Lenyn Sosa Making Most Of Everyday Role With White Sox
Lenyn Sosa knows he has a big opportunity with the Chicago White Sox. Despite owning a negative career WAR (-0.9), the 25-year-old infielder is receiving regular playing time on a major league roster and doing everything he can to make the most of it.
Lenyn Sosa recorded the first multi-homer game of his career on Wednesday, breaking a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning with a two-run shot off Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen. He added insurance in the eighth with a 385-foot solo homer to left-center. Sosa finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a career-high four RBIs.
It’s part of a recent hot-stretch for the Venezuelan, who is slashing .314/.333/.524 in his last 30 games. In the process, Sosa has quietly become one of the White Sox’s most productive hitters. He ranks second on the team in hits (67) and doubles (12), third in home runs (6), and fourth in RBIs (21).
The key to Sosa’s success has been his ability to consistently barrel the ball. His 41.7% sweet spot rate—a metric that measures how often a player’s batted balls fall within the optimal launch angle range of 8 to 32 degrees—has been a major factor. The more frequently a hitter can find the sweet spot, the greater the likelihood of generating distance and power. Sosa ranks in the MLB’s 96th percentile in sweet spot percentage.
It’s resulted in a .279 expected batting average that places him amongst the top 21% of all MLB hitters, and a 91.4 mph average exit velocity that also ranks in the top third of the league. It’s a continuation from what Sosa was building on in 2024 when he posted a .278 expected batting average and slugged .566 with four homers in the final month of the season.
LOVE SOSA ‼️ pic.twitter.com/hCfejUxWsu
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) June 25, 2025
The White Sox as a whole have been much more patient at the plate this season, ranking 13th in the MLB in walks. While most of the lineup has benefited from seeing more pitches, Sosa appears to be an outlier.
His walk rate is below 3% and his 46.2% chase rate is one of the highest in baseball. However, Sosa has still managed to find success even when behind in the count, with a .304 batting average in 0-2 counts.
His 14 hits while being down 0-2 currently lead the MLB, four more than any other player.
Sosa has also been effective regardless of who is throwing to him, with an OPS north of .700 against both lefties and righties this season. That OPS climbs to .815 when he is hitting at his home ball park, with a .304/.333/.482 slash line at Rate Field.
The White Sox have shown patience with Sosa, who was battling for a roster spot in Spring Training and out of minor league options—meaning he would have to be removed from the 40-man roster and placed on waivers if he didn’t make the team.
His ability to play every infield position has also helped him stick, giving manager Will Venable plenty of flexibility with Sosa in the lineup, especially after Andrew Vaughn was traded to Milwaukee, which opened up a spot at first base.
He’s logged most of his innings at second base this season, appearing in 58 games at the position. However, he has also played 11 games at first base and three at third base. Despite being tied for the league lead with eight errors at second, he’s posted a positive Outs Above Average at both second and third base.
If Sosa can continue his upward trajectory, he may put himself in the conversation to be a part of the White Sox core moving forward. He is still making less than $1 million a year, and isn’t arbitration eligible until 2027, making him a cost-effective option for the White Sox until he is eligible for free agency in 2030.