David Sandlin’s latest outing did more than just help the White Sox system - it pushed him onto the latest Baseball America Hot Sheet, where he landed second after throwing the only game he pitched all week.
The White Sox brought Sandlin over from the Red Sox before the season, and he has already logged five big league appearances. In Triple-A, though, he’s been putting together some of the strongest work of his career.
On Saturday, he carved through seven scoreless innings in the second game of a doubleheader, working with a low-90s cutter, a four-seam fastball that sat 96-98 mph, a mid-80s sweeper, curveball and changeup. He needed just 91 pitches to do it, and he finished with 16 whiffs.
With rosters set to expand this week, Sandlin could be in line for more White Sox action.
Charlotte’s 5-2 win over Memphis included a mixed bag around him. Rikuu Nishida went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base, Ryan Galanie finished 1-for-4 with a strikeout, and Junior Pérez was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Kyle Teel caught the full game and kept his rehab assignment moving with a double, two singles and a strikeout. In the notes, Teel said the ankle is moving in the right direction: "The ankle is feeling good...
Just so grateful to be out here... and playing baseball."
On the mound, Shane Murphy looked sharp in his return to Triple-A, going 7 innings with 4 hits, 1 run, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and 1 hit by pitch on 54 of 78 pitches for strikes. Peyton Pallette, back from the IL, had a tougher time in his brief appearance, recording 0.2 innings with no hits allowed, no runs, 3 walks and 1 strikeout, while throwing 16 of 31 pitches for strikes.
Birmingham’s 8-3 win over Rocket City was highlighted by Caleb Bonemer’s return to third base and another loud performance at the plate. He went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, a walk and a strikeout.
Anthony DePino was 1-for-5 with a double and three strikeouts, and Samuel Zavala added a double, a walk and two strikeouts. On the mound, Juan Carela worked 5 innings, allowing 3 hits and no runs with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts on 46 of 80 pitches for strikes.
Mathias LaCombe tossed 1 scoreless inning, and Pierce George handled 2 innings with 2 hits, no runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
Bonemer’s homer was a shot to dead center off a 90-mph cutter, and it marked his 35th home run of the year, his 17th with Double-A Birmingham. MLB Pipeline noted that the MLB’s No. 30 prospect now leads all White Sox players in home runs, extra-base hits with 65 and total bases with 249.
Elsewhere, Bowling Green edged Winston-Salem 5-4. Javier Mogollón went 1-for-5 with a strikeout, Kyle Lodise was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, and James Taussig finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Jeral Perez went 2-for-4 with a double, and Nick McLain matched that line with a double and a strikeout.
In Hill City’s 8-1 win over Kannapolis, Jaden Fauske went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout, while Christian Gonzalez pinch-hit for him and walked. Matthew Boughton was 0-for-4 with a strikeout, Abraham Nunez went 1-for-4 with a double, and Braden Holcomb came off the IL to homer, walk and strike out twice. Alexander Albertus was 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
In Other News...
White Sox Just Added A Veteran Bat With Bigger Stakes Than Expected
The White Sox have added a familiar veteran bat in Tommy Pham, a move that gives the club another experienced option as it keeps pressing for a postseason berth. Pham, a 13-year MLB veteran, had been playing for the Phillies Triple-A affiliate before Philadelphia dealt him to Chicago, and the fit is straightforward enough: a seasoned outfielder with big-league time and a track record of being ready when called on.
For a White Sox team still trying to turn momentum into something more meaningful, the stakes attached to this pickup are bigger than a typical late-season depth move. Pham is headed straight onto the roster, and Chicago is clearly hoping his presence can help steady the lineup as the race tightens and every series starts to carry a little more weight. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face Two Tough September Call Up Decisions
September brings a little roster flexibility, and for the White Sox that means a chance to bring two more players up from Charlotte when MLB rosters expand from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1. The plan is straightforward enough on paper: add another arm to help a taxed bullpen and get one more position player into the mix, with the Charlotte Knights providing the most obvious options as the calendar flips into the final month.
Kyle Teel is part of the conversation, along with utility player Rikuu Nishida and a few other familiar names, while the pitching side points toward possible reinforcements such as David Sandlin and Jonathan Cannon. For a club trying to balance development with the practical demands of September, the decisions go beyond filling spots, because every call-up shapes how the White Sox finish the season and what they learn from these last weeks. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Add Another Veteran Outfielder As Bigger Roster Questions Loom
The White Sox kept adding to their outfield mix ahead of the deadline, acquiring Jake Cave from the Rays for cash considerations after he spent the season on a minor league deal. Cave had not appeared in a Major League game this year, but because Chicago got him before the Sept. 1 cutoff, he is eligible for the postseason if he sticks with the club.
Jake Cave joins Tommy Pham as another veteran option the White Sox have brought in recently, a clear sign the front office is trying to shore up depth while bigger roster questions still hang over the team. The move does not settle how Chicago wants to sort out its outfield picture, but it does give the club another experienced name to sort through as the calendar turns to September. [Read more 🡒]