Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the White Sox, whose first selection is the fourth overall pick.

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1 WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF May 28, 2018 White Sox focused on adding depth in '18 Draft Director of amateur scouting Hostetler feels good about club's prep By Scott Merkin / MLB.com / May 27, 2018 CHICAGO -- White Sox director of amateur scouting Nick Hostetler already knows who he wants to select with the team's top pick at No. 4 when the 2018 MLB Draft begins on June 4. "Yeah, I do," said Hostetler, who is now stationed in Chicago leading up to the Draft. "I have a pretty good feel on who I would like to take. I have a pretty good feel on everybody as a whole. All of our staff, [general manager] Rick [Hahn], [executive vice president] Kenny [Williams], [assistant general manager] Jeremy [Haber], [director of player development Chris Getz], guys who have seen players. "I feel pretty good about where we are at with it. The way I look at this is our order, what our order is. It's only four picks. So I have a pretty good feel of what our order is going to be barring anything crazy happening in the next 10 days. I'm pretty confident." The 2018 Draft will take place on June 4-6, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, June 4. MLB Network will broadcast the first 43 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 78 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, with a preview show beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT. Then, Rounds can be heard live on MLB.com on Day 3, beginning at 11 a.m. CT. Go to MLB.com/Draft to see the Top 200 Prospects list, projected top picks from MLB Pipeline analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the complete order of selection and more. And on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying. Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the White Sox, whose first selection is the fourth overall pick. In about 50 words If the White Sox didn't post a record over the final 42 games of the 2017 season, they might be looking at the No. 1 pick. Some still view this No. 4 pick as a can't-miss for Chicago in Year 2 of the organization's rebuild, and Hostetler certainly wants to find a high-impact player with this selection, but he has a broader focus of also adding key players and depth throughout the rest of the Draft. The scoop There's no focus on pitcher or position player at No. 4. The best player available will be the White Sox choice when the time comes. "Pitcher or hitter is irrelevant at this point. Position is irrelevant at this point," Hostetler said. "Doesn't matter if we have it in the big leagues. Doesn't matter if we have a wealth in the Minors. Doesn't matter if we just drafted it. We are going to take the best guy regardless of position." First-round buzz Hostetler indicated their list at No. 4 is down to six, maybe seven, with that seventh player coming into play if something unexpected plays out before the fourth pick. Callis has the White Sox taking right-handed pitcher Brady Singer out of Florida in his last mock draft, but don't overlook Oregon St. infielder Nick Madrigal, Auburn right-hander Casey Mize, Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart, Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm and South Alabama outfielder Travis Swaggerty among the other possibilities. Money matters

2 Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total. Any team going up to 5 percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts. This year, the White Sox have a pool of $10,589,900 to spend in the first 10 rounds, including $6,411,400 to spend on their first selection. Shopping list Thanks to the talent acquisition stage of the rebuild, the White Sox have viable big league prospects at every position. They look very deep in starting pitching with the likes of Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning soon joining Carlos Rodon and Reynaldo Lopez. But depth remains a key in the rebuild, which will be one of the focuses of the Draft across the board. White Sox Top 30 prospects Trend watch Courtney Hawkins' run with the White Sox came to an end this season when he was released to make room for Eloy Jimenez's return to Double-A Birmingham. Since 2000, Hawkins represents the lone high-school position player taken by the White Sox with their first pick. There have been two high-school players selected overall by the team with that first pick (right-hander Kris Honel, 2001). The White Sox almost certainly will go collegiate at No. 4, although Hostetler acknowledged one high-school player is in the mix. "That's the Draft up top. Most of them are going to go college," Hostetler said. "I wouldn't be totally shocked if one highschool guy was top 5, but I would be really shocked if two were." Recent Draft history Rising fast Ian Hamilton was taken in the 11th round of the 2016 Draft after picking up 28 saves for Washington State University. The right-hander hasn't slowed down since joining the White Sox, recording 22 saves and a 2.72 ERA over parts of three Minor League seasons. Hamilton has seven saves, a 1.50 ERA and 26 strikeouts against eight walks over 18 innings in this season entering Sunday, making him a strong candidate to join the South Siders later this season. Cinderella story As a 28th-round selection in the 2017 Draft, Laz Rivera was targeted more as an infield-depth piece in the White Sox system. But the 23-year-old has a.327 average