WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF AUGUST

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1 WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF AUGUST 23, 2017 Prospect Giolito pleased with White Sox debut Scott Merkin, MLB.com Offense can't come through for rookie Giolito Rhett Bollinger & Fabian Ardaya, MLB.com Saladino grateful to play, despite struggles Scott Merkin, MLB.com Shields looks to continue rebound vs. Twins Fabian Ardaya, MLB.com Davidson set to begin rehab assignment Scott Merkin, MLB.com Lucas Giolito's White Sox debut drew rave reviews Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago White Sox may have discovered 'diamond in the rough' in Juan Minaya Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago Lucas Giolito gives up 3 homers in his White Sox debut Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune White Sox rookie sensation Nicky Delmonico beat addiction on way to majors David Haugh, Chicago Tribune Matt Davidson heads to rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Luc longly: Twins go deep 3 times in Giolito s White Sox debut Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times Sure, Sox are horrible, but having a plan is victory enough Rick Telander, Chicago Sun-Times Renteria says Minaya is White Sox little diamond in the rough Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times Giolito after first start with White Sox: I feel like I belongs Scot Gregor, Daily Herald Minaya emerges as 'diamond in the rough' out of White Sox bullpen Scot Gregor, Daily Herald Can the White Sox count on Carlos Rodon? Joe Sheehan, The Athletic Diamond in the rough Juan Minaya has the stuff to succeed in the ninth James Fegan, The Athletic White Sox fans can be encouraged by Lucas Giolito s debut, even though he lacked his best stuff James Fegan, The Athletic Prospect Giolito pleased with White Sox debut Right-hander strikes out four, doesn't issue a walk in loss to Twins By Scott Merkin / August 22nd, 2017 CHICAGO -- Trust your stuff. That mantra has been espoused by Lucas Giolito -- the No. 59 prospect overall, per MLBPipeline.com -- since back in Spring Training and continued as he worked his way toward the White Sox as part of the Triple-A Charlotte rotation this season. That idea played out for the big right-hander during his White Sox debut Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field in a 4-1 loss to the Twins. Giolito, 23, allowed four runs on six hits over six innings and 99 pitches. But he essentially was working fastball/changeup the entire game and still managed to strike out four, not issue a walk and keep the White Sox in the game. It was a solid debut for another one of the rebuild's prized pitching pupils, following Reynaldo Lopez and Carson Fulmer, with Giolito figuring to remain in the White Sox starting five for the remainder of the current campaign. "The curveball wasn't feeling as well as I would have liked, but I was able to get the fastball in for the most part. Pitching a lot off my fastball," Giolito said. "It's probably the most I've pitched off my fastball the second half of the season. It felt good. The fastball felt good. I just need to keep working on getting that offspeed stuff over." "Lucas threw the ball very very well," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "Fastball was very good. He was using his breaking ball. He threw some that were a little short, but all and all, his attack of the strike zone, he threw a lot of strikes. He looked very, very good to me. Very pleased." Despite throwing fastballs on nearly 70 percent of his pitches, Giolito still finished with eight swings-and-misses on the pitch. His average fastball velocity checked in at 93.2 mph, topping out at 95.8 mph per Statcast. Jorge Polanco (leading off the fourth), Kennys Vargas (leading off the fifth) and Eddie Rosario (one on, one out in the sixth) connected on missed locations on fastballs from Giolito for home runs. But Giolito featured a commanding mound presence, coming off a 0-1 showing and 6.75 ERA with Washington in '16, prior to being sent to the White Sox as part of the Adam Eaton deal.

