WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF June 30, 2018

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1 WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF June 30, 2018 White Sox can't rein in Texas bats in loss By Anthony Andro / MLB/com / June 29, 2018 ARLINGTON -- Chicago right-hander Dylan Covey spent his Friday night start against the Texas Rangers trying to get them to chase his borderline pitches. It never happened. Instead the Rangers limited Covey to his shortest start of the season as Texas pounded out an 11-3 victory over the White Sox in the opener of a season-long 10-game road trip. View Full Game Coverage Covey (3-3) was done in by a 42-pitch second inning in which the Rangers hit three homers off him and scored seven times. Covey lasted just 2 1/3 innings and was charged with nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits and three walks. "I made a couple of mistakes that they capitalized on," said Covey, who now has a ERA in three appearances against Texas. "For the most part I was throwing good pitches. They were just taking the borderline ones and were all over everything that was in the zone. I don't have an explanation. I felt good. The ball was coming out good. I just have [to put] that one behind me." Covey worked around a pair of baserunners in the first by getting a pickoff for one of the outs. The second didn't go as well as Rougned Odor led off the inning with a homer and Robinson Chirinos and Nomar Mazara each hit three-run homers. Covey allowed six hits in that inning. Joey Gallo also homered off Covey in the fourth on a night in which he allowed a career high in homers and a season high in runs. "They put some good swings on him, obviously," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. "It's a club that strikes and when they strike big, they can strike with multiple guys in their lineup, and they did just that. When you get hit around a little bit, you're searching around for reasons. I think there were probably a lot of pitches left over the center of the plate." While the Rangers were rolling, the White Sox struggled against Texas right-hander Yovani Gallardo (2-0). The White Sox didn't have a baserunner off Gallardo until Avisail Garcia tripled to right-center field with one out in the fourth. First baseman Jose Abreu followed with an RBI grounder to put the White Sox on the board. Chicago didn't record another hit until the seventh and then used three hits in the eighth inning to score a pair of runs. Yoan Moncada made it 11-2 with an RBI grounder, and Garcia's second hit of the night plated Adam Engel. Garcia had two of the five Chicago hits. Chicago's bullpen did quiet the Rangers, as three relievers allowed just one earned run over the final 5 2/3 innings. That included an inning from outfielder Matt Davidson. SOUND SMART It made perfect sense that the first baserunner of the game for the White Sox came courtesy of a triple. Garcia's one-out liner to right center in the fourth inning was his third triple of the season and the 23rd for the White Sox, which is the most in the American League. YOU GOTTA SEE THIS Davidson saved an inning for the White Sox bullpen by coming on to pitch the eighth inning, the first White Sox position player to pitch this season. The infielder fared well, using a fastball that topped out at 91 mph to retire all three batters he faced. He also showed some nifty glove work by snaring a liner off the bat of Carlos Tocci for the second out of the inning. He finished the frame with a strikeout of Odor.

2 Davidson, who hadn't pitched in a game since he was in high school in California in 2009, threw some on flat ground during the last homestand just in case the White Sox bullpen needed a breather. "It sounds cheesy but it was a dream come true," said Davidson. "I grew up as a pitcher. That's all I did. I didn't really start playing position full time until maybe my junior or senior year [of high school]. My favorite player was Randy Johnson growing up. It was really cool. It was a lot of fun being out there." HE SAID IT "It's only us and the Angels with [Shohei] Ohtani who have someone who can chuck and hit." -- Renteria on the scoreless eighth inning by Davidson. UP NEXT Abreu loves hitting against the Rangers, as he started the series Friday with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 28 career games against the Rangers. He'll have a new challenge Saturday as he faces 45-year-old Texas starter Bartolo Colon for the first time. Colon has allowed 19 homers, the third most in the AL. Carlos Rodon toes the rubber for the White Sox at 8:05 p.m. CT. Gonzalez endures another setback in rehab White Sox come to terms with 2 Draft picks By Anthony Andro / MLB.com / June 29, 2018 ARLINGTON -- Chicago right-hander Miguel Gonzalez has returned from his rehab assignment after experiencing some soreness following a start for Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday. Gonzalez, who has been on the 60-day disabled list since April 18 with right rotator cuff inflammation, had discomfort in a throwing session after the start. View Full Game Coverage "A little setback," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He still felt a little something so he's going to be re-seen, reevaluated, and we'll see where we go from there." This is the second time Gonzalez has had a setback in his bid to rejoin the pitching staff. A month ago, he endured a setback as he was nearing a rehab start. This time he made it through three scoreless innings. He was hoping to return to the team after three or four outings. Gonzalez, who re-signed with Chicago in the offseason, opened the season in the rotation but was 0-3 with a ERA before landing on the DL. Sox come to terms with 