and.876 OPS over 91 career games between the Arizona Rookie League squad and Class A Kannapolis entering Sunday since being picked last year. Rivera is hitting.361 with six homers, 10 doubles and 20 RBIs this season for the Intimidators, earning strong reviews from those who have watched him. In the show The offensive potential of Tim Anderson (first round, 2013) was on display during Saturday's 8-4 victory over the Tigers, as the shortstop hit two home runs and drove in four. Left-hander Jace Fry (third round, '14) has been almost unhittable out of the White Sox bullpen, while closer Nate Jones (fifth round, '07) serves as the elder statesman of the team. Rodon (No. 3 overall, '14) is expected back soon from his Minor League injury rehab assignment, while Hector Santiago, Chris Beck, Adam Engel, Trayce Thompson and Aaron Bummer are a few more drafted by the South Siders who have contributed this season. The White Sox recent top picks 2017: Jake Burger, 3B, injured/class A Kannapolis 2016: Zack Collins, C, Double-A Birmingham 2015: Carson Fulmer, RHP, Triple-A Charlotte 2014: Carlos Rodon, LHP, injury rehab/white Sox 2013: Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox 2012: Courtney Hawkins, OF, Released Shields delivers quality start, but White Sox fall

3 By Catherine Slonksnis / MLB.com / May 27, 2018 DETROIT -- James Shields gave the White Sox a quality start over seven innings, but he faltered in the fifth inning and run support was hard to come by. Chicago's offense had no answer for Tigers starter Blaine Hardy, and the South Siders dropped the rubber game of the series, 3-2, on Sunday at Comerica Park. Shields was dominant through four innings, only giving up an RBI double to Grayson Greiner in the second inning. He mixed pitches effortlessly for early contact that saw him retire eight batters on four or fewer pitches. Shields' momentum stopped in the fifth inning, though, and the end result could have been far worse than indicated on the scoreboard. Detroit sent eight to the plate in the fifth inning, scoring two and threatening to deepen the damage. Shields managed to keep the Tigers' advantage to two RBI singles, but he walked two to give them a bases-loaded situation. Victor Martinez flied out to deep right field to end the inning with the White Sox down by two runs. "I had too many walks," said Shields, who allowed three free passes and five hits. "It was a grind day for me. Every walk that I had scored, so at the end of the day, that's something that I can control. They took advantage of it.... They capitalized on a couple of pitches that I threw up in the zone [in the fifth inning]. Ended up minimizing the damage with the couple of runs that I gave up right there, but at the end of the day, I have to do my job early and get those first two hitters out." Shields salvaged his start with two more scoreless innings for a strong finish, but Chicago's offense was unable to do much against Hardy except for a third-inning RBI triple from Yolmer Sanchez. "[Hardy] didn't have a lot of velocity, but the [velocity] differential in his changeup was special," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said after the game. "He kept it away from righties pretty well, kept you honest. The changeup and the offspeed pitch that he had was working to his advantage." MOMENT THAT MATTERED Rondon's power surge a good sign for White Sox: Facing a 2-2 count with no one on base and two outs in the ninth inning, Jose Rondon continued his strong week with a home run off Tigers closer Shane Greene to cut the two-run deficit in half. Greene struck out the next batter, Yoan Moncada, to seal the save. Rondon, who hit cleanup behind Jose Abreu on Sunday, has now homered in three of the White Sox last four games. HE SAID IT "I wish we could've gotten [Shields] some runs. It seems like he's the hard-luck guy right now for us in some instances, because he gives us good outings, and that's just what we have to do, is score some runs." -- Renteria, on Shields, who registered five quality starts in his six May outings without earning a win UP NEXT The White Sox start a three-game series on Monday in Cleveland to conclude a six-game road trip. Coming off his first Major League win and the best start of his career, Dylan Covey will get the ball for Chicago. Covey threw a career-high seven innings, allowing one run and striking out eight. He will face Indians right-hander Adam Plutko, with first pitch set for 3:10 p.m. CT. Sunday's top prospect performers By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com / May 27, 2018 Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Sunday. Playing in his second full season, Anderson Tejeda's power is starting to show in earnest. Tejeda, the Rangers' No. 12 prospect, launched a pair of two-run homers and collected a season-high four hits on Sunday as he helped to power Class A Advanced Down East past Frederick, He also hit a double and scored a career-best four runs in the contest, finishing 4-for-5 at the plate. The multi-homer performance was Tejeda's second in 284 career games. He previously accomplished the feat on Aug. 28, 2016, as a member of Class A Short Season Spokane in the Northwest League. What's more, Tejeda's now gone deep three times in his past two games to push his season total to eight home runs in 48 games for the Wood Ducks. It's the same total the 20-year-old shortstop posted last season over 115 games in the Class A South Atlantic League, and two shy of the career-high mark he established across three levels in 2016.

