Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz Has Trade Deadline Decision To Make With Mike Tauchman

CHICAGO –– Mike Tauchman led off Tuesday's game like he usually has lately.

After taking a first-pitch sinker just off the plate, he turned on an inside sinker from Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt and lined it to right field for a single. It left his bat a 111.1 mph, the third-hardest hit ball from any MLB hitter on Tuesday at the time.

That continued a scorching hot stretch from the eight-year MLB veteran outfielder. Since June 25, Tauchman is 18-for-44 at the plate, raising his batting average from .257 to a career-high .303, along with an .855 OPS. In his last 22 plate appearances, he's reached safely 13 times.

"Tauch's been outstanding, he really has," White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Monday. "We were excited about getting him just because he puts together quality at-bats. He always has. I think he's exceeded just quality at-bats and there's been some real production. He's been very consistent."

With Tauchman performing at such a high level –– and with the White Sox having the second-worst record in MLB at 30-61 –– he's become a logical trade candidate on a rebuilding team. With Luis Robert Jr. underperforming, Tauchman may be the White Sox most valuable trade asset ahead of the July 31 deadline, along with Adrian Houser.

Entering Tuesday's game, Tauchman led the team's position players with 1.0 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, despite playing in just 39 of 91 games due to hamstring and groin injuries. As much as Getz may like having Tauchman lead off for the White Sox, he acknowledged the idea of flipping the 34-year-old for younger talent, if opposing teams present a good offer.

"We'll weigh all the different options," Getz said. "Having Mike Tauchman with the White Sox is a good thing. But if conversations pick up and it makes sense, we'll do a deep dive. But right now we really enjoy putting him in the lineup as regularly as we can."

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