2nd- and 3rd-rounders The White Sox agreed to terms with second-round pick Steele Walker and third-round pick Konnor Pilkington. Walker is an outfielder from Oklahoma, and Pilkington a left-handed pitcher from Mississippi State. The club has agreed to terms with nine of its top 10 picks. Only first rounder Nick Madrigal, who wrapped up his college career Thursday with a national championship at Oregon State, remains unsigned. Friday's top prospect performers By Oliver Macklin / MLB.com / June 29, 2018 Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Friday. The White Sox farm system ranks among the best in baseball, and a pair of the organization's premier prospects began the weekend on a high note to show exactly why that's the case. Blake Rutherford, the No. 83 overall prospect and No. 7 on the White Sox Top 30 list, and Gavin Sheets (Chicago's No. 11 prospect) combined to go 6-for-12 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored to help Class A Advanced Winston Salem outslug Frederick, It marks the third multihit game in the past five contests for Rutherford, who is slashing.293/.330/.462 in his first season for the Dash. Sheets, 22, has been on a tear himself, racking up at least two base hits on four consecutive days, while extending his hitting streak to 13 games. Overall, Sheets is slashing.276/.364/.404. The rest of the best performances from top prospects Friday:

3 No. 8 overall prospect Bo Bichette (Blue Jays' No. 2) crushed his eighth homer of the season en route to a 3-for-4 night at the plate for Double-A New Hampshire. The 20-year-old shortstop also doubled, scored three runs and drove in two for the Fisher Cats to raise his OPS to.811. No. 9 overall prospect Kyle Tucker (Astros' No. 1) ripped a single on the second pitch he saw to extend his hitting streak to 18 games in a 1-for-4 performance for Triple-A Fresno. The 21-year-old outfielder continues to pummel Minor League pitching and is now hitting.317 through 74 games for the Grizzlies this season. No. 12 overall prospect Royce Lewis (Twins' No. 1) posted a monster day in Class A Cedar Rapids' doubleheader, going 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and a stolen base in Game 1 before smacking a trio of doubles in the nightcap. Minnesota's 2017 first-round pick is hitting.314 through 62 games for the Kernels. No. 16 overall prospect Francisco Mejia (Indians' No. 1) tallied a season-high four hits to help propel Triple-A Columbus to a 10-6 win over Indianapolis. Mejia, who doubled, scored two runs and drove in two more in the contest, has seven straight multihit games. The 22-year-old has raised his average from.251 to.287 over that span. No. 40 overall prospect Anthony Alford (Blue Jays' No. 3) tied a season high with three hits, including his third homer of the year, for Triple-A Buffalo. Alford, 23, added a double, two RBIs and scored a run for the Bisons. Royals No. 6 prospect Nicky Lopez, fresh off a promotion to Triple-A, went 4-for-5 with a homer, three runs scored and two RBIs in his first career game for Omaha. The homer was the third of the season for Lopez, who was batting a stellar.331/.397/.416 in 73 games with Double-A Northwest Arkansas before his promotion. Padres No. 24 prospect Luis Patino struck out six batters over a career-best 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball for Class A Fort Wayne. The 18-year-old hurler surrendered three hits and a walk while lowering his season ERA to Spencer Howard, the Phillies' No. 19 prospect, turned in one of the best performances of his young career, tying career highs with six scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts for Class A Lakewood. The 21-year-old right-hander allowed just three hits and a walk in the stellar outing. Rays No. 14 prospect Brandon Lowe stayed scorching hot, blasting his 16th homer of the season -- and eighth in the past 10 games -- for Triple-A Durham. The 23-year-old is batting.450 with 17 RBIs over that span, raising his slash line to.313/.389/.688 in 20 games with the Bulls. Ronaldo Hernandez, the Rays' No. 19 prospect, tallied eight total bases as part of a big day for Class A Bowling Green. The 20-year-old catcher went 3-for-4 with two doubles, four runs scored, two RBIs and hit his 13th homer of the season for the Hot Rods, bringing his season slash line to.312/.355/.567. Royals No. 12 prospect Carlos Hernandez tied a career high with seven scoreless innings for Class A Lexington. Hernandez struck out three, walked three and allowed two hits, earning a no-decision as the Legends won, 1-0, in 11 innings. Matt Davidson produced the most fun thing from an ugly White Sox loss By Dan Santormita / NBC Sports Chicago / June 29, 2018 Matt Davidson was supposed to have an off night Friday and he didn't bat, but he still managed to be the most fun part of the White Sox loss at Texas. With the White Sox getting pummeled, Davidson came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. Not only did he have a inning, but he did so in style. After a first-pitch ball, Davidson got Ryan Rua to pop up to shallow right on the second pitch. Cool, good start by the position player. Not bad, Matt. Way to not get totally embarrassed out there. But that wasn't enough. Davidson battled with Carlos Tocci for a six-pitch at-bat before Tocci hammered a ball back at Davidson. This is where Davidson's third base instincts kicked in. Davidson caught the liner, which was off to Davidson's right. He had to reach across his body to snag it with his glove. A legit web gem. Not bad for a guy who has been used mostly as a designated hitter this year. That was the best highlight, but Davidson had to prove he was more than just a good-fielding pitcher. It was time to bring out the nasty stuff.