4 Altogether, Tejeda has produced a.270/.337/.492 batting line with 22 extra-base hits and a Carolina League-leading 41 RBIs. The rest of the best performances from top prospects Sunday No. 19 overall prospect Royce Lewis (Twins' No. 1) went deep in his first two at-bats in Game 1 of Class A Cedar Rapids' doubleheader, marking his first career multi-homer game. The 18-year-old shortstop hit a solo shot in the first inning and added a two-run shot in the third to finish 2-for-5 with three RBIs. He followed in the nightcap with a 1-for-3 effort that included a walk-off sacrifice fly. Lewis, the 2017 No. 1 overall Draft pick, is hitting.303 on the season, with a.757 OPS, three home runs and 13 steals through 36 games. No. 31 overall prospect Luis Urias (Padres' No. 3) started the scoring for Triple-A El Paso with a first-inning solo shot, his fifth home run of the season. The 20-year-old second baseman, in addition to slashing.290/.406/.444 through 45 games, is now one home run shy of matching the career-high total he posted over 123 games in No. 52 overall prospect Kolby Allard (Braves' No. 6) lowered his Triple-A ERA to 2.09, the second-best mark in the International League, behind seven innings of two-run ball in a win for Triple-A Gwinnett. The 20-year-old left-hander allowed two hits while striking out and walking two apiece and throwing 58 of his 87 pitches for strikes. He ranks second in the circuit with 56 innings pitched and has completed at least six frames in six straight starts. No. 55 overall prospect Jo Adell (Angels' No. 1) blasted a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning for Class A Advanced Inland Empire to spoil Rancho Cucamonga's attempt at a combined no-hitter. The homer was Adell's second in six games since joining the 66ers, and he's now gone deep eight times in 31 games on the season. Brewers No. 17 prospect Jake Gatewood went 3-for-5 with three run-scoring hits, as his solo home runs in the sixth and eighth innings and RBI single in the ninth proved to be the difference in Double-A Biloxi's 6-3 win over Mobile. The 22-yearold first baseman has homered three times in his past three games and nine times on the season, tying him for second in the Southern League. On the mound for the Shuckers, Trey Supak carried a no-hit bid for 3 2/3 frames before completing five innings of two-run ball to earn the win in his Double-A debut. The 21-year-old righty was promoted to Biloxi after ranking second in the Carolina League with a 1.76 ERA in 51 innings (nine starts). Mariners No. 21 prospect Chase De Jong struck out eight in eight innings, both season highs, as Double-A Arkansas defeated Frisco, 6-2. He allowed five hits, including a two-run home run in the eighth inning, before completing the frame. De Jong issued one walk and generated seven ground-ball outs while throwing 70 of his 93 pitches for strikes. Nationals No. 8 prospect Wil Crowe improve to 6-0 in his ninth outing for Class A Advanced Potomac, firing six scoreless innings to lead the P-Nats past Winston-Salem, 4-0. He allowed five hits, issued one walk and registered five strikeouts. The 2017 second-rounder has been solid in his first full season, posting a 2.54 ERA with 44 strikeouts and a.223 batting average against in 49 2/3 innings to go along with an unblemished record. Orioles No. 7 prospect Keegan Akin mixed two hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts over season-high seven scoreless innings to pace Double-A Bowie in a 4-0 shutout of Binghamton. It was Akin's second double-digit strikeout performance this season after he previously fanned 12 batters on May 1. The 23-year-old lefty has pitched to a 2.97 ERA in his first Double-A campaign, striking out 63 in 57 2/3 innings spanning 10 starts. Phillies No. 12 prospect Enyel De Los Santos proved tough to square up, but struggled with his control, allowing one earned run on one hit with five walks and seven strikeouts in a loss for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 22-year-old righty is pacing the International League with a 1.40 ERA through 51 1/3 innings (nine starts) during which he's limited hitters to a.194 average while compiling 56 strikeouts and 20 walks. White Sox No. 18 prospect Luis Gonzalez filled out the box score by going 2-for-2 with a game-opening home run, a double, two walks and four runs scored out of the leadoff spot in Class A Kannapolis' Game 1 doubleheader win over West Virginia. The 22-year-old outfielder would add a triple in the nightcap, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. A 2017 thirdrounder out of New Mexico, Gonzalez is slashing.337/.393/.558 with 22 extra-base hits in his first full season. ESPN's Alex Rodriguez has advice for White Sox's suspended Welington Castillo By Phil Rosenthal / Chicago Tribune / May 27, 2018 Alex Rodriguez doesn t know White Sox catcher Welington Castillo, who is serving an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. What Rodriguez does know is what it s like to come back from a lengthy suspension for PED use and salvage his image.

