Fastball

Former Chicago White Sox INF Yoan Moncada Leaves Premier12 Tournament with Injury

The talent has always been there, and now the price tag will there for interested teams. However, the question remains if he can stay healthy.

Brady Farkas

Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (10) hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the sixth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2023.
Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (10) hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the sixth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2023. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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Former Chicago White Sox third baseman and current free agent Yoan Moncada left the game on Thursday after being hit by a pitch in the right hand. Moncada has been playing in the Premier12 Tournament representing Cuba.

There's no word yet on the severity of his injury, but it's something to monitor as the offseason continues on. Cuban Baseball Insider Francys Romero had the information on social media:

This comes on the heels of a report from Romero that said that at least five teams have been monitoring Moncada in free agency. He became a free agent after the Chicago White Sox declined his $25 million team option at the outset of the offseason. The Premier12 Tournament represented a chance for him to show teams what he's got early in the offseason.

Sources: INF Yoan Moncada is generating interest in the free-agent market.

More than five MLB teams are interested in Moncada. Among the teams that have monitored him are the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Mariners.

The interest in Moncada is not surprising, considering he's still just 29 years old and comes with the pedigree of being the former No. 1 prospect in all of baseball.

Moncada has spent nine years in the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox and White Sox. He put together a great year in 2019 with 25 homers and 79 RBI, but it's been all downhill since then. He hit just .225 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with six homers and 24 RBI. Then, he hit .263 with 14 homers in 2021 and .212 in 2022 with 12 homers.

Injuries have been a major issue for Moncada over the last few years. He played 104 games in 2022, 92 in 2023 and just 12 this past season, so that's another reason why this hand issue is concerning.

From a pure speculation standpoint, Moncada can likely be had on a cheap, one-year deal. For that reason, he should continue to generate interest - provided he's healthy.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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