4 Next up was Rougned Odor, who combined to hit 63 home runs in 2016 and He can hit major league pitches a long way, but has he faced anything like Matt Davidson's offspeed stuff? It sure didn't look like it. Davidson got Odor to whiff on a 79 mph offspeed pitch and then a 72 mph offspeed pitch. The insanity meter for this at-bat went up a notch when Davidson brought out the heat for the 0-2 pitch. He threw what MLB.com's pitch-by-pitch called a 91.9 mph fastball. It was way out of the zone, but Davidson was just setting Odor up. After Odor fouled off another curve, Davidson got Odor on the next one. Three swinging strikes. In one of the more horrifying stats of the night, Davidson had more strikeouts than starting pitcher Dylan Covey, who didn't get any strikeouts in a third straight rough start. Davidson had three swinging strikes in 13 pitches. That's as many as actual reliever Juan Minaya had in 16 pitches, more than Chris Volstad had in 58 pitches and one shy of Covey in 74 pitches. After the game, Davidson talked about the experience, saying it was "a dream come true," courtesy of Chicago Sun-Times reporter Daryl Van Schouwen. NBC Sports Chicago's Chris Kamka compiled a list of position player to pitch for the White Sox since 1990: 6/29/2018 Matt Davidson 9/7/2017 Rob Brantly 6/8/2016 J.B. Shuck 9/15/2015 Leury García & Alexei Ramírez 7/31/2015 Adam LaRoche 8/5/2014 Adam Dunn 4/16/2014 Leury García 6/28/2013 Casper Wells (Game 1 of a doubleheader) 9/4/2012 DeWayne Wise 8/4/1995 Dave Martinez 6/16/1990 Steve Lyons What is going on with Dylan Covey? By Dan Santormita / NBC Sports Chicago / June 29, 2018 Will the real Dylan Covey please stand up? Covey had a run of four solid starts in five outings and dropped his ERA to 2.29 in 37 2/3 innings. In his first three starts of June Covey totaled 18 innings with just three runs (two earned) allows while racking up 19 strikeouts and walking four. Since then it has been ugly. He didn't make it past five innings in either of the next two starts and gave up four earned runs each time out. Also troubling was his sudden lack of control. Covey walked nine in nine innings while striking out three. Friday's effort in Texas worsened the trend. Covey was rocked for seven runs in the second inning and was charged with nine runs (eight earned) in 2 1/3 innings. His sudden control problems continued with three walks and no strikeouts. The Rangers hammered four homers off him in a scorcher in Arlington. So what's the deal? Is Covey the pitcher who went five straight starts without giving up more than two earned runs in a start? Is he the pitcher who has more walks and runs than innings in his past three starts?

5 This is one of the things the White Sox have a chance to figure out because the 2018 season isn't about winning as it is building for the future. Covey, who was picked up by the White Sox as a Rule 5 pick last year, is 26 and hasn't been thought of as a cornerstone piece for the future. He told Chuck Garfien that he "wasn't ready for the majors" when he was up last season. The Sox had to keep him on the roster as a Rule 5 draft pick. He earned his spot this year with a 2.33 ERA in seven Triple-A starts. If he can show some consistency Covey can earn a spot in the rotation for the next couple years. He will likely have some time to work out the issues of his past three starts, especially after showing some promise in the majors earlier this season. Reflective Dylan Covey says he 'wasn't ready for the major leagues' in 2017 By Chuck Garfien / NBC Sports Chicago / June 29, , 7.11 ERA. Those are the rookie numbers that will forever be branded to White Sox pitcher Dylan Covey. It was a 2017 season in which he admits today, I wasn t ready for the major leagues. He gave up 20 home runs in 70 innings. He wore the pain of failure on the field and off it. It was definitely one of the toughest things I ve ever been through in my life, Covey said about the 2017 season in an interview with NBC Sports Chicago. That admission by Covey is something when you consider his life almost ended soon after being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in It was August 15th, Covey s 19th birthday. He was celebrating with friends at Magic Mountain amusement park in Southern California. He had recently completed routine blood work requested by the Brewers. The results came back. Alarms went off. A frantic phone call came from his dad, who told him, You need to go to the emergency room. Covey had been walking around with Type 1 Diabetes for a year and didn t know it. They told me if I didn t come in, I was a week, two weeks away from possibly going into a coma, Covey said. I had lost 40 pounds my senior year. I weighed about 180 pounds. I looked sick. If you would see a picture of me now from back then you would be like, Wow, skin and bones. I was pale white. Sickly white. Since he was projected to be a first round pick, Covey had been working out harder than he ever had before. He assumed that the rigorous training was the reason for his significant weight loss. Instead, he was on the brink of death. Yeah, who knows how much longer it could have been, Covey said of his undiagnosed condition. They said I was so sick, but since it happened over a year, I got used to feeling so sick every day that I didn t even notice. That routine physical requested by the Brewers saved his life. Yeah, it could have. Definitely. Covey s road back was a long one. Instead of signing with the Brewers, he left around $1.6 million on the table, enrolled at the University of San Diego where a baseball scholarship was waiting, and tried to play baseball while learning how to live with a disease that had zapped his energy and turned him into a zombie. Covey would often sleep around 15 hours a day. It was tough for me. I remember waking up at 6 in the morning and saying to myself, I don t think I can do this. And then going to 6am weights, getting back at 7 and having class at 8 and being like this is hard. This is tough. Covey eventually adjusted to his new condition, which now includes having an automated insulin pump hooked to his body, even when he pitches. In 2013, Covey went back into the MLB draft. He was picked in the 4th round by the Oakland A s. However, after 3 seasons in the minors, the A s lost faith in Covey in 2016, leaving him unprotected.