5 I can only speak for me, said Rodriguez, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player who was set to call Sunday night s Cubs-Giants game for ESPN2. I don't know this young man who just got popped. I do think it creates an opportunity to figure some things out and come back different, though obviously every situation is different. Whether you re known or not well known when you come back, everybody is going to be paying attention not only to what you do on the field, but also off the field. My only advice to anybody would be to be accountable, face it head-on on the first day back, answer all the questions and then hopefully you become a better player and a better person for the experience. Rodriguez has rehabilitated his image, which was damaged by admitted steroid use, a lengthy suspension for PED use and stymying MLB investigation efforts, through work with Fox Sports, CNBC, ABC News and by appearing on ABC s Shark Tank. Emblematic of A-Rod s standing with baseball and its fans: This year, while continuing to be a playoff and World Series pregame and postgame commentator for Fox, he became part of ESPN s Sunday Night Baseball announcing team with fellow analyst Jessica Mendoza, reporter Buster Olney and play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian. Also, a new ESPN interview series, Pivot, will feature Rodriguez talking to athletes coming back from career challenges later this baseball season. 'Hard-luck' James Shields winless in last 11 starts as Tigers beat White Sox By Phil Thompson / Chicago Tribune / May 27, 2018 Walks did in James Shields in the second and fifth innings Sunday. Blaine Hardy s changeup did in Sox hitters for most of the game. The result was a 3-2 White Sox loss to the Tigers in the series finale at Comerica Park. Shields gave the Sox what has been typical of him this month: seven innings and three earned runs, but Sox hitters could not solve the Tigers left-hander s off-speed pitches. Hardy, starting for just the third time in five seasons, made the most of his 85 pitches in seven innings, throwing 55 for strikes, and getting a career-high six Sox batters to whiff. We had all the reports about him. Jose Abreu said through an interpreter. We faced him before as a reliever, but he was executing really well today and you have to tip your hat. He had really good control of his changeup and the cutter was really good today too. Sox manager Rick Renteria said, (Hardy) didn t have an abundance of velocity, but the differential in his off-speed, the changeup especially, kept it away, ran it away from righties pretty well. Kept you honest. Renteria said he was satisfied with how Shields pitched: five hits, four strikeouts and three walks. Three runs; minimized damage, Renteria said. I wish we could ve gotten him some runs. It seems like he s the hard-luck guy for us. Shields is winless in his last 11 starts, matching his longest winless streak last season. I had too many walks. It was a grind day for me, Shields said. At the end of the day that s something that I can control, and they took advantage. In a two-run fifth inning in which Dixon Machado and Nicholas Castellanos singled in runs, Shields walked Jeimer Candelario to load the bases. After a huddle on the mound, Shields served Victor Martinez a couple of knuckle curves before getting him to pop out on a fastball. They capitalized on a couple of pitches that I threw up in the zone, he said. That s a team where you can t really make mistakes like that, but again it goes back to the walks. Shields did have a couple of shining moments.

6 After giving up an RBI double to Grayson Greiner in the second, Shields picked off John Hicks at third base. In the seventh he dropped a nasty 67-mph eephus curveball on Leonys Martin to strike him out, then sauntered off the field. Shields smiled when asked about it later. About the pickoff, he said, When I first got called up (to Tampa Bay in 2006), (then-devil Rays manager) Joe Maddon, I told him I can pick to third and this was before everybody was picking to third. It got me out of a little jam right there. Sox designated hitter Jose Rondon made it interesting with a two-out home run to left in the ninth inning, and Daniel Palka followed with an infield single, but Tigers closer Shane Greene struck out Yoan Moncada with an 82-mph slider to end game. In general I thought game was pretty well played, Renteria said. Great at-bat by Jose there at the end. But again, just not enough. Column: White Sox should make pitch for Hanley Ramirez when he becomes free to sign By Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune / May 27, 2018 Fifteen million dollars is a lot of money to throw away for most companies. But the owners of the Red Sox were happy to do it, knowing it means they won t have to deal with the distraction of finding ways to keep Hanley Ramirez from getting enough plate appearances for a $22 million vesting option that would kick in next year. Sure, they could ve just benched Ramirez to avoid the vesting option. But then the agents and the players union would start screaming to the media, and it would play out like most Red Sox dramas, from the fried-chicken-and-beer episode to the Dennis Eckersley vs. David Price saga. So Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski got the go-ahead from owner John Henry to designate Ramirez for assignment. Soon he ll be released and free to sign with any team for the prorated minimum, with the Red Sox picking up the remainder of his $15.25 million salary assuming no one is dumb enough to trade for him. The White Sox wouldn t be anyone s first choice to land Ramirez when he s free to sign elsewhere. A contender will likely pick him up, and at the Memorial Day mark of the season, the only teams not contenders are the Sox, Royals, Orioles, Rangers, Marlins and Reds. Still, it wouldn t hurt the Sox to get into the mix, since Ramirez wouldn t cost them much and he would provide manager Rick Renteria with another DH option now that Matt Davidson s back is acting up. Davidson was out of the starting lineup again on Sunday after missing the last four games. He had back spasms during batting practice at Comerica Park on Saturday. Convincing Ramirez to come to the Sox may sound like a losing proposition. Why would anyone want to join a team on its way to 100 losses? But maybe Ramirez just wants to relax and be in a friendly clubhouse in a pressure-free atmosphere that s the polar opposite of Boston. The only expectations on the South Side in 2018 are great food and cold beer. The Sox could just let Hanley be Hanley. Do the Sox really need Ramirez? Well, no, not really. They can finish last without him, or perhaps fourth if the Royals continue to be a major player in the race to the bottom. If the goal is to lose as many games possible and get the top pick in the 2019 draft, it doesn t make sense to try to improve your offense. And while the Sox ranked 26th in runs scored before Sunday s games, they have received good production from the DH spot, thanks mostly to Davidson. They began Sunday s game against the Tigers fourth in the DH slot in home runs (10) and sixth in the DH slot in RBIs (27). But if the Sox just want to provide a little entertainment value to this lost season, and if Davidson s back issue is not a recurring theme, they can play Davidson at third and use Ramirez at DH.

