The White Sox minor league notes from Birmingham came with one clear headline: Pierce George is bound for the Arizona Fall League.
George will join teammates Caleb Bonemer, Anthony DePino, Colby Shelton and Grant Magill. Other pitchers have not been announced yet. He doesn’t exactly need extra innings, either, after logging 50 games and 63⅔ innings, but his arm is still getting the AFL spotlight.
Saturday also brought another power note out of Birmingham. Alec Briley launched his 31st homer of the season, which was his 30th for the Barons.
That’s a rare number in that ballpark. The last Birmingham player to reach 30 home runs in a season was Luis Raven, who did it in 1997 with 30 over 117 games.
Before that, the guess many might make would be Mike Cameron, but he finished with 28 homers for Birmingham over 123 games in 1996.
Briley’s power surge sits alongside a strong run from Samuel Zavala, who drew two more walks on Friday. That pushed him to 13 walks in nine September games and 31 walks over his last 28 games dating back to the start of August.
On the scoreboard, Charlotte handled Buffalo 10-1 in Game 1 of a seven-inning doubleheader. Rikuu Nishida went 0-for-2 with two walks, Ryan Galanie finished 1-for-4 with a strikeout, and Jaden Woods worked 1.2 innings, allowing two hits and no runs while walking none and striking out one. He threw 15 of 24 pitches for strikes.
Birmingham beat Knoxville 5-2. Caleb Bonemer walked once and struck out four times, while Zavala went 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout.
Ryan Burowes supplied the extra-base hit, going 2-for-4 with a double. Mathias LaCombe covered two innings, giving up one hit and no runs with one walk and three strikeouts, and he threw 19 of 32 pitches for strikes.
Game 2 between Charlotte and Buffalo was postponed.
In Other News...
White Sox Just Took On A Rotation Risk Fans Can't Ignore
The White Sox entered the August 1 trade deadline looking for rotation help and came away with a big-name arm in Luis Castillo, a move that instantly raised the temperature around the front offices plans. Castillo arrived from Seattle with a track record that suggested upside, but Chicago also inherited the kind of contract and recent inconsistency that can make a deadline gamble feel a lot more complicated once the games start.
Since the deal, the right-hander has had a rough stretch in Chicago, and the early returns have only sharpened the questions about whether this was a calculated bet or a costly one. Castillo was already coming off uneven work with the Mariners before the trade, and with $21.6 million still owed in 2027, the White Sox are now tied to a rotation risk that fans will be watching closely for a turnaround. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face Troubling Front Office Shakeup At A Critical Time
The White Sox are dealing with another off-field jolt at a time when stability matters, with scouting director Mike Shirley resigning after allegations of verbal harassment that included inappropriate racial and sexist comments. Shirley had already been placed on administrative leave while the organization conducted an internal investigation, and his departure adds another layer of uncertainty to a front office that has already had plenty to navigate.
Chicago now has an important scouting position to fill while it keeps moving ahead with preparations for the 2027 draft. No replacement has been announced, and the timing makes the vacancy especially notable because amateur scouting is one of the areas where a club can least afford disruption, particularly when it is trying to build toward a long-term reset. [Read more 🡒]
Tim Elko Is Giving White Sox Fans A Reason To Watch Charlotte
The White Sox may be finishing their season in the majors, but there is still plenty happening in the system, and Tim Elko has been one of the names worth tracking. Charlotte closed out a series against Buffalo by winning four of five, and Elko was rewarded for a strong offensive stretch by being named the Knights Player of the Week, a reminder that his bat continues to be one of the more interesting developments in the organization.
Elsewhere in the chain, Birmingham wrapped its season by taking four of six from Knoxville, with Samuel Zavala earning Player of the Week honors for his own offensive work. Between Charlottes recent run and the Barons finish, the White Sox have a few minor league hitters giving the organization some late-season traction, even if the next step for each player still has to be earned. [Read more 🡒]