6 I remember talking to my agent saying, What s the deal? Covey had a 1.84 ERA in 29.1 innings before suffering an oblique injury that ended his 2016 season. I felt like I deserved to be protected based off what I did before the injury. They were just like no, you re Rule 5. Covey s agent told him that two teams were interested in him, but wouldn t say who. The White Sox would turn out to be one of them. Feeling burned by the A s, Covey took the mound the very next day in the championship game of the Fall League, and took out his anger on some helpless minor league hitters. It was my last outing before the Rule 5 (draft). I threw four perfect innings, I gave up a run in the 5th and we ended up winning the championship, but I remember being pissed off that game, because it was the day after finding out I wasn t protected, Covey said. I was pissed and I just went out there with nothing to lose and I threw it well. On December 6th, the White Sox officially started their rebuild, trading Chris Sale to the Red Sox at the MLB Winter Meetings. Two days later was the Rule 5 draft, where the White Sox would claim the player taken one pick after Sale in that 2010 draft, Dylan Covey. My wife sprinted into the bedroom and told me. I was half asleep. I roll over and looked at my phone and it was blowing up. I had a missed call from Rick Hahn. That s how I found out, Covey explained. Believing in Covey s potential, but unable to stash him in the minor leagues because of Rule 5 stipulations, the White Sox had to keep Covey in the majors all season, even though as he now puts it, he wasn t ready. In the back of my head I knew that this wasn t the best of me, and I knew that all year, Covey said of his winless, sometimes hopeless season. It was tough, and I was trying to learn on the fly and develop, facing the best hitters in the world. The White Sox would give him another chance this season, but he d have to earn his way back to the majors. They DFA d me, they said you re going to start in Triple-A, you re going to be a starting pitcher. Let s see what you got, Covey said. I was like alright, that s it. I was upset, but at the same time I was pitching stress free for the first time in so long that it really helped me. I was able to relax out there and find some things that I had lost the last couple years that really accelerated me this year. During his struggles, he listened to the advice of White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper. I remember Coop said over and over and over again, The year of experience that you ve had this year, regardless of the stats, regardless of the outcome is going to mean so much for you when you get back here. That was dead on, Covey said. I couldn t imagine, even feeling as good as I do now, I couldn t imagine facing big leaguers for the first time again. I wasn t ready. I didn t trust myself. That was my biggest thing, I was not trusting the stuff that I had. And now that I do, I can just let it fly and I feel good about it. After going 3-2 with a 3.45 ERA at Triple-A Charlotte, Covey was called back up to the majors in May, replacing Carson Fulmer in the rotation. He beat the Baltimore Orioles on May 23 for his first victory in over a year, an absolute eternity for a pitcher. But that was only the beginning of Covey s new beginning. Three starts later, he threw 6 scoreless innings against the first place Boston Red Sox, outdueling the pitcher taken right before him in that 2010 draft, Chris Sale. It s crazy how things circle back, Covey explained. I met (Sale) the next day in our clubhouse. He told me good job. It was sweet. It was a cool experience to go toe-to-toe with one of the best, and coming out on top was a good feeling. When the White Sox are ready to compete, many expect Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, Reynaldo Lopez, Carlos Rodon and Dane Dunning to be apart of this new winning era on the South Side. You don t hear people attaching Covey s name to that group, but he expects to be along for the ride as a key member of the White Sox rotation in the future.

7 Yeah, absolutely. I think my stuff plays at this level for sure. I m extremely thankful for the opportunity I ve gotten with the White Sox, and if I keep pitching the way I know I can, and I keep staying confident and keep throwing strikes, I will be a part of this going forward. I m super excited about it. Column: White Sox pitcher Reynaldo Lopez looks capable of being the bell cow of rotation By David Haugh / Chicago Tribune / June 29, 2018 One of the biggest trades of the White Sox rebuild came about 15 years ago at a Dominican Republic pawn shop when Reynaldo Lopez s grandfather exchanged cattle for the boy s first bat, ball and glove. Thanks to him is why I am here, Lopez said last week at Guaranteed Rate Field through Sox interpreter Billy Russo. Growing up in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Lopez played baseball every day with a mitt constructed from cardboard and a ball made of socks and string because that s all his family could afford. One day his grandpa, Eduardo Martinez, woke him up early for a shopping trip into town. But instead of bringing home groceries, Lopez returned with brand-new baseball equipment, including spikes and the Rawlings glove he coveted. Lopez, 24, laughs recalling how his grandpa paid for everything by selling the family s two cows named Pamela and La Morena, a grand gesture that still affects him as much as it annoyed his grandmother at the time. She got over it once Lopez began developing into a major-league prospect the Nationals signed in 2012 to a modest $17,000 bonus after finishing high school and opening an avenue to opportunity. I never get tired of telling that story, said Lopez, who recently shared it with bilingual reporter Siera Santos of NBC Sports Chicago in an effort to let Sox fans know him a little better. It needs to be told. I m so thankful for all he did that now it s my turn to give back to him and my family. I came from nothing to here, where I am fulfilling my dream. The reality is Lopez put himself in position to become a major part of the Sox future by never taking anything for granted. Regardless of how big or small the crowd is, he takes the mound for every start mindful of the audience back in the Dominican, where his parents, Pedro and Janet, his grandparents, his sister and cousins watch with pride. They see an expressive right-handed pitcher emulating his idol, Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. My sister will use her tablet (computer) to explain to my grandfather what s happening, and my dad texts me after games, said Lopez, who s 3-5 with a 3.73 ERA heading into Sunday s start against the Rangers. I don t think I d be able to appreciate what I have right now if I didn t experience the childhood I had. It was humble, but we were kept together by good values that give me a different point of view of what I accomplish here. Here, on Chicago s South Side, Lopez has emerged as perhaps the Sox s best pitcher in 2018, impressing manager Rick Renteria most with his doggedness and determination. That attitude evolved over time for the skinny 160-pound teenager who used vitamins, protein shakes and a weight-lifting regimen to add muscle and increase his velocity to the high 90s. Now 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Lopez engages early and attacks hitters often with an arsenal of four pitches: a live fastball, an 11-to-5 curveball, a changeup and a wicked slider he refined last offseason at the behest of pitching coach Don Cooper. But Renteria believes Lopez s best stuff might be that which drives him. I went out there his last start and asked him to give me one more hitter, and he said, Give me three more, Renteria recalled with a chuckle. He didn t want to come out. I get it. He s a grinder learning to pitch at the major-league level and how to come out with conviction from the very first pitch, understanding the sequencing. He s growing up as a pitcher. That growth included calling out Sox teammates and implicating himself after a 12-0 loss to the Indians on June 20. In a rebuke that received mixed reviews in the clubhouse, Lopez said, Honestly, we looked like clowns out there, starting with me. A Sox team proud of the way it never quits suddenly was portrayed by one of its own as being unable to get out of its own way, but sometimes the truth hurts. Renteria and team leader Jose Abreu publicly backed Lopez, whose candor should be as welcome as his command for a young team seeking to establish accountability. We are all men and need to be able to handle the situations, Lopez said. We are supposed to be the best of the best. We worked hard to reach this level, and for me, watching what we were doing was unacceptable. We didn t have the right focus. We weren t showing fans and ourselves what we were capable of. I couldn t stay quiet.