7 Yolmer Sanchez can then become a Ben Zobrist-like super-utility player in the outfield and at second, short and third. Renteria already has said Sanchez could play some outfield, though he s yet to give him a shot. This season already is toast, and the next big prospects in the rebuild, Eloy Jimenez and Michael Kopech, are still in the minors waiting for the call. What s the worst that could happen? Opener update Reliever Sergio Romo started two of the Rays three games against the Orioles over the weekend as manager Kevin Cash continues to experiment with the way pitchers are employed. Some have been calling the Rays starter the opener since he only goes for an inning or two before the real starter comes in. We do that in spring training every year, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Then again, we have what, 68 players in camp? It s their prerogative. I d probably do a similar thing. Romo was supposed to last an inning or two, but on Sunday he allowed three runs in one-third of an inning before being removed. He has made four starts in nine days, the most of any starter since Claude Osteen of the White Sox in 1975, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Coming attractions Adbert Alzolay is considered the Cubs top pitching prospect, but he has struggled in his last few outings, allowing 14 earned runs over 14 innings in his last three starts. His ERA has risen to 5.30 with a 1.57 WHIP. Catcher Chris Gimenez worked with him at Triple-A Iowa and raved about the 23-year-old after being called up to the Cubs. That s a special human being right there, my goodness, Gimenez said of Alzolay. A tremendous young man, very personable kid. He works his tail end off, no doubt about it. And we can see the arm is electric. Now it s just a little bit of a consistency thing, trying to clean up some things mechanically. He had a couple really good starts right off the bat, and then, not as good as he d want them to be. I know he s champing at the bit to come up here. I d expect it to be fairly soon. Flouting the rulebook Ben Zobrist s stance against MLB appears to have paid off. Zobrist went rogue two weeks ago when MLB warned him not to wear his black cleats. Now MLB appears to be ready to give all players the right to wear black shoes, and he hopes to sit down with MLB officials when the Cubs play in New York later this week. MLB and the union have discussed it and want to talk to all teams and get a consensus. If the rule is changed, Cubs analyst Jim Deshaies said it should be called the Zobrist rule, just as the catchers interference rule was unofficially named the Posey rule after Buster Posey. How about it? Nah, I don t like rules named after me, Zobrist said with a laugh. Last word Cubs manager Joe Maddon on Friday when discussing Tyler Chatwood and his control issues: "Man, when it happens, and it s going to happen, this guy is really going to take off. We ve got him for three years, (and) by the end of this term, he s going to be looking really good. He s going to have a lot of low-hit, low-contact, ball-on-the ground-kind of games because the ball moves that much and his stuff is that good. Chatwood walked five and lasted only 2 2/3 innings Sunday night against the Giants, throwing 88 pitches. Series preview: White Sox at Indians By Phil Thompson / Chicago Tribune / May 27, 2018 All games on WGN-AM 720. Monday: 3:10 p.m., WGN-9. RH Dylan Covey (1-1, 3.46) vs. RH Adam Plutko (1-0, 2.03). Tuesday: 5:10 p.m., NBCSCH. RH Lucas Giolito (3-5, 7.53) vs. RH Mike Clevinger (3-2, 3.32).

8 Wednesday: 12:10 p.m., NBCSCH. RH Reynaldo Lopez (1-3, 2.93) vs. RH Corey Kluber (7-2, 2.17). Alfredo Gonzalez never doubted self on road to MLB debut By Phil Thompson / Chicago Tribune / May 27, 2018 Alfredo Gonzalez struck out three times against the Tigers on Saturday and the next day he couldn t have seemed happier. In the bigger picture, the White Sox catcher finally did it: He made his big-league debut and as a spot starter after nine seasons in the minors. My first few at-bats I was really nervous. I think that s something that s natural for every rookie, Gonzalez, 25, said through an interpreter. I thought he received pretty well, manager Rick Renteria said. He did a nice job behind the plate. Obvsiouly he was anxious with his first few at-bats. (Francisco Liriano) was really taking advantage of him with his changeup. I thought his later at-bats were much better. You get the butterflies out. Gonzalez was called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday to help fill the void left by Welington Castillo s 80-game suspension for violating the league s joint drug agreement. The Astros signed Gonzalez as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and started him in the Dominican Summer League. He bounced around to six other Astros affiliates before Houston traded him to the White Sox for cash in He played for Birmingham and Charlotte over the last two seasons. Since his arrival, Gonzalez said he has gotten of advice and support from everyone in the clubhouse, particularly the Spanish-speaking players, which includes six other Venezuelans, fellow catcher Omar Narvaez among them. I was watching a lot of videos with (Saturday s starter) Hector (Santiago), he said. I talked with him a lot just to get on the same page. We felt good, and I think it showed in the game. Gonzalez said he never lost faith during his long wait for a shot at the majors. No, not at all. Never, he said. Like every ballplayer, we work hard for this moment. And that s your motivation. Just to be in the majors, you work for that and use that like a fuel. No change for Davidson Designated hitter Matt Davidson was out of the lineup again Sunday with back tightness and remains day to day. We ll see how he responds to the treatment. I won t know till later. (Back injuries are) tricky, Renteria said. Right now he s got a pack on. It has calmed down. The Sox planned to re-evaluate him later Sunday and again Monday. Renteria wouldn t rule out a stint on the disabled list. Cooper getting Giolito to stay over ball, throw more strikes By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / May 27, 2018 DETROIT Lucas Giolito (7.53 ERA), scheduled to make his 11th start Tuesday in Cleveland, had a sideline session Saturday with pitching coach Don Cooper with a basic objective. Strikes, Cooper said. Strikes. With 37 walks against 27 strikeouts in 49 innings, that comes as no surprise. We want him to get over the ball with angle, Cooper said. That s his strength. That s kind of it.