2 "I feel like I belong. I feel like my stuff plays. I'm happy I didn't walk anyone tonight," said Giolito, who threw eight strikes on offspeed pitches and got two swings-and-misses on his changeup. "Fastball-changeup was pretty much all I had. I wasn't throwing the curveball as well as I would have liked, but I'm going to work on that for the next start and hopefully be able to command that pitch a little better. "Tonight I was able to control the game a lot better. Last year my time in the big leagues, the game would speed up on me a lot. I'd walk a guy, give up a couple of base hits and start to kind of get out of control. Tonight I felt under control. I was able to trust my stuff. It was just those mistakes." Offense can't come through for rookie Giolito By Rhett Bollinger and Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com August 22,2017 CHICAGO -- Jorge Polanco, Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario homered to back a strong effort from right-hander Kyle Gibson and carry the Twins to a 4-1 win over the White Sox on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. It helped the Twins remain in the second AL Wild Card spot ahead of the Angels. Rookie Lucas Giolito, acquired in the trade that sent Adam Eaton to the Nationals, made his first start for the White Sox, allowing four runs on six hits with four strikeouts to get pegged with the loss. Of his 99 pitches, 69 were fastballs and he got eight swing-and-misses on those pitches, with his fastball topping out at 95.8 mph. "I was able to throw a few over the plate for the strike but I was trying to throw that good two-strike [curveball] I was spiking it a lot," Giolito said. "I'm just going to work on that for the next one. "I was essentially pitching with only fastball a lot of the time just trying to move it to both sides of the plate, pitch up when need be and for the most part we were able to do that. Just can't leave it over the middle." Giolito -- the White Sox No. 6 prospect and No. 59 prospect on MLB Pipeline.com -- was hurt by home runs, serving up a solo shot to Polanco in the fourth, a solo blast to Vargas in the fifth and a two-run homer to Rosario in the sixth. It was the third straight game with a homer for Polanco. The offense helped Gibson, who allowed one run on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out a season-high eight batters and reached the seven-inning mark for the first time since July 22. "I'm really happy for him," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Gibson. "I can't imagine some of the things swirling in his head before this start. But he found a way to go out there and not only [had] an outing where he got us a win, but he got us through an inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. He has to feel good about that." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Gibson's magic acts: The White Sox loaded the bases in both the second and third innings, but couldn't score, with Gibson using critical strikeouts to his advantage. Chicago had the bases full with one out in the second, but Gibson struck out Adam Engel and got Leury Garcia to ground to second. It was an even more dire situation in the third with the bases loaded and nobody out, but he struck Avisail Garcia, Yolmer Sanchez and Tim Anderson to escape the jam. "It was a tough spot obviously," Gibson said. "You just have to execute pitches and go one out at a time. Obviously, I'd like to get a ground ball for two outs for more wriggle room. Who would've thought I would strike out the side to get out of it? Probably nobody." "We had two innings in which we had a great opportunity to try to open up that ballgame and maybe the outcome would have been a little different and looked a little different for [Giolito]," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. Vargas smacks go-ahead blast: Vargas was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Monday when Miguel Sano went on the 10-day disabled list, and promptly made his mark with his ninth homer of the year and his first since July 16. It gave the Twins their first lead of the game. "He threw me two offspeeds in a row so I was expecting fastball," Vargas said of his homer, which came on a 0-2 fourseamer. "They were throwing me a lot of inside fastballs so I was expecting it." "All three homers were fastballs," Giolito said. "I think all three I was trying to go in and I missed right over the middle and guys are going to hit a long way if you miss your spot. That's going to happen." QUOTABLE

3 "He did a pretty good job. We just made two mistakes that changed the whole game. But he had really good stuff. I think he's going to be one of our best pitchers. His fastball is kind of sneaky and he has a great changeup. He uses it whenever he wants to and he has a really, really good curveball." -- White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez, on Giolito SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Giolito became the first White Sox pitcher to not walk a batter and go six or more innings in his team debut since Orlando Hernandez on April 8, 2005 against the Twins. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Right-hander Ervin Santana (13-7, 3.33 ERA) is set to start for the Twins in the fourth game of the five-game series on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Santana is coming off a win over the D-backs, allowing three runs over six innings. The Twins haven't lost a game he's started in August. White Sox: James Shields (2-4, 5.72 ERA) will start for the White Sox on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. CT against Minnesota. Shields allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings against Texas in his last start after working consecutive quality starts in his previous two outings. Saladino grateful to play, despite struggles White Sox infielder happy to be healthy after worrisome back injury By Scott Merkin / August 22nd, 2017 CHICAGO -- The.193 average, no home runs and eight RBIs would not exactly be considered ideal output for White Sox infielder Tyler Saladino during the 2017 season. That fact especially holds true considering Saladino, 28, had a breakout '16 campaign with eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and a.282 average over 319 plate appearances. But the fact Saladino is finishing this season healthy supersedes any on-field struggles. "I just count my blessings every day," Saladino said. "I'm thankful to get to