPS.

Moncada had shown promise in the past, however, beyond the fact that he was once one of the top prospects in baseball. He hit .315 with 25 home runs, 79 RBI, a .915 OPS and a 5.2 WAR in 2019, establishing himself as one of the key pieces of the White Sox's young core.

Chicago gave Moncada a five-year, $70 million extension that offseason, and he has largely failed to live up to it. That contract is set to expire this coming winter, unless the White Sox elect to pick up their $25 million club option on Moncada.

The White Sox own the worst record in baseball at 26-67 this season, so it isn't as if Moncada will help the club make a serious playoff push this fall. Still, if he can prove to be healthy and reliable down the stretch, he could earn quite the payday in the process.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.