9 After Giolito s last start in which he failed to finish the second inning, manager Rick Renteria said the 6-6 right-hander s problems weren t comparable in magnitude to those of righty Carson Fulmer (8.07 ERA), who was sent to Class AAA Charlotte after he walked 24 in 32 innings in eight starts. We don t make the moves; they make the moves, Cooper said. He and Carson and [Reynaldo] Lopez and the rookie relievers are trying to establish themselves. You don t establish yourself in September. We support [Giolito] and keep running him out there. When Giolito was effective late last season and during spring training, he was making pitches, getting ahead and throwing strikes early in the count, Cooper said. We re not getting quality strikes, especially early in the count. That Giolito is working with mph velocity shouldn t be an issue, Cooper said. That s enough if you command it, Cooper said. We re not searching for more velocity. We re searching for more strikes. Davidson DL stint possible Designated hitter Matt Davidson missed his fifth consecutive game with back spasms, and Renteria was not ruling out the disabled list for the team s home-run leader. We want to re-evaluate later in the day and check him in the morning [Monday], Renteria said. Is there an outside possibility? Sure. Where have they gone? Injuries and a suspension have brought the lineup to this: Utility infielder Jose Rondon batting fourth as Davidson s fill-in at DH in the 3-2 loss Sunday to the Tigers. Rondon did look the part, though, against Tigers closer Shane Greene with two outs in the ninth inning by hitting a home run to make it a one-run game. Rondon has hit the first three homers of his career in his last four games. He s 0-for-11 in his other at-bats during that stretch. The White Sox 25-man roster includes only 15 players who were on the Opening Day roster. Five are on the disabled list (Nicky Delmonico, Avisail Garcia, Leury Garcia, Miguel Gonzalez, Danny Farquhar), one is on the restricted list (Welington Castillo with an 80-game suspension), three are at Charlotte (Fulmer, Juan Minaya, Gregory Infante) and one (Tyler Saladino) was traded for cash considerations. This and that Yolmer Sanchez and Daniel Palka raised the Sox major-league-leading stolen-base total to 45. The Sox have been caught stealing eight times. After stealing 71 bases in 2017 and 77 in 2016, the Sox are on pace for 144 steals. Sanchez drove in the Sox first run with his American League-high fifth triple. Sanchez s nine triples since the start of last season are second in the AL to the Tigers Nick Castellanos (10). James Shields picked off John Hicks from third base, the second time this year he has picked a runner off third, to help him get out of a second-inning jam. Same move; I ve been doing it for years, Shields said. The time of game was two hours, 17 minutes, the Sox fastest of the year. On deck Monday: Dylan Covey (1-0, 3.46) vs. Adam Plutko (1-0, 3.46), 3:10 CST, Ch. 9 and ESPN (not in Chicago), 720-AM. Tuesday: Lucas Giolito (3-5, 7.53) vs. Mike Clevinger (3-2, 3.32), 5:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 720-AM. Wednesday: Reynaldo Lopez (1-3, 2.93) vs. Corey Kluber (7-2, 2.17), NBCSCH, 720-AM.

