The signing of Austin Hays to a one-year contract gives the Chicago White Sox another reliable veteran bat to plug into the everyday lineup.

It also fills a pretty obvious need on paper when it comes to rounding out the outfield.

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Following the trade of Luis Robert Jr., and before the addition of Hays, the White Sox were staring at what might have been the worst outfield in baseball. They had just one proven big leaguer on the roster in Andrew Benintendi.

Benintendi is the only outfielder with a real offensive track record at the major league level, even if his performance has not lived up to the contract. Everyone else falls into the category of reclamation projects — players the White Sox are hoping to extract value from, perhaps by catching a little lightning in a bottle.

Hays helps hide some of those deficiencies. He raises the floor of the lineup and gives the White Sox another legitimate veteran outfielder. But even after his signing, there’s been plenty of speculation about where he will play — and whether Benintendi will remain part of the long-term outfield plan.

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I originally penciled Hays in for right field, even though he’s a natural left fielder who has played nearly four times as many games in left as he has in right over the course of his career. That raises a fair question: is it possible Hays ends up in left field while Benintendi shifts into a DH-heavy role?

Displacing Benintendi doesn’t make much sense to me. On occasion, sure. But more often than not, he still needs to be in the outfield.

For starters, moving Benintendi off the grass creates the same issue the White Sox had before they signed Austin Hays — it forces two of Brooks Baldwin, Derek Hill, Everson Pereira, and Jarred Kelenic into everyday roles.

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Is there upside in that group? Definitely. But relying on not just one, but two of them to play every day feels like a recipe for disaster — one that could create a black hole at the bottom of the lineup.

I’d be far more comfortable leaving one outfield spot open and letting this group compete for those at-bats. Inevitably, most of these players won’t perform well enough to deserve regular playing time in 2026. If one of them does, there’s a clear spot for him. And if none of them do, at least only one lineup spot is being compromised.

Even the best teams in baseball occasionally carry a weak spot in the order. Problems arise when a roster becomes top-heavy and multiple duds are getting consistent big-league opportunities. That’s when an entire lineup can be dragged down.

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We saw that play out far too often for the White Sox in 2025. Even during stretches when the young core was thriving, the offense regularly stalled because of combinations like Michael A. Taylor, Will Robertson, and Dominic Fletcher hitting at the bottom of the order.

But let’s take the outfield out of the equation — because that’s not the most important angle here.

For me, this is really about Edgar Quero.

If Benintendi is DH’ing with any regularity, it means the White Sox won’t be able to get both of their young catchers — Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel — into the lineup at the same time. And we saw in 2025 just how much better the offense was when they did.

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In the 60 games where both Teel and Quero were in the starting lineup, the White Sox went 25–35 while scoring 290 total runs — an average of 4.8 runs per game.

In the other 102 games, the team scored just 357 total runs, averaging 3.5 runs per game. That’s a drastic difference.

There’s also the developmental aspect to consider. The White Sox are essentially choosing between giving at-bats to Edgar Quero or to players like Derek Hill or Everson Pereira. That decision shouldn’t be complicated.

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Quero is one of the best assets the White Sox have. Whether he’s part of the long-term core or ultimately used as a trade chip from a position of strength, he needs to be in the lineup every day to fully realize his potential and maximize his value.

You can live with Benintendi’s below-average defense in left field if it means keeping Quero’s bat in the lineup. That much is pretty cut and dry.