do this every day." Saladino missed from May 27 to July 14 this year due to a jammed nerve in his back suffered when sliding home with the game-winning run on Yolmer Sanchez's walkoff hit against the Padres on May 13. He dealt with a herniated disk L5 on his right side at the end of '16, excruciating pain that hampered him from walking and cost him the final couple of weeks of the season. An extensive offseason physical therapy program at a place located in the Scripps Ranch community in San Diego helped Saladino come into Spring Training strong. This reactivated injury, though, produced numbness in Saladino's leg and made him wonder if he would even be able to return to baseball. "I just didn't know, because I never had anything like it," said Saladino, who tried to play through the discomfort for a couple of weeks. "To have that happen midseason, or the early part of the season, it was a pretty big setback. "Numbness was affecting the things I need to do: swinging, running, things like that. It's always hairy when it's your back. You are trying not to compensate for it or baby it or those kinds of things, but it's easier said than done to just go out and play as if it never happened." A couple of shots in the inflamed area helped Saladino heal and get him back to the field. He has a.183/.230/.232 split with four RBIs in 25 games since returning from the disabled list, but again, Saladino simply feels glad to be back. As for worries about this back problem lingering, Saladino pointed out how the disk herniation still shows up on MRIs but has not caused him any further problems. He's confident a back program he worked strenuously at this past offseason and worked just as strenuously in-season before the injury will keep him strong going into '18. Even without the results, he was able to be a solid clubhouse influence falling in between the veterans and the influx of rookies. "I would have liked to perform a lot better," Saladino said. "But there were a lot of times where I was able to be there for guys and stuff like that. So, I kind of look at everything, not just performance."

4 Shields looks to continue rebound vs. Twins By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com August 22nd, 2017 The Minnesota Twins are playoff contenders, even after selling off pieces such as Jaime Garcia and Brandon Kintzler at the non-waiver Trade Deadline. In the time since that stretch, they've played baseball as well as anyone, including winning 13 of their last 17 to put themselves front and center for the second American League Wild Card spot. The Twins will look to capitalize on their recent success as they take on the last-place White Sox on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Ervin Santana will take the hill against White Sox right-hander James Shields in the fourth of a rare stretch of five games. Santana is in the midst of perhaps his best season in a Twins uniform, leading the Majors in both complete games (five) and shutouts (three), while emerging as the club's ace. He's gone at least six innings in four of his last five outings, including three quality starts in four August performances. He ranks third in the American League in both wins (13) and opposing batting average (.220) while ranking sixth in ERA. This will be Santana's third outing against the White Sox this season. He struggled a bit at Target Field on June 20, allowing six runs in five innings, but has been brilliant at points this season against the South Siders. He allowed two hits over six shutout innings his last time at Guaranteed Rate Field, and followed it with a one-hit shutout in his next start against Chicago. Shields will be making his second start of the season against the Twins after allowing a run in six innings at Target Field on April 16. After posting a 9.00 ERA in July, Shields has turned things around with two quality starts in his last three outings. He allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings in his last start in Texas. Three things to know about the game The White Sox will be hoping that rookie sensation Nicky Delmonico will keep up his hot start. Delmonico, who only briefly appeared in the White Sox list of top 30 prospects, per MLBPipeline.com, has reached base in 18 of the first 19 games of his career, and his six homers in his first 19 career games are the most in White Sox history. Santana's swinging-strike rate of five percent in his last start was his second-lowest mark this season, he made up for it with a 23 percent called-strike rate that was his third highest. Eleven of his 23 called strikes came on the first pitch. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has been one of baseball's best second-half hitters, as he entered Tuesday with the fourth-most homers in the Majors after the All-Star break with 13. His 41 second-half homers over the last two seasons are the most in baseball by far. Davidson set to begin rehab assignment Minaya enjoying new role; Abreu chasing history By Scott Merkin / August 22nd, 2017 CHICAGO -- Matt Davidson didn't have time to talk with the media waiting at his Guaranteed Rate Field home clubhouse locker Tuesday, as the White Sox third baseman was on his way to the airport to begin an injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte. Davidson has not played since Aug. 1, when he sustained a bruised right wrist after being hit by a Marcus Stroman pitch. "We're going to have him DH the first game," said White Sox manager Rick Renteria, laying out Davidson's rehab plan. "Probably go out there and play five innings back-to-back, probably have a day off, then extend his innings usage to seven, to nine. Do that for a few games and see where he's at, then give him a day off. Make sure that he's feeling completely sound before he returns. "The reason he's going down there is because he had that setback that pushed his timetable back a little bit. He's been working very hard doing all the drill work, doing everything to physically keep himself fit to swing. But getting down there and seeing some live pitching is certainly going to help." Davidson has 22 home runs and 51 RBIs during his rookie campaign. Minaya saves the day Juan Minaya has three saves since Aug including a save in the victory over Minnesota in Monday's first game -- and three saves in total for his career. The right-hander is enjoying a move into the ninth inning, brought about by the trade of five White Sox late-inning relievers since the All-Star break.