10 Jose Abreu knows better, so Yoan Moncada listens By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / May 27, 2018 DETROIT Yoan Moncada offered another reminder on his 23rd birthday of why it s good to have Jose Abreu around. He s always giving me advice on what to do, what not to do, Moncada said Sunday of Abreu, 31, his countryman and the White Sox top star. About baseball and off the field. And that s important. I m a young guy, and he s a veteran. He knows better. Also good about Abreu: his offense. Even after he and Moncada combined to go 0-for-8 in the Tigers 3-2 victory Sunday at Comerica Park, Abreu was still making a run at player-of-the-month honors, boasting a.365 average with 15 doubles, three home runs and 18 RBI in May. His 15 doubles this month are the most in May in club history, and his 19 twobaggers lead the majors. Abreu s consistency at the plate is something Moncada has marveled at as he tries to make his mark as a major-league hitter in his first full season. Moncada, who struck out three times, is batting.247 with seven homers, 19 RBI and four stolen bases in 41 games. He wants and expects more. Things probably haven t unfolded completely as I ve wanted to or as I know I can do it, he said, but it s part of the process. I have to be patient. I know I have more to show, to put on display. Moncada has a patient approach, a good hitting eye for a young player and 19 walks as a consequence. He also has struck out 64 times, something he says he won t beat himself up over. I m not real concerned about the strikeouts, especially this being my first full year in the majors, he said. I don t want to worry about that now. I ll focus more next year on correcting that aspect, but for now I just want to think about being better all around. That would include his defense, as well. While Moncada relies on his athleticism to carry him defensively, the coaching staff stays after him to have a sense of urgency getting rid of the ball and making sure his feet continue to move, manager Rick Renteria said. He looks more and more comfortable out there, and he s going to get better, Renteria said. He can make the spectacular play. As he understands how important those fundamentals are, he s going to be a really good second baseman. Abreu, a tireless worker, will do what he can to help Moncada tap his considerable potential. As a fellow Cuban whom Moncada looked up to as a kid, playing on the same side of the diamond, he seems like just the right guy. I like to help people, Abreu said. I like to see players get better and develop. If I can show them how to work or give advice, that s a way I can help contribute. In Yoan s case, we need to be patient. He s young, and he has a lot of talent. Sometimes those processes take longer than others. Moncada, whose hitting from the right side needs to catch up to his left side, was not alone in struggling against Tigers lefty Blaine Hardy, who stifled the Sox on three hits, allowing one walk and striking out a career-high six. James Shields allowed three runs in seven innings, giving up three or fewer for the seventh time and working at least six innings for the seventh consecutive time. In six starts this month, Shields has a 3.38 ERA while allowing only two homers and a.171 batting average against. He has 30 strikeouts and 13 walks in May. My goal coming into the season was just to go as deep as I possibly can, no matter how many runs I give up, Shields said. Minimize my pitches and save that bullpen. It s been good so far. Scouting report: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians By Scot Gregor / Daily Herald / May 27, 2018 White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, Monday-Wednesday

11 TV WGN Monday; NBC Sports Chicago Tuesday and Wednesday Radio WGN 720-AM White Sox updated: 5/27/2018 6:25 PM Scouting report: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians Facebook Twitter Print Comments 0 Scot Gregor Scot Gregor White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, Monday-Wednesday TV WGN Monday; NBC Sports Chicago Tuesday and Wednesday Radio WGN 720-AM ADVERTISING inread invented by Teads Pitching matchups The Sox's Dylan Covey (1-0) vs. Adam Plutko (1-0) Monday at 3:10 p.m.; Lucas Giolito (3-5) vs. Mike Clevinger (3-2) Tuesday at 5:10 p.m.; Reynaldo Lopez (1-3) vs. Corey Kluber (7-2) Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. At a glance The White Sox move on to Cleveland after dropping 2 of 3 weekend games at Detroit. Covey earned his first major-league win in his last start, at home vs. the Orioles Wednesday. The right-hander allowed 1 run in 7 innings and used his fastball to pile up 8 strikeouts. Sox designated hitter Matt Davidson has missed five straight games with back spasms. Davidson leads the White Sox with 11 home runs, 10 of which have come on the road. In his last 5 games, infielder/designated hitter Jose Rondon is 5-for-18 with 3 homers and 6 RBI. The Indians lead the AL Central but they've been hovering around the.500 mark for most of the season. The Sox and Cleveland meet for the first time this season. The Indians have won 12 of the last 16. Next Milwaukee Brewers, Friday-Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field Five observations: White Sox lose in very quick and efficient manner By James Fegan / The Athletic / May 27, 2018 Like tying a string to a loose tooth and lashing it to a door knob before slamming the door, at least this one was over quickly. Managing next to nothing on offense against spot starter Blaine Hardy, the White Sox dropped the rubber match in Detroit 3-2, in a game that saw the Sox fail to reach base between when they had one out in the third, and José Rondón s solo shot off Shane Greene with two outs in the ninth. Yolmer Sánchez is a nice little player, but he should not constitute two-fifths of the offense on any given day. It only took two hours and 17 minutes, though, as the White Sox expeditiously fell to on the season. 1. Who expected to write about Blaine Hardy today? Certainly not me