8 Soon the soundtrack of Lopez s summer will include the crying of a newborn baby with his wife, Jhilaris, expecting a child next month. A milestone year will continue for Lopez, who says he loves everything about Chicago but the traffic, from the city s vibe to his favorite restaurant, 90 Miles Cuban Cafe. His comfort level on and off the mound makes him a viable candidate for the top of the rotation when the Sox hope to be a contender by Any sadness Lopez admitted feeling in December 2016 when the Nationals traded him and fellow pitching prospects Lucas Giolito and Dane Dunning for outfielder Adam Eaton wore off quickly once he realized the potential role he could play on the rebuilding Sox. I finally said, You know, this might be the best thing for me, Lopez said. I could see my career starting over here. Lopez knows a good trade when he sees one. Rangers rock Dylan Covey in 11-3 victory over White Sox By Phil Thompson / Chicago Tribune / June 29, 2018 Ougned Odor s home run on the first pitch he saw leading off the second for the Rangers on Friday night was only the beginning of Dylan Covey s misery in the inning in his dreadful start for the White Sox. And by the time the Rangers second baseman saw Covey again and singled off him in that same inning it only underscored the extent of the carnage Covey was enduring. When that half-inning from hell was over, the numbers were hard to swallow: Three home runs, with Robinson Chirinos and Nomar Mazara joining Odor. Six hits. Seven runs, six earned. 42 pitches. 11 batters faced. 28 minutes long, as one reporter in the press box clocked it. And that half-inning wasn t the only calamity in this 11-3 laugher of a Sox loss at Globe Life Park. Covey gave up a career-high fourth home run in the third to Joey Gallo that had an exit velocity of mph. A crestfallen Covey (3-3) felt as if the Rangers were dialed into anything he threw for strikes. Made a couple of mistakes that they capitalized on, he said. But for the most part I felt I was throwing good pitches and they were just... all over everything that was in the zone. I don t have an explanation. I felt good, the ball was coming out good. Just got to put that one behind me and face Kansas City in five days. Covey left his previous start early with a twinge in his groin area but said he was healthy Friday: I feel fine, just a rough one. Frustrated, obviously. Added Sox manager Rick Renteria: When you get hit around a little bit, you re searching for reasons. I think there were a lot of pitches that were probably left out over the center of the plate. When Covey walked Delino DeShields two batters after Gallo s homer, Renteria instituted his own version of the mercy rule and gave Covey the hook after he allowed nine runs (eight earned) in just 2 1/3 innings. Chris Volstad came on in relief and you guessed it gave up a first-pitch, two-run blast to Shin-Soo Choo for a 10-0 Rangers lead. Charlie Tilson could be forgiven for falling flat on his diving attempt to catch Mazara s leadoff double in the sixth, but he just plain muffed Jurickson Profar s high fly that scored Mazara with the 11th run. It was Tilson s first big-league error. Renteria called on designated hitter Matt Davidson to make his first career relief appearance in the eighth. A pitcher in high school, Davidson retired the side in order.

