White Sox Agree With Brandon Drury On Minor-League Deal
The Chicago White Sox agreed to terms with free-agent infielder Brandon Drury (thumb) on a minor-league deal on Tuesday and assigned him to extended spring training in Arizona. Drury will return to the organization after being released by the White Sox in spring training after he suffered a fractured left thumb in camp. The 32-year-old veteran will continue his rehab in Arizona. When he's deemed fully healthy, he'll likely report to Triple-A Charlotte and serve as infield depth for the rebuilding White Sox. Drury had a combined 54 home runs and 170 RBI with the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels in 2023 and 2024 but played in just 97 games last year in Anaheim due to injuries and slumped to a .169 average with four homers and 15 RBI. He won't be guaranteed regular playing time if he returns to the big leagues this year in Chicago.
Chicago White Sox infielder Brandon Drury (thumb) suffered a fractured thumb. According to Scott Merkin of MLB.com, Drury is set to have a follow-up but will likely miss a significant portion of the regular season. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, as the team has not provided a definitive timetable for his recovery window. Earlier in the winter, the White Sox signed Drury to a minor-league contract. During camp, Drury was performing at an elite level as he held a .410/.439/.821 slash line with seven doubles and three home runs. Last summer, the 32-year-old posted a career-low .169/.242/.228 slash line with just seven doubles and four home runs across 97 contests. With Drury sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Lenyn Sosa to see an increased role as a depth option in the Chicago infield.
The Chicago White Sox announced on Friday that they agreed to terms with free-agent infielders Brandon Drury and Tristan Gray on minor-league deals that include non-roster invites to spring training. Drury fell apart in his second year with the Angels in 2024 to the tune of a .169/.242/.228 lash line with four homers, 15 RBI and 81 strikeouts in 360 plate appearances over 97 games. The ChiSox will be hoping the 32-year-old veteran can turn it around, and he should have a clear path to a big-league roster spot, but fantasy managers in mixed leagues should be ignoring him. Gray, 28, is probably more of a long shot for the Opening Day roster without as much big-league experience as Drury. The left-handed hitter has hit just .152/.222/.273 with a homer and RBI in 17 major-league games with the Rays, Marlins and A's after debuting in 2023.
Brandon Drury Exits Early With Hamstring Tightness
Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (hamstring) left Wednesday night's 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field early with left-hamstring tightness in the fifth inning. Before departing the contest prematurely, Drury went 1-for-2. He was replaced at second base by Jack Lopez. It's unclear if Drury's hamstring injury is serious enough to keep him out for most of the rest of the regular season, but for now we'll consider him day-to-day until we know more. If it's not serious, he could be back in action for Friday's series opener at home against the division-rival Houston Astros. If Drury misses time, Michael Stefanic is the likeliest candidate to see more playing time at the keystone in Anaheim. The 32-year-old Drury has been awful in his second season with the Angels and has missed time with injury, hitting just .167/.245/.229 with four homers and 15 RBI in 87 games.
Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Drury has been awful with the bat since the All-Star break. He's hitting .127 with four RBI since the break, so it's not shocking to see him sitting for a second straight game. As a result, Michael Stefanic will cover second base and bat ninth versus right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach. He's hitless over his last three games, but Stefanic is sporting a .281 batting average with five RBI in 20 games with the Halos this season. He won't be a great streaming option for Friday's slate.
Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury is not in the starting lineup for Saturday afternoon's contest against the hosting Oakland A's. The veteran started at second base and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's series opener. In short, it's been a disastrous 2024 season for the 31-year-old at the dish. Drury is hitting just .167 with one homer and a .446 OPS across an injury-shortened 46 games, production that grades out 72% below the league average, as per his 28 wRC+. The significant downturn in production comes on the heels of hitting 54 homers with 170 RBI over his last two seasons, solidifying himself as a quality middle infield option for fantasy managers in the process. It's safe to say Drury has played himself well off the fantasy radar in 2024.
Keston Hiura Starting Again, Brandon Drury On The Bench
Los Angeles Angels infielder Keston Hiura is making the start at second base and will bat second for the Halos on Saturday versus the Chicago Cubs and veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks at Wrigley Field, while infielder Brandon Drury heads to the bench. Hiura will be making his second straight start for the Angels after being called up on Friday to replace the injured Luis Rengifo (wrist). In his first big-league action on Friday since 2022 with the Brewers, Hiura went 1-for-3 with a strikeout in the 5-1 loss. The 27-year-old could play regularly in Anaheim with Drury struggling and Rengifo hurt, and he did hit .270/.346/.536 with 18 home runs in two Tripe-A stints this year. Hiura has hit .211 with a .513 OPS and an RBI in 19 career at-bats against Hendricks. Fantasy managers in AL-only leagues may want to take a flier on Hiura for his power.
Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (illness) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. The veteran slugger is back in the lineup after missing 10 games due to a respiratory illness. He'll cover second base and bat seventh versus right-hander Mitch Spence on Tuesday. Drury hasn't done much damage with the bat this season, but fantasy managers that do have him rostered can get him active for this game.
Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (illness) is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the division-rival Oakland Athletics, according to manager Ron Washington. Drury missed nine straight games due to an illness before entering the game as a pinch-hitter in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Tigers and going 0-for-2 with a strikeout. It sounds like the 31-year-old veteran is feeling better, though, and he should be available for the series opener on Tuesday in Oakland. Drury should be on the waiver wire in standard 12-team fantasy leagues, as he's played in only 33 games so far in 2024 and hasn't been good at all at the plate when he's been available, slashing just .170/.230/.232 with a .462 OPS, one homer, six RBI and 24 strikeouts in 122 plate appearances.
Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (illness) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers. This marks the ninth game in a row that Drury has missed due to an illness. It's unknown why Drury is still on the active roster and hasn't been placed on the injured list. Luis Rengifo will cover second base while Miguel Sano plays the hot corner versus right-hander Reese Olson on Saturday.
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