Cactus League report: Jake Burger is cooking for White Sox — and what motivated Nick Burdi to attempt a comeback with Cubs
The White Sox and Cubs were off Monday. At Sox camp, manager Pedro Grifol encouraged everyone to take full advantage of the breather.
“Days off are days off,” Grifol said Sunday. “This will be the last one before the one in Houston (the day before the March 30 season opener).”
The Cubs come off the break with back-to-back night games against the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds.
Chicago Tribune baseball writers LaMond Pope and Meghan Montemurro will be providing Cubs and White Sox updates throughout spring training.
Jake Burger’s power display had added meaning
Saturday was memorable in more than one way for Sox infielder Jake Burger.
“It was Brooks’ first game,” Burger said Sunday, referring to his son born in November. “It was the first one he was at and I guess brought me some extra strength.”
Burger homered twice in the 6-5 loss to the San Diego Padres at Peoria Stadium. He hit a two-run homer in the fourth and added a solo home run in the eighth.
“It was unbelievable,” Burger said of the day. “It’s cool having him in the stands and knowing (Burger’s wife, Ashlyn) is up there with him. The only thing you get a little nervous about are foul balls and making sure they don’t hit him. But other than that, it’s really cool to share that experience with him.”
Burger entered Sunday tied for the major-league lead with four home runs this spring.
“I’ve always hit the ball hard but at a down angle,” he said. “So now it’s trying to get it in the air as much as I can.”
Grifol said Burger is “performing against good pitchers.”
“I’ve said it from Day 1, there’s a lot of competition here,” Grifol said Sunday. “It’s fun to watch, it’s fun to see the depth that we have. I think guys are smelling it. They’re smelling that there’s some competition and it’s good to see.”
Derailed by injuries, Nick Burdi taking glass-half-full approach
Nick Burdi was rehabbing in Arizona from his second Tommy John surgery in 2021 when the Downers Grove South alumnus reached a crossroads in his career.
The recent birth of his daughter coincided with the surgery, leaving Burdi and his wife, Rebecca, to try to navigate life with a newborn and another attempted comeback from a serious injury. Healthy and getting a shot with the Cubs is all Burdi can ask for as Rebecca takes care of their daughter back home in Rhode Island.
“That’s been a big motivation,” Burdi told the Tribune. “I don’t want to give up on my dreams because someday I want my daughter to see that I did this for a long as I could. I’m very lucky to have a supportive wife that let me keep chasing this dream. It’s hard but it is a journey and I’m excited about where I’m at right now.”
The Cubs acquired Burdi, 30, from the Padres during the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December.
Burdi was preparing to throw at the Padres complex when he saw his phone blowing up with messages. His agent asked if he had any videos of him throwing and how far along he was in his rehab. His agent told Burdi the Cubs likely would pick him in the Rule 5 draft.
Burdi missed the 2022 season because built-up scar tissue from his second Tommy John surgery needed to be removed, again losing a full season as he recovered.
“Over in San Diego, I don’t think there’s as much opportunity than over here,” Burdi said. “There’s a lot of guys here that are good players and we’re all working for these roles that are open on the roster.”
Burdi had to learn how to handle the mental side of going through Tommy John surgery. He hasn’t pitched in the minors or majors since Aug. 3, 2020, for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“The faster you can understand that the game is being played at 7 p.m. with or without you, whether you’re Mookie Betts or Nick Burdi, that first pitch is being thrown,” Burdi said. “You really have to believe in yourself and keep trucking along and checking the boxes. You hope all the work pays off and when you go out there, you let it fly.”
He has flashed great stuff in camp, showing why the Minnesota Twins took him in the second round in 2014. Burdi, a non-roster invitee, is working to harness better command of his pitches. Through three Cactus League games, he has given up one hit and no runs in 2⅔ innings. Walks have been a issue (five), but he has struck out five of 13 batters.
“There’s always a glass half full,” Burdi said of the last two seasons. “I got to spend a lot of time with my daughter and have seen her grow up. That’s time we’re really thankful for because I know a lot of guys in this locker room don’t have that opportunity and they miss a lot. So we tried to always be positive about it while also being like, there’s an end goal here.”
Sox trim roster, with prospects Bryan Ramos and José Rodríguez among 9 moves
The Sox optioned infield prospects Bryan Ramos and José Rodríguez to Double-A Birmingham as part of nine roster moves Sunday.
Catcher Carlos Pérez and infielder Lenyn Sosa were optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, while outfielder Yoelqui Céspedes and pitchers Edgar Navarro, Nate Fisher, Andrew Perez and Sammy Peralta were reassigned to minor-league camp.
Ramos, the No. 3 prospect in the organization according to MLB.com, slashed .368/.429/.526 with one homer and five RBIs in 11 games this spring.
Rodríguez, the organization’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB.com, had one hit in eight at-bats (.125) and stole one base in five games.
With Sunday’s moves, the Sox have 50 players remaining in camp: 26 pitchers, four catchers, 12 infielders and eight outfielders.
World Baseball Classic news
Cubs right-hander Javier Assad brought the heat against Team USA.
Entering in relief for Team Mexico, Assad threw three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks. He struck out Pete Alonso twice in Mexico’s 11-5 win Sunday night. Assad averaged 95-96 mph with his fastball, topping out at 97. His velocity was up 2-3 mph from last year.
Sox shortstop Tim Anderson went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for Team USA in the loss to Mexico. Anderson drove in a run with a single in the second and had a two-run double in the eighth.
“When Tim has his mind set on things it’s probably going to happen,” Sox starter Lance Lynn, also a member of Team USA, told reporters before the game. “He’s that talented of a player and he works his butt off every day.”
Sox reliever Kendall Graveman pitched a scoreless one-third of an inning.
Sox pitcher Nicholas Padilla pitched a scoreless inning for Puerto Rico in a 9-6 loss to Venezuela in a Pool D game Sunday in Miami.
Sox outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jiménez went 2-for-4 with one RBI for the Dominican Republic in a 6-1 win against Nicaragua in a Pool D game Monday in Miami.
Jiménez drove in a run with a single in the third. He had another single in the fifth.
Up next
Cubs vs. Rockies, 8:05 p.m., Marquee
White Sox vs. Athletics, 3:05 p.m.
What we’re reading this morning
Quotable
“I mean, I don’t ever want to take away the credit for the guys that were here. You have to give them credit, they came in and did all that stuff. What I love about the success we’ve had down there is taking some of those veteran guys and having them pitch to their strengths.” — manager David Ross on how the Cubs have gotten consistent results from the bullpen despite turnover in recent years
