Takeaways From White Sox Series Against Athletics

The White Sox were swept at home in a three-game series against the Athletics earlier this week. Here are three takeaways from the performances.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jt. (88) breaks his bat against the Athletics at Rate Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

CHICAGO – With their first series win of the season against the Red Sox over the weekend, the White Sox appeared to be playing better baseball and building some momentum. But that good fortune went away during a midweek series against the Athletics, in which the White Sox were swept and outscored 23-4.

When the run differential is that large, there are not many positive things to say about a team that has now lost four straight games and fell to 4-14, last place in the AL Central. Jonathan Cannon gave the White Sox a solid start in Game 2, but the lineup went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. In the first and third games, starters Sean Burke and Davis Martin were hit around, and the offense remained quiet.

The White Sox move forward to a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox, beginning Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Fenway Park in Boston. But before we look ahead, here are three takeaways from the Athletics series.

1. Luis Robert Jr.'s slow start continues

Robert went 0-for-10 with two walks across three games against the Athletics. He struck out looking twice and chased a slider out of the zone for three strikeouts in the series. It wasn't a matter of getting unlucky, either. Robert hit one ground out with an exit velocity of 107.2 miles per hour, but his other six batted in play had an average exit velocity of 67.7 miles per hour, including two pop outs.

The dismal series lowered Robert's numbers through 17 games to a .136 batting average, .a 235 on-base percentage, a .203 slugging percentage and a .439 OPS. He has seven runs, eight hits, one double, one home run, four RBI, six stolen bases, eight walks and 19 strikeouts.

The White Sox considered trading Robert last season and in the offseason, and putting him on the trade block again this season wouldn't be surprising, given the team's short-term outlook. It's still early, but the longer his slump continues puts into question the trade value the White Sox can get for Robert in return.

2. A third straight loss for Sean Burke

Burke impressed on Opening Day, tossing six scoreless innings against the Angels. But his results have gone downhill since. In his last three starts, Burke has pitched just 10.2 innings with 16 hits, 14 earned runs, six walks and seven strikeouts.

On Tuesday against the A's, Burke allowed two singles and a home run to the first three batters, falling into an early 3-0 deficit. He left a fastball down the middle to Lawrence Butler, caught too much of the plate with a sinker to Jacob Wilson and hung a curveball for Tyler Soderstrom to blast 388 feet over the fence. Burke allowed two more hits to begin the second and had some command issues with two walks in 3.1 innings.

There are a few concerning stats with Burke. His strikeout rate has fallen from 28.9% last year to 13% this year, and his OPS against has risen from .583 to .901. Burke entered the season as a largely unproven, young arm – not an ace or a finished product by any means. But the White Sox still tabbed him as the Opening Day starter and would like to see better results from their 2021 third-round pick.

3. Time to focus on Meidroth, Quero

Part of the 2025 White Sox season was always going to be about the future. The Opening Day roster wasn't filled with proven veterans competing for a division title, and it was clearly going to look different even a few weeks into the season. We've already seen that in April as the White Sox have called up No. 6 prospect catcher Edgar Quero and No. 8 prospect infielder Chase Meidroth.

Quero debuted Thursday and went 0-for-3 with a hit by pitch, one strikeout and two line outs. Making hard contact twice was a positive sign for the 2024 White Sox minor league player of the year. Though there's sure to be an adjustment period as Quero learns the White Sox pitching staff and how opposing pitchers will approach him.

Across 15 games and 63 plate appearances for Charlotte in 2025, Quero had a .333 batting average, .444 on-base percentage and a .412 slugging percentage, along with 17 hits, nine runs, one double, one home run, four RBI, 11 walks and 14 strikeouts.

Meidroth debuted in the Red Sox series, and through 22 plate appearances in six games he has three runs, four hits, five walks and three strikeouts. He's not expected to be a big power bat, rather someone with a high on-base percentage who plays solid defense in the middle infield. The White Sox likely won't have much team success this season, but monitoring the development of young players like Quero and Meidroth provides some intrigue for a rebuilding club.

Related stories on the Chicago White Sox

• A'S SWEEP WHITE SOX: Athletics starter JP Sears tossed six scoreless innings as the White Sox mustered just four hits in an 8-0 loss. CLICK HERE

• WATCH QUERO'S CALL UP: White Sox catching prospect Edgar Quero had an emotional reaction when Triple-A Charlotte Knights manager Sergio Santos told him he was headed to the big leagues. CLICK HERE

• ROSTER MOVES: The White Sox announced four roster moves ahead of Thursday's series finale against the Athletics. CLICK HERE

• A'S BEAT WHITE SOX 3-1: The White Sox went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position during Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Athletics. CLICK HERE

• QUERO CALLED UP: Edgar Quero, a catcher ranked No. 6 among White Sox prospects and No. 62 overall, has been called up by the Chicago White Sox. CLICK HERE

• CLEVINGER DFA'D: After allowing five earned runs in 5.2 innings, reliever Mike Clevinger has been designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox. The team called up pitcher Steven Wilson from Triple-A. CLICK HERE