Kenny And Ozzie Play Hot Potato
By Connor McKnight-
CHICAGO (WSCR) Day two of the Cubs-Sox series brought a different kind of game to the ball park. This time, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen passed the baton back to General Manager Kenny Williams concerning the imminent call-up of Triple-A outfielder Dayan Viciedo.
Monday, Williams told the media that Guillen was free to have Viciedo on the 25-man roster any time he wanted; Guillen need only say the word.
Tuesday, when asked about Williams' take on Viciedo's call-up, Guillen said, "If that's a message, we have to get rid of somebody here. [If Williams] wants to bring Viciedo up, the door is open. I don't have much to say about it. ... In the meanwhile, who would Viciedo replace?
"I don't mind having Viciedo here--at all. My problem is, where am I going to play him? He's got to play every day. If they want to bring Viciedo up, I got the pen ready to put it down."
Guillen's passing the buck may have something to do with protecting his leadoff man Juan Pierre. Pierre, who's hitting .256/.317/.298, isn't having the greatest of seasons. He has the dubious distinction of having the league's second-worst WAR (win's above replacement, -1.1). Only Raul Ibanez (-1.2) is worse.
Still, Guillen and Williams agree that the boost this team really needs is actually on the roster. The two still expect both Adam Dunn and Alex Rios to return to their career numbers. If they do so, the White Sox offense looks drastically different. Still, with Viciedo being a surefire bet to be on the team once rosters expand in September, it's really just a strange game of chicken between Guillen and Williams that's keeping the young slugger from reaching the majors for now.
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