9 We tried to save the bullpen a little bit that we ve been taxing for the last seven eight days, Renteria said. Matt did a nice job. Yovanni Gallardo (2-0) struck seven Sox in 7 1/3 innings. Yes, folks, there was enough stink to go around, almost enough to mask the fact Yoan Moncada committed his 13th error of the season. The second baseman bobbled Profar s routine second-inning grounder seemingly three times on the same play for his second error in three games. At one point, Moncada reached behind and between his legs for the ball, finally got hold of it and then dropped it again before the throw to first base. It s a recurring theme with Moncada. Renteria has advised him to square himself more to ground balls. In this case, Moncada did, but the ball rolled up his glove and into his abdomen before dropping to the dirt. I think he tried to rush out of it to recover the ball, Renteria said. And then one of the things you don t do when you bobble and the ball lays on the ground is to try to recover it with your glove hand. Those plays happen. I think it s an experience he will use. White Sox's Leury Garcia eager to get some playing time at third base By Phil Thompson / Chicago Tribune / June 29, 2018 Leury Garcia s return from the disabled list last Friday looks even more fortuitous in light of Yolmer Sanchez s left quadriceps bruise suffered during Thursday s game against the Twins. As expected, Sanchez was a scratch for Friday night s game against the Rangers and Garcia was penciled in at third base. The utility man, who is recovered from a knee sprain, sounded up to the task when asked about it. Hell, yeah, Garcia said. Matt Davidson is an option too, but Garcia is considered more defensively sound even though he is primarily an outfielder and hasn t played third base since Davidson is less than a month removed from being reactivated from his own DL stint for back spasms. It s good to have (Garcia) back, manager Rick Renteria said. Obviously he plays multiple positions (and) he s actually swinging the bat pretty well. We re still trying to be mindful that he s down a little bit. We ve given him a day off here and there. I think he s coming along fine. Garcia said his body and swing feel good. He was 9-for-18 before Friday since his return. It s always about timing, Garcia said of finding his rhythm again. When you re out a couple of weeks, I just try to do my best at the plate, swing at a good pitch and make good contact. He added he s still working on improving as a switch hitter, though his numbers from a small sample size aren t bad. He s hitting.260 left-handed in 100 at-bats and.375 from the right side in 40. Injury updates: Starter Miguel Gonzalez returned to rehab at Triple-A Charlotte after having a setback in his recovery from right rotator cuff inflammation. He experienced shoulder discomfort after throwing a side session. He felt a little something, Renteria said. He ll be rechecked and we ll go from there. Sanchez is still day to day. He s moving around really well, but you can see he has some inflammation there with the blow that he took, and that s natural, Renteria said. Renteria said he would use Sanchez against the Rangers this weekend in an emergency, but he s taking precautions. There s no timetable for Sanchez s return.

10 Signings: The Sox reached agreements this week with two prospects from this month s amateur draft. Left-handed-hitting Oklahoma outfielder Steele Walker, the Sox s second-round selection and the draft s 46th overall pick, reached a deal with the team Friday. Terms were not disclosed and a team official could not confirm a report by MLB.com s Jim Callis that Walker signed for $2 million, $443,900 more than the recommended bonus for his slot. Earlier this week, the Sox signed third-round pick Konnor Pilkington, Mississippi State s left-handed ace. First-round pick Nick Madrigal has yet to sign, but the second baseman has been occupied with the College World Series as Oregon State clinched the national titlethursday. Neither Walker nor Pilkington had been assigned to minor-league affiliates yet. (Not) comic relief: Davidson gives White Sox bullpen a perfect inning By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / June 29, 2018 ARLINGTON, Texas White Sox corner infielder and designated hitter Matt Davidson was a star pitcher in high school, so he might not have been as stunned as you were by his perfect inning of relief pitching against the Rangers Friday night. This sounds cheesy but it was a dream come true, Davidson said after recording three consecutive outs including a strikeout to end the eighth inning in the Sox 11-3 loss to the Rangers Friday at Globe Life Park. I didn t really start playing a position full time till my senior year. I was kind of pitcher-dh in high school. I didn t grow up playing shortstop and my favorite player was [pitcher] Randy Johnson growing up. It was really cool. At Yucipa (Calif.) High School, Davidson was 27-5 with a 1.06 ERA in his career. His pro career took a different path away from the mound, though, but with the Sox needing to save their bullpen on the first day of a road trip following a 13-inning loss the day before, Davidson was ready. Davidson pitched on flat ground a few days ago, knowing such an opportunity might one day present itself. Just to stay on top of it. I kind of enjoy it, too, he said. Manager Rick Renteria tapped Davidson on the shoulder in the seventh inning, and between innings he ran to the bullpen to warm up. Throwing a fastball, curve and splitter, he touched 91 mph with the heater and needed only 13 pitches to get Ryan Rua on a pop-up to first baseman Jose Abreu, pinch hitter Carlos Tocci on a soft liner back to Davidson and Rougned Odor striking out swinging. It s only us and the Angels with Ohtani who have somebody who can actually chuck and hit, Renteria quipped. Using a position player has a way of ending a bad night on a lighter note and it was a bad night for Sox right-hander Dylan Covey and the Sox, who committed two errors and scratched out only five hits to fall to But in all seriousness, Renteria said he doesn t take using position players to pitch lightly. You try to make sure when you do things like that you re not undermining the game, Renteria said. You want to make sure they have a sense of the mound and don t embarrass themselves. And Davidson, doing interviews in a losing clubhouse, tried to keep his dream moment in perspective. I would hate to be in that position again as a team, Davidson said. We don t want to lose I openly don t want to be out there. That means we re losing. Not that he hated it. It was lot of fun being out there, he said. Eloy Jimenez on his White Sox future and the first he ll accomplish on Day 1 By Steve Greenberg / Sun-Times / June 29, 2018 CHARLOTTE, N.C. Eloy Jimenez has a dream. Not in the metaphorical sense, either. This one comes to him often as he sleeps.