5 "This is a good opportunity," Minaya said. "I never had that before, so now I've got the opportunity, and I'm going to work hard. I'm going to take advantage. I'm going to learn to do that because it is a tough situation in that moment. "It's one of the most important parts of the game. To be in the ninth inning is a tough situation right there. Everybody wants to be in that spot." Abreu making history According to STATS LLC, José Abreu is the first player in White Sox history to begin his Major League career with fourplus consecutive 25-homer seasons and the 10th in Major League history to accomplish the feat. Abreu needs 23 RBIs to become the third player in Major League history to begin his career with four straight seasons of at least 25 homers and 100 RBIs. Abreu would join Joe DiMaggio ( ) and Albert Pujols ( ) on that exclusive list. Lucas Giolito's White Sox debut drew rave reviews By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago August 22, 2017 Lucas Giolito s first outing may not have netted the outcome the White Sox hoped for, but the look and feel was most definitely there. The team s sixth-ranked prospect showed just how much progress he s made the over the entire season and in particular the last six weeks in his White Sox debut on Tuesday night. Giolito was promoted from Triple-A Charlotte early Tuesday and looked poised and confident for six innings despite a heavy reliance on the fastball because his curve wasn t where he wanted. While he yielded three home runs in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins, Giolito and the White Sox liked what they saw. Excellent, manager Rick Renteria said. I thought it was a very positive outing. Lucas I thought threw the ball very, very well. Fastball was very good. He was using his breaking ball. He threw some that were a little short. But all and all, I thought his mound presence, his attack of the strike zone -- I don t think he walked anybody, he threw a lot of strikes -- he looked very, very good to me. Very pleased. Once the top pitching prospect in baseball, Giolito had lost a little bit of the shine even by the time he was traded to the White Sox last December in the Adam Eaton deal. He struggled at times during a nomadic 2016 campaign with the Nationals -- he was moved seven times in all -- and saw a dip in fastball velocity as his mechanics got out of whack. Though excited by the trade to the White Sox, Giolito admitted in spring training he wasn t quite where he yet wanted to be. He struggled early this season at Triple-A Charlotte, posting a 5.40 ERA in his first 16 starts and often failed to pitch deep into games. But along the way Giolito found his confidence, rediscovered his curveball and began to pitch more consistently. That was the pitcher the White Sox saw on Tuesday night, the one who despite not having his entire arsenal didn t panic. Working almost entirely with his fastball of his 99 pitchers were four-seamers -- Giolito pitched at a quick pace and got into a rhythm. Giolito got 10 swings and misses, including eight with the fastball, and didn t walk anyone. I felt relaxed, Giolito said. I felt confident the whole time. I feel like tonight I was able to control the game a lot better. Last year my time in the big leagues the game would speed up on me a lot. I d walk a guy, give up a couple of base hits and start to kind of get out of control. Tonight, I felt under control, I was able to trust my stuff, it was just those mistakes. Giolito s outing wasn t perfect. He tried to go inside with fastballs three times and left them over the middle. Jorge Polanco blasted a game-tying solo homer off Giolito in the fourth, Kennys Vargas hit one off him in the fifth and Eddie Rosario hit a two-run, opposite-field shot in the sixth. [MORE: White Sox may have discovered 'diamond in the rough' in Juan Minaya]

6 But that he was effective enough to keep the White Sox in the game in spite of his offense, which blew bases-loaded opportunities in the second and third innings, and minus all of his pitches wasn t lost on Omar Narvaez. Narvaez liked how Giolito competed and the way he spotted his fastball in and out, up and down. I think he s going to be one of our best pitchers, Narvaez said. His fastball is kind of sneaky and he has a great changeup. He uses it whenever he wants to and he has a really, really good curveball. He made a lot of good pitches (with the fastball). Every time we worked behind he just came back with the fastball. Giolito threw his curveball 12 times and used the changeup 16. While he induced a few groundballs with his curve, Giolito wasn t as effective in two-strike situations, spiking the pitch in front of the plate. Even so, Giolito felt good about what he accomplished and that s great for the White Sox. I feel like I belong, Giolito said. I feel like my stuff plays. I m happy I didn t walk anyone tonight. I was able to command the fastball pretty well, but fastball-changeup was pretty much all I had. I wasn t throwing the curveball as well as I would have liked, but