For young White Sox, proving they’re part of rebuilding future a motivator

When the White Sox decided to move into rebuilding mode in the offseason, it created openings for a few players on the major-league team this year to prove they should be a part of the club’s future.

One of those players was Avisail Garcia, who sat out Tuesday night’s game against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field with the flu.

Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Monday they talked with the 25-year-old right fielder about the necessity for him to make changes, and he responded by losing weight and adjusting his approach at the plate.

“We had conversations with Avi about the length of the rope, so to speak,” Hahn said. “To his credit, he has absolutely responded.”

Hahn said the club may have had a more serious debate about Garcia’s fit in the future if they had tried to construct a roster to contend again this offseason. But they have seen the decision to stick with him pay off as Garcia entered Tuesday hitting .342 with eight homers and 34 RBIs.

“There was a lot of support for him in the organization,” Hahn said. “(Executive vice president Ken Williams) always has been a big, big supporter of Avi’s. We are all starting to be rewarded for some of that patience and his hard work.”

Garcia isn’t the only player looking to cement a spot with the Sox.

Hahn noted center fielder Leury Garcia and infielder Yolmer Sanchez also are taking advantage of their opportunities. Hahn realizes not every player may like to hear him talk about the realities of rebuilding, but he also said that perhaps the lower outside expectations might help some players.

“Does that perhaps remove some pressure from some guys? Maybe,” Hahn said. “(Some players) who are playing with that lack of fear of looking over their shoulder right now maybe are responding to that.

“A lot of the credit again goes to (manager) Ricky (Renteria) and the coaches for creating an environment where the front office may be talking about a rebuild, but they approach each and every game doing everything in their ability to win as much as possible.”

Sox designated hitter/third baseman Matt Davidson is another who could be playing for a spot in the team’s future.

Davidson, 26, returned this week to Arizona, where he played the first 31 games of his major-league career in 2013. A lot has happened since Davidson came over in the Addison Reed trade that winter, but he finally has fought his way to a spot where he could be part of the Sox future.

He was hitting .243 with eight homers, 23 RBIs, eight walks and 41 strikeouts entering Tuesday, when he was out of the lineup because the Sox were playing without a DH under National League rules.

“I don’t think there’s a ton of pressure,” Davidson said. “There’s not a lot of (outside) expectation. … We’re growing and rebuilding, but we still have a lot of good players, and we’ve proved what our lineup can do and what our starting pitchers can do. We just haven’t quite lined it up consistently yet.”

Renteria said Davidson might return to the lineup Wednesday at first or third base and indicated he has been pleased with the way he has performed in his 32 games this season.

“Every chance we give him he has been putting his skills out on display, and he has been holding his own,” Renteria said. “He doesn’t look overwhelmed. He looks very calm. He looks very understanding of his particular situation. He’s taking it with a grain of salt and continues to take advantage of every opportunity he gets.”

ckane@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ChiTribKane

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