12 For some or just me the signature Hardy-White Sox interaction will always be Hardy being convinced that José Abreu peeked at a sign to hunt his changeup before a late-inning home run last year. But he made a solid bid to replace that memory with seven dominant innings Sunday against a short-handed Sox lineup. A lefty changeup artist who doesn t break 90 mph sounds like the pesky starter out of Sox fan nightmares, so naturally they probably guaranteed him a permanent rotation slot. 2. Reasonably sized game James James Shields was not dominant, not immune from some poor stretches of control (three walks), not as nasty or consistent with his changeup as he was in his last few outings, and left some cutters up in the zone. His fifth inning was a house of horrors of command mistakes that he was lucky to escape with only the two runs that swung the entire result of the game coming across. Yet seven innings of three-run ball would have been damn fine yeoman work from Shields in the 2016 season when he was tasked with patching together a flagging Sox rotation, let alone now. 3. We will always have that one triple Sánchez hit Sánchez s combination of a level swing not geared for loft, an all-field approach or at least it shakes out to an all-field approach when he s switch-hitting probably has a lot more to do with the 13 triples he s collected since the start of 2016 than absolutely blazing speed. Or maybe he s just a maniac who pushes the envelope all the time. Either way, his fifth triple of the season Sunday brought him into a tie with Javy Báez for most in the major leagues, and briefly tied the game by plating Tim Anderson from first base in the third inning. 4. Running out of topics so let s discuss a guy who didn t play Matt Davidson sat for the fifth consecutive game with back stiffness, which thanks to Abreu s recent dominance, no longer means the White Sox were without their best hitter as a result. But the effect on the lineup was still very much felt given that utility man José Rondón batted cleanup, and after the first five slots, the Sox went to Yoán Moncada s season-long struggles against left-handed pitching, and then three guys (Adam Engel, Trayce Thompson and Omar Narváez) mired in the worst stretches of their career or something close to it. 5. Changeups are an unfathomably difficult pitch to hit and we should all be more sympathetic Moncada has had some moments as a right-handed hitter this season, but an 0-for-3 day with two strikeouts against Hardy dropped him to 7-for-46 on the season, with 19 strikeouts in 52 plate appearances. Hardy s changeup-heavy approach seemed like a particularly bad matchup for Moncada, who struggled with and was spammed with changeups all of last season, and swung through a slider to end the game, but his slow stretch of recent has only served to drop his season wrc+ to 114. Five observations: Power barrage gives White Sox first win against Detroit this season By James Fegan / The Athletic / May 27, 2018 Matt Davidson getting scratched with back problems for the fourth-straight game, two Jeimer Candelario home runs in the first three innings, and a two-run deficit about 10 minutes in didn t give the impression that Saturday in Detroit would bring a pause to the White Sox and their troubles. But a four home run barrage, led by Tim Anderson s third multi-home run game against the AL Central, eased the sting of Friday night s eighth-inning meltdown with an easy 8-4 victory. White Sox pitching was supposed to be a problem this year, while the offense was supposed to be a little more fun, and Saturday, that played to form thanks to big games from Anderson and José Abreu. The White Sox are undefeated with Alfredo González behind the plate. 1. Anderson s prodigious power Just before Anderson launched his ninth home run of the season in the top of the fifth, the broadcast team of Jason Benetti and Steve Stone mentioned that he sees the fewest fastballs of any member of the White Sox lineup. Turning on and launching a Francisco Liriano heater into the left field seats is part of the reason that challenging Anderson s bat speed doesn t register as a viable path to success. But the larger reason used to be that he was too impatient and susceptible to breaking balls for anyone to risk a fastball in the zone. Yet his third inning walk set a new career-high with 16, as will every walk he takes for the remaining four months of the season, as he s more than doubled his rate from his previous best season.

13 The whole question of whether or not to throw Anderson s fastballs also melts away when he s thrown a spinner like the slider Louis Coleman floated to him with two on in the top of the sixth, prompting a three-run blast to left that broke the day open. With 10 home runs now with some days left in May, that career-high of 17 looks like it s due to fall soon too. He s doing all this with a sore thumb that looked like it was bothering him particularly badly on a ninth inning double error. He had three errors on the day. 2. Abreu is probably going to the All-Star game Abreu collected three extra-base hits, racked up eight total bases and upped his slugging percentage to.560. And yet he still fell behind Anderson for second on the team in home runs on the day. Even after going deep with an opposite-field solo shot to tie the game in the fifth, Abreu is not on pace to equal last year s 33 home runs. But while league offense is going down, his raw production is going up, and he s threatening to post the second-best offensive season of his career. 3. Just keep playing Palka Daniel Palka has a big ol load in his swing and loves to let it fly (three walks in 87 plate appearances) so it seems like there should be a cold streak in his boom-or-bust approach at some point. His major league career is only 24 games old, so it hasn t exactly stood the test of time, but that stretch of struggles hasn t come yet. He lofted a moonshot to right field to break a 3-3 tie in the sixth off Liriano, and drilled a grounder through the middle to plate Abreu after one of his many doubles to add an insurance run in the seventh. Palka is obviously not an asset in the outfield defensively, but the Sox are too depleted out there to make many quibbles given how much he s providing at the plate for the time being. 4. Credible spot starting work Héctor Santiago is probably not going to stave off Carlos Rodón or Michael Kopech pushing him out of the rotation, and it s jarring how much trouble he s having keeping the ball in the park with home runs on the decline this year. But with the troubles the Sox rotation has had, especially with getting whiffs on their fastball, the natural movement Santiago brings on his mph offering dragged him through five innings and brought a small measure of relief. 5. Anderson s development The debate can rage on about Anderson s defensive prowess, especially on a three-error day, and whether his hands will ever be reliable enough to reduce the errors and mistakes that have plagued him at times. But the offensive potential that makes that debate worth having is being provided. With an 8.3 percent walk rate and a 22.9 percent strikeout rate, Anderson has made the improvements to his plate discipline that allow his speed and power to impact games, and he s at 108 wrc+ even with his season BABIP still 60 points under his career mark. You wouldn t know given the slump he just pulled himself out of, but his bat should be a source of optimism.