11 He s playing for the White Sox. It s October. He s digging in at the plate against an elite pitcher Chris Sale, David Price and Luis Severino each has visited his subconscious in the dead of night and all that hangs in the balance is a trip to the World Series. They beat me sometimes, he said. I beat them sometimes. But that s a good thing when you re dreaming and you know you re almost there. The No. 3 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, Jimenez is indeed almost there in the majors, that is and every Sox fan with a pulse knows it. He is a 21-year-old phenom, a 6-4 game-changer with thunder in his bat and the road to stardom at his feet. Friday was only his 10th game with Class AAA Charlotte, but a call-up to the Sox this season is inevitable. Does the Sox rebuild really even mean anything until Jimenez is in the team photo? And here s a little detail about Jimenez the big-leaguer that has yet to make the rounds at all: When he dons a Sox uniform, he ll be the first No. 74 in team history. Yep, No. 74. I was playing winter ball last year with that number, he said. I just [thought]: Nobody has that number. Nobody likes that number. I m going to take it, and I m going to create that number. Kind of like Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has done with No. 79. At least, that s the big idea. The only No. 74 of great distinction in major-league annals is Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. The other 10 players who ve appeared in the number are a who s-who of Who? Jimenez wore No. 16 in a multihit game Friday against the Gwinnett Stripers. The Dominican slugger has worn Nos. 27, 21 and 12 during his brief pro career. The idea behind the No. 74 didn t begin percolating in his mind until an appearance last September at Guaranteed Rate Field, when, in his first visit to the Sox home park, he gazed skyward and saw Carlton Fisk s retired No. 72. RELATED STORIES White Sox Class AA manager says Eloy Jimenez s defense will play in majors White Sox reach midway point with forgettable defeat Maybe someday his number will be immortalized alongside Fisk s. Hey, isn t getting ridiculously ahead of ourselves fun? Jimenez is a tad more measured. He sees a sleeping giant of a Sox team that soon will be ready to shake up the world. What we re building, it s going to be really good, he said. We ve got a lot of talent. We ve got pitching, defense, hitting. The future is going to be fun. Jimenez s future has been written in the minds of many for a while now. He was a can t-miss Cubs prospect before being traded to the Sox last July in the deal that moved left-hander Jose Quintana to the North Side. Now he s a soon-to-hit Sox prospect whose ascent might end up driving Cubs fans a little crazy. Knights pitching coach Steve McCatty recalls seeing Jimenez a few years back, when the former was in the Nationals organization. Jimenez, only a teenager, first was attacked with fastballs, but he pounded them. Then he was attacked with sliders out of the zone, but he didn t deign to swing at them. He was practically spitting on them, McCatty said. Knights hitting coach Andy Tomberlin was in the dugout when Jimenez in his first spring at-bat after two-plus weeks on the shelf with an injury launched an opposite-field home run against Cubs pitcher Cory Mazzoni in March. There s a sound a louder sound that his bat makes, and the flight of the ball when he gets one is a special sight, Tomberlin said. When he hit that home run, I just said: Wow, there he is. Against the team that traded him? What a moment. It elated us. Jimenez isn t long for Charlotte. He knows it. His teammates know it. If you ask any of them, they ll tell you he s ready for the big leagues right now.

12 Jimenez himself will tell you as much. Yeah, I m ready, he said. I feel confident with myself. I feel comfortable. And I feel ready. Meanwhile, he envisions a time when fans will go to big-league ballparks just to see him hit a baseball. To hear it, even, and to watch it take majestic flight. And he dreams. There are wild cheers as he rounds the bases, his signature No. 74 on his back. White Sox Class AA manager says Eloy Jimenez s defense will play in majors By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / June 29, 2018 ARLINGTON, Texas All and we mean all the buzz about the anticipated major-league arrival of outfielder Eloy Jimenez is about his bat. But what about his defense? The reason you don t hear much about it is that there isn t much to talk about. Jimenez, 21, is a corner outfielder who s glovework or lack thereof left the Cubs seeing him as another Kyle Schwarber type: a big bat whose defense made him best suited for designated-hitter duty in the American League. It might have helped Cubs president Theo Epstein let go of Jimenez when he acquired left-hander Jose Quintana in a stunning trade between the North Side and South Side teams almost a year ago. Ryan Newman, who was Jimenez s manager at Class AA Birmingham until Jimenez recently was promoted to Class AAA Charlotte, wants you to know Jimenez isn t all bad in the field. If fact, he sees the 6-4, 220-pounder as an average defensive outfielder with the potential to be above-average. He s a better athlete than you might think, Newman said. Defensively, he s made a lot of improvements. Jumps and routes first and throwing next are the areas Jimenez, who started the season in right but has played left of late, has paid the most attention to in early work before games and in tracking fly balls during batting practice. I hope in the future I can play outfield all my career, Jimenez said Friday. I feel more in the game. When I m DH-ing, I don t know, sometimes you get distracted too much. When you play defense, you re more in the game. You feel the game more. Newman said Jimenez is doing something about that. He really worked his tail off when he was here, Newman said. Jimenez s arm, which Cubs manager Joe Maddon cited as a concern, is coming along, Newman said. It s actually better than [Jimenez] thinks it is. White Sox reach midway point with forgettable defeat By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / June 29, 2018 ARLINGTON, Texas What an awfully forgettable night for the White Sox. For starters, right-hander Dylan Covey allowed four home runs including three in a seven-run second inning in the Sox 11-3 loss Friday to the Rangers to take the shine off what had been a promising start to the season for him. That alone was enough to put a damper on the start to a 10-game road trip for the Sox, who fell to at the halfway point of the season. That puts them on pace to equal the franchise record of 106 losses (1970). They also reminded observers of why they re the worst defensive team in the American League. Second baseman Yoan Moncada made his 13th error on a routine ground ball in the second to pass shortstop Tim Anderson for the team lead in that category, and left fielder Charlie Tilson dropped a routine fly ball in the sixth to allow a run to score. Rougned Odor, Robinson Chirinos and Nomar Mazara homered in the second against Covey, who threw 42 pitches in that inning. In the third, Joey Gallo homered against Covey and Shin-Soo Choo who extended his on-base streak to 41 games with a leadoff walk in the first against reliever Chris Volstad. The Sox had sent nine batters to the plate against Rangers right-hander Yovani Gallardo, all of them retired, and trailed 10-0 after three innings.

