SAN FRANCISCO —Third baseman Miguel Vargas couldn’t see it coming Saturday in sunny San Francisco, losing track of two balls that cost the White Sox big in their 10-3 loss.
The Sox were already trailing 5-3 with two outs in the sixth inning when Vargas lost Matt Chapman’s pop-up in the sun on a crystal-clear spring afternoon at Oracle Park. It fell for a double.
Sox bulk pitcher Erick Fedde walked the next two batters and gave way to reliever Jordan Leasure, freshly recalled from Triple-A Charlotte and seemingly poised to escape the bases-loaded jam when he induced a weak pop-up from Harrison Bader in foul territory.
But Vargas — still squinting without sunglasses — lost that one, too, extending the at-bat for Bader, who made Leasure pay with a 425-foot grand slam to break the game wide open for the Giants.
Vargas said he took off his shades earlier in the game because “it was tough for me to watch the baseball off the bat.”
“I guess it wasn’t the right decision for me,” said Vargas, who smacked an RBI double the previous inning off his former teammate, Giants starter Adrian Houser. “We learn and move forward.”
Tacked a couple on and tied it up 😤 pic.twitter.com/6UBl9liYPf
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 23, 2026
Manager Will Venable said sunglasses are a personal choice “and you trust the player to make the right decision.”
“Vargy’s been arguably our best player to this point, and not only just our best player, but a guy that really sets the standard for how we go about our business and how we run and play with effort,” Venable said. “These plays happen. It’s unfortunate, and no one feels as bad about it as Vargy, but he always does the right thing, and he’s our guy.”
Fedde fell to 0-5, surrendering eight runs over 3 ⅓ innings on 10 hits and two walks, with three strikeouts. Drew Romo and Sam Antonacci knocked in the Sox’ other runs with a single and a fielder’s choice, respectively.
Hicks lands on IL
Leasure returned Saturday in a swap of Jordans on the Sox roster, with reliever Jordan Hicks placed on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain.
Hicks, who arrived in an offseason salary dump, said he’d felt soreness building for almost two weeks before trainers decided to shut him down. The fireballer had posted a 5.60 ERA in 20 outings with 15 walks and 17 strikeouts.
Leasure entered his third season with high expectations in the back of the pen but struggled to a 6.06 ERA in 16 outings before getting sent down May 7. His tough-luck 1 ⅓ innings upon returning raised it to 6.11.
“The thing with Jordan is that we just put him in really tough spots,” Venable said before the grand slam. “He’s always matching up against the heart of their lineup.”
In health concerns outside the pen, Jarred Kelenic was back in right field for the Sox a day after getting scratched from the lineup when he was hit in the back during batting practice.
Talking Derby
Rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami rolled his eyes like a veteran when asked if he’s put any thought into taking part in the Home Run Derby during the All-Star break.
Despite going almost a week without going yard, Murakami entered play Saturday with an American League-leading 17 dingers, trailing only Kyle Schwarber’s 20 for tops in MLB.
“It’s a long season,” Murakami said via interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “I just want to keep putting the results and see where it goes.”