I m going to work on that for the next start and hopefully be able to command that pitch a little better. White Sox may have discovered 'diamond in the rough' in Juan Minaya By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago August 22, 2017 Trades and injuries have forced Rick Renteria into open tryouts when it comes to closing out ballgames. So far, Juan Minaya has proven to have the steadiest hand. The White Sox rookie reliever converted his third save in three tries since his tryout began five days ago. By no means would the White Sox manager officially name anyone the closer in a mostly green bullpen that has seen five pitchers traded and two more lost to season-ending injuries. But Renteria has been impressed with how Minaya has handled ninth inning. He's done a nice job, Renteria said. We've used him in many different situations over the course of the season. As it turns out, with all the changes that we've had in terms of personnel, we're trying to use guys in different situations and see how they respond. Sometimes you kind of find a little diamond in the rough and so far, he's been kind of our little diamond in the rough. The White Sox are glad to have unearthed Minaya, whom they claimed off waivers from the Houston Astros in June Though he has only pitched in 38 games in his career, Minaya is one of the more experienced relievers in a bullpen that has seen David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, Anthony Swarzak, Dan Jennings and Tyler Clippard all traded in the last month. The White Sox also lost Nate Jones, Zach Putnam and prospect Zack Burdi to season-ending elbow injuries. Jake Petricka is the only reliever left from the team s Opening Day roster. With 232 games, Danny Farquhar also offers an experienced hand in the bullpen. But beyond that, the White Sox bullpen consists of converted starters -- Mike Pelfrey and Dylan Covey -- and rookies. The situation has led to Minaya, who once saved eight games at Single-A Quad City in 2013, becoming the de facto closer. This is a good opportunity, Minaya said. I never had that before, so now I ve got the opportunity, and I m going to work hard. I m going to take advantage. I m going to learn to do that because it is a tough situation in that moment. Minaya, 26, said Renteria has implored all of his young relievers to allow themselves to think of the ninth inning as if it were the same as the seventh or eighth. But Minaya -- who has 40 strikeouts and a 4.50 ERA in 32 innings this season -- said that pretending the innings are the same is easier said than done. It s one of the most important parts of the game, Minaya said. To be in the ninth inning is a tough situation right there. Everybody wants to be in that spot. It s been a little tough, but that s part of the game. We continue to play the game. We have to think it s like the seventh or eighth inning. It s the same. We have to think that it s the same. But it s not the same.

7 Still, Renteria likes how Minaya showed resolve when faced with adversity on Sunday at the Texas Rangers. The righthander brushed off a potential collapse after Roughned Odor got the Rangers within 3-2 with a two-out, two-run homer off Minaya. Minaya bounced back and retired Elvis Andrus on a fly out to end the game and earn his second save. Despite giving up a homer in that one, he actually looked very confident out there so that didn't jar him, Renteria said. And he still comes to the ballpark, he's a hard worker, very detailed in everything he does, and he continues to give you a great attitude, and he wants the ball whenever you give it to him. Lucas Giolito gives up 3 homers in his White Sox debut Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune August 22, 2017 Lucas Giolito took on his first White Sox postgame media session in much the same way he did his Sox debut Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. He was poised and ready to move on from his mistakes. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up three homers in a 4-1 loss to the Twins, but he and the Sox were happy he kept them within reach. And if there was any doubt last year with the Nationals that he belonged on a major-league mound, he wasn't feeling it Tuesday after giving up four earned runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts over six innings. "I feel like I belong," Giolito said. "I feel like my stuff plays. I'm happy I didn't walk anyone. I was able to command the fastball pretty well, but fastball-changeup was pretty much all I had. I wasn't throwing the curveball as well as I would have liked, but I'm going to work on that for the next start." Giolito's first Sox start was among the most anticipated debuts of the season behind those of second baseman Yoan Moncada and Reynaldo Lopez, though the 14,053 attendance didn't much reflect it. A sparse crowd gave Giolito the loudest cheers during introductions as he warmed up. Giolito said he felt relaxed. That started with fitting into the clubhouse, where his locker is next to former Triple-A