Caleb Bonemer is already on the White Sox’s Arizona Fall League list as the headliner, and now the rest of the position-player group is set too. James said Anthony DePino, Colby Shelton and Grant Magill will join him in Glendale.
Magill is the outlier in that group when it comes to regular run in the Keys. He’ll turn 26 in November, and in his first 41 games at Birmingham this season he hit .200/.269/.321. Still, he had been getting starts behind Boston Smith at catcher, and he’s thrown out 38 percent of stolen-base attempts this year.
DePino’s AFL assignment also says plenty about where his health stands. He was just put on the 7-day injured list, so the move suggests the issue is not considered serious.
George Wolkow might have been another candidate for extra plate appearances and a little more exposure, but that possibility disappeared when he suffered a hairline fracture in his toe. James also said Roch Cholowsky’s shutdown will extend through fall ball.
On the field, Charlotte edged Buffalo 5-4, with Rikuu Nishida going 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Ryan Galanie finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
Jonathan Cannon turned in a solid outing: 6 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts and one home run allowed, throwing 67 of 93 pitches for strikes. Shane Smith worked an inning of scoreless relief, allowing no hits and one walk while striking out none.
Birmingham slipped past Knoxville 4-3. Bonemer and Shelton each went 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout. Ryan Burrowes was 1-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base, and Samuel Zavala went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Mathias LaCombe pitched 2 innings, giving up 1 hit and 1 run, with 1 earned run, no walks, 2 strikeouts and 1 hit by pitch, while throwing 17 of 23 pitches for strikes.
The Barons are still one game behind Rocket City, with the Trash Pandas piling up 29 runs over two games against last-place Chattanooga.
In Other News...
White Sox Pitching Decision Could Change Hagen Smith's Role
Luis Castillos recent stretch has left the White Sox with a little more sorting to do on the mound. After he failed to complete five innings in each of his last four starts, Chicago pushed back his next scheduled outing, and the club has not yet posted probable pitchers for the coming series. Will Venable said Hagen Smith is expected to get the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a sign that the team is still balancing immediate rotation needs with the longer-term plan for a young arm.
For now, the White Sox are still working with Castillo on his mechanics and recovery while keeping other options in play. David Sandlin and Smith are both in the mix, and the way Chicago lines up the next few games could say a lot about how the team wants to handle its pitching depth from here. The rotation picture is still fluid, and Smiths role may end up being shaped as much by Castillos progress as by his own readiness. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Made A Miguel Vargas Choice Fans Wont Forget Soon
Will Venables decision to sit Miguel Vargas for what he called a routine day off quickly became one of those choices that travels well beyond a single afternoon. The White Sox were deep enough into the season that every lineup decision invited scrutiny, and leaving a star third baseman out of the starting nine only fueled the kind of injury speculation managers usually try to avoid. Venable pushed back on that idea, but the absence still stood out because Vargas has become one of the more important bats in the lineup.
Vargas did eventually pinch hit, but the moment never turned into the kind of late-game spark Chicago needed. He grounded into a double play in a critical spot, and the White Sox lost, which only sharpened the look-back at the original decision. With the season winding down, the bigger point feels pretty simple: if Chicago wants to squeeze out meaningful wins, it needs its best players on the field as often as possible, even when the margins feel small. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Bullpen Decision That Could Reveal Their Plans
The White Sox have leaned on their bullpen all season, and Sean Newcomb has been one of the more important reasons why. With free agency approaching, his place in the mix is suddenly part of a bigger offseason question for a club that may want to keep the late innings from becoming a weak spot again.
Adrian Morejon is the kind of left-handed reliever who could fit what Chicago is looking for, after turning in steady work over the past three seasons and lining up for free agency himself. The White Sox can still try to bring back Newcomb, but the broader search for a dominant lefty should tell you plenty about how they plan to shape the roster once the offseason begins. [Read more 🡒]