Everson Pereira is making progress at the plate, but his defensive recovery is still keeping the White Sox outfielder from beginning a rehab assignment.
For the first month of the 2026 season, outfielder Everson Pereira was one of the breakout stars for the Chicago White Sox.
It took a few weeks for this White Sox offense to really heat up, but even when the team was struggling, Pereira was holding his own. He kept showing off the tools that made him such an interesting trade acquisition for the White Sox during the offseason.
He was playing slightly above-average defense out in right field and had three home runs with a .763 OPS in his first 18 games before going down with an injury.
During an April 28 game against the Los Angeles Angels, Pereira suffered a right pectoral strain after taking an awkward swing. It seemed like a significant loss for the White Sox at the time, especially when constructing a lineup against left-handed pitching. Pereira has a 1.087 OPS against lefties this season.
The injury pushed the White Sox front office to sign veteran Randal Grichuk to an MLB deal, a move that has truly paid dividends over the last few weeks. Grichuk has played in 13 games for the White Sox and has four home runs with a 1.211 OPS in 22 at-bats.
Still, I think it's easy to look at the current White Sox roster and see how Pereira and veteran outfielder Austin Hays, for that matter, returning from injury could help this team.
So what's the deal? Hays has been on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Charlotte this week and could be joining the White Sox at the end of this Giants series as they conclude a West Coast road trip. But there's still no sign of Pereira on a rehab stint, and there have been very few updates from the White Sox despite the fact that we're now closing in on a full month of missed action.
During Friday night's game against the San Francisco Giants, White Sox CHSN reporter Connor McKnight provided a look inside the clubhouse at Pereira's injury recovery.
Pereira has been getting a lot of work in the cages and is swinging just fine. He's reportedly been very pleased with how things have gone with the bat and some of the improvements he's made to his game while away. The big holdup is the defense. Pereira is still having a hard time throwing a baseball with any authority, and until that improves, we'll have to wait before we get a rehab stint and an eventual return to the White Sox.
Perhaps that gives the White Sox more time to make a difficult decision.
When Austin Hays returns, Luisangel Acuña seems like the no-brainer corresponding move. Acuña just doesn't bring much to this White Sox team with his .424 OPS. The defense hasn't been very good either, and while he's capable of stealing a base, that's a somewhat redundant skill set with outfielders like Derek Hill and Tristan Peters already on the roster.
But what do the White Sox do if they need to cut a second outfielder?
Right now, it's probably Jarred Kelenic on the outside looking in from a production standpoint. But the advanced metrics suggest Kelenic has better results coming his way than the .615 OPS he's produced so far, not to mention the fact that he does not have minor league options remaining and would therefore require the White Sox to designate him for assignment. It's unlikely he'd clear waivers and remain with the organization if they make that call.
Then there's Derek Hill, Tristan Peters, and Randal Grichuk, all of whom have earned their place on this White Sox roster and helped them win games. If you're making the decision strictly from a production standpoint, they all deserve to be on the team.
So as much as the White Sox want Pereira back, and as much as White Sox fans want him back, maybe it's for the best that he still seems to be a few weeks away. By then, we'll have more information on the outfield outlook and which guys truly earn their keep.