13 The bright spot, if you can call it that, was a perfect inning of relief from corner infielder Matt Davidson in the eighth. A dream come true for me, said Davidson, a star pitcher in high school who touched 91 mph and needed 13 pitches to retire the Rangers on a foul pop-up, a soft comeback liner to the mound and a strikeout. Covey s performance was more like a nightmare. They were just all over everything, Covey said. I don t have an explanation. The ball was coming out good. I just have to put it behind me and face [the Reds] in five days. Setback for Gonzalez After making one three-inning rehab start, right-hander Miguel Gonzalez has suffered a setback and likely will be sidelined for another extended period. RELATED STORIES Eloy Jimenez on his White Sox future and the first he ll accomplish on Day 1 White Sox Class AA manager says Eloy Jimenez s defense will play in majors The Sox signed Gonzalez to a one-year, $4.75 million contract during the offseason to provide innings for a young starting rotation. He felt soreness in his right shoulder during a side session after his scoreless outing Sunday for Class AAA Charlotte and will be re-examined and re-evaluated, manager Rick Renteria said. Sanchez still hurting Infielder Yolmer Sanchez, who exited the Sox 2-1 loss Thursday to the Twins with a bruised left quadriceps, did not play. It s better, a little tight, Sanchez said. He s actually walking around pretty good, Renteria said. He has some inflammation in there. We ll see if we can get that out of there and get him more comfortable. Second-round draft pick signed Second-round draft pick Steele Walker, an outfielder from Oklahoma, agreed to contract terms with the Sox. MLB Pipeline s Jim Callis reported Walker s signing bonus was $2 million, above the No. 46 slot value of $1.57 million. First-round pick Nick Madrigal, a shortstop from College World Series champion Oregon State, might be signed as soon as next week. The Sox also have signed left-hander Konnor Pilkington, a third-round pick from Mississippi State, for a reported $650,000, less than his $726,700 slot value. 5 potential trade destinations for Sox starter Shields By Scot Gregor / Daily Herald / June 29, 2018 At this time a year ago, it is extremely doubtful James Shields would have been claimed off waivers. The Chicago White Sox's starting pitcher was definitely at a crossroads, and his name was never mentioned while general manager Rick Hahn was on the verge of accelerating the rebuild by trading one veteran player after another. To his credit, Shields took a long, hard look at himself in the second half of last season and knew he had to make a change. Instead of throwing over the top and trying to overpower hitters like he did for so many years, Shields dropped his arm angle and became an off-speed pitcher. The transformation has been remarkable, and Shields is on a streak of pitching 6 innings or more in 12 of his last 13 starts.

14 As the 36-year-old righty showed while throwing 7 scoreless innings in Wednesday night's 6-1 win over the Twins, he's also become a legitimate trade candidate. "He's certainly done enough to open a lot of people's eyes into how consistent he's been over this season," Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He's continued to evolve. His experience and the way he's managing the strike zone, the way he's commanding from the slots he's throwing from now, feeling more and more comfortable, he shows these guys how to grind through an inning, get through certain situations, remain calm, understand that no matter how much havoc occurs around you the next best thing is to try to execute pitches. That's what he's done." The feeling here is Shields (3-9, 4.29 ERA) has done enough to get the White Sox another prospect or two before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline. Here are five potential destinations: Cubs: Last July, Sox general manager Rick Hahn sought out Cubs team president Theo Epstein at the All-Star Game to make a face-to-face push for a Jose Quintana trade. The extra effort paid off nicely for the White Sox, who got Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease in the July 13 deal. This July, don't be shocked if Epstein comes looking for Hahn. Newcomers Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood are not meeting expectations in the Cubs' rotation, so there is a need for a starter like Shields. You can bet Cubs manager Joe Maddon would endorse a deal. He was Shields' manager in Tampa Bay from , and the two remain close. Yankees: Locked in a fierce battle with the Red Sox in the AL East, New York needs one starter, maybe two. Mashiro Tanaka is on the disabled list with injuries to both hamstrings, and rising left-hander Jordan Montgomery is out for the season following Tommy John surgery. Brewers: Trying to hold off the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Central, Milwaukee might be more inclined to add a bat than a starter. The Brewers are expecting Zach Davies (shoulder) to be ready to come off the disabled list before the all-star break, and Jimmy Nelson could be back in the second half after having shoulder surgery last September. Freddy Peralta has stepped in for Davies and pitched well, but Shields is a good fit for Milwaukee if Davies and/or Nelson don't make it all the way back or Peralta falters. Red Sox: With Chris Sale, Rick Porcello and David Price, Boston is set at the top of the rotation. But injuries to Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright have left two gaping holes on the back end. Red Sox general manger Dave Dombrowski won't hesitate to trade prospects for veterans, as he showed when he acquired Sale from the White Sox at the 2016 winter meetings. Giants: San Francisco has had a scout watching the White Sox throughout June, and Shields is undoubtedly on the Giants' wish list. While they are running third in the NL West, the Giants are playing solid baseball and that should continue when Johnny Cueto (elbow) and Jeff Samardzija (shoulder) return from the disabled list. If either of them fails to get back up to speed, Shields would certainly fit in San Francisco's rotation. This time, it s going my way : Xavier Cedeño enjoying a dominant return from injury By James Fegan / The Athletic / June 29, 2018