White Sox Might Sign Veteran Infielder to Upgrade Their Bench

Just because the MLB trade deadline has passed doesn't mean the Chicago White Sox are done adding to the roster. There are still opportunities to improve the team through free agency. And according to recent reports, the White Sox have their eyes on a veteran who could improve their bench.

According to baseball reporter Francys Romero, the Chicago White Sox are one of the teams showing interest in recently released Atlanta Braves infielder Jorge Mateo.

Mateo, 31, was designated for assignment by the Braves on August 3 and eventually granted his release on August 9. In 65 games with the Braves this season, he hit .240 with four home runs, 11 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, and a .665 OPS.

Obviously, those aren't numbers that jump off the page, but the White Sox wouldn't be turning to Mateo to be their savior. The only real question is whether he's an upgrade over the team's current bench options. More specifically, is he better than Luisangel Acuña?

That's the spot Mateo would be taking over for Chicago. The White Sox have given themselves comfortable depth in the outfield with the addition of Brenton Doyle at the trade deadline. And all of those outfield bodies have pushed Acuña into a role where he's strictly the backup infielder for the White Sox. That's Mateo's game too.

He's played 304 innings at shortstop for the Braves this season. And back in 2025, he showed some versatility with the Baltimore Orioles, splitting time between shortstop, second base, and center field.

If you're just comparing the two of them, it's easy to see what the White Sox like about Mateo as a potential upgrade. Acuña is in the 98th percentile among players in sprint speed. He is the 12th fastest player in baseball, according to Baseball Savant. Mateo is even faster. He is the third fastest player in baseball, covering 30.3 feet per second. That's even quicker than Bobby Witt Jr.

The underlying offensive metrics also favor Mateo much more. He's above average in expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, average exit velocity, hard hit rate, barrel rate, and bat speed. This is a veteran bat that's much more capable of doing damage than Acuña is.

Even with Mateo's numbers not jumping off the page, he has a higher on base percentage than Acuña and a slugging percentage that's more than .100 points higher. His 82 OPS+ is also a significant improvement over Acuña's 56. Mateo is worth 0.5 fWAR on the season, while Acuña is at -0.3.

It also might be important to note that Mateo was with the Baltimore Orioles from 2021 through 2025. His time there overlapped with Ryan Fuller, the team's current director of hitting. So there's plenty of familiarity between the White Sox staff and Mateo. They should know what he brings to the table and what his potential is at the plate.

One of my growing concerns with this team after the trade deadline is the lack of offense they have on the bench. If you take Acuña, someone like Drew Romo, and even the newly acquired Doyle, who has a .577 OPS on the year, it doesn't leave you with a ton of confidence that the White Sox can turn to their bench bats to generate runs.

So even a slight upgrade, like bringing in Mateo instead of Acuña, could be valuable. Keep an eye on the White Sox to make this move.