Charlotte teammate Nicky Delmonico. He said he plans to seek advice from veteran James Shields. After opening his night by hitting Brian Dozier with a 2-2 pitch, Giolito pitched three scoreless innings before the Twins struck. Jorge Polanco hit his third homer in three games, a solo shot to open the fourth, and Kennys Vargas added a solo homer to open the fifth for a 2-1 Twins lead. After Joe Mauer was credited with a double on a catchable fly ball that left fielder Leury Garcia didn't make a play on, Eddie Rosario hit a two-run shot in the sixth. While Giolito had trouble locating his curveball, catcher Omar Narvaez said Giolito's fastball command impressed him the most, besides those he missed over the middle of the plate for homers. "I think he's going to be one of our best pitchers," Narvaez said. "Because his fastball is kind of sneaky, and he has a great changeup. He uses it whenever he wants to. And he has a really, really good curveball." The No. 59 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, Giolito joined the Sox in the offseason in the Adam Eaton trade, which also netted Lopez and Dane Dunning. The 2012 first-round pick made six appearances, including four starts, last year with the Nationals with a 6.75 ERA. He pitched to a 4.48 ERA this year at Charlotte, but a 1.71 ERA over his last five starts. "I feel like tonight I was able to control the game a lot better," Giolito said. "Last year, my time in the big leagues, the game would speed up on me a lot. I'd walk a guy, give up a couple of base hits and start to kind of get out of control. Tonight I felt under control. I was able to trust my stuff. It was just those mistakes." Moncada, who missed three of the previous four games with shin splints, used his speed to help give Giolito a 1-0 lead in the first against Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson. Moncada legged out a double to right field, advanced to third when Jose Abreu flied out to center field and scored on a wild pitch. But Gibson stranded the bases loaded in the second and third innings as the Sox failed to add on. "We had two innings in which we had a great opportunity to try to open up that ballgame, and maybe the outcome would have looked a little different for him," Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "Nonetheless I thought he threw very well."

8 White Sox rookie sensation Nicky Delmonico beat addiction on way to majors David Haugh / Chicago Tribune August 22, 2017 Arriving on the grounds of the Sundance Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., Nicky Delmonico knew taking the first step through the rehabilitation facility's doors was the reality he had to face if he ever hoped to fulfill his dream. Delmonico was a 22-year-old addicted to Adderall, the attention-deficit disorder drug he had been prescribed since high school. And without undergoing 45 days of treatment in February 2015, the rookie White Sox outfielder knows he never would be enjoying one of the best debuts in team history now. "I knew if I was going to get back into baseball, I needed to get myself right," Delmonico, 25, said Tuesday. "I dug down deep. Not only did I learn about the medicine and what it was doing to me, but I had to figure out what was going on in my life and get back to being myself." If that marked rock bottom for Delmonico, his descent began the previous summer when he was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball. The July 2014 press release from the Commissioner's office announced Delmonico, a top 20 Brewers Class A prospect at the time, tested positive "for an amphetamine." The stigma weighed too heavy to bear. Delmonico feared the label of drug cheat would impede his path to the majors, his goal since he was a bat boy for the University of Tennessee, where his dad, Rod, coached from He figured nobody would care to learn the real story; that he became conditioned to taking Adderall, which MLB had approved for medical purposes, but decided to come off the drug before the 2014 season so not to become overly dependent. "But then I couldn't not take it," Delmonico said. Withdrawal symptoms changed the young man with the infectious personality. His moods swung. Suddenly, Delmonico craved the way he used to feel. "So I made the mistake of taking it again, and that led to my suspension," Delmonico said. When he resumed taking Adderall, Delmonico neglected to notify MLB to gain the exemption he once had, and the positive test and suspension sent his emotions spiraling. On the flight home to Tennessee after his forced baseball exile, he reached a hasty conclusion. "I got home and told my mom, 'I'm done playing,'" Delmonico said. "I just didn't have the love or passion for it. I wasn't in the right frame of mind." Barbara Delmonico Courtney, Nicky's mom, listened but didn't hear the youngest of her three sons. Nobody in Nicky's large, blended baseball family did. "I knew that was not my Nicky talking and all of us knew that," Barbara said in a phone interview. "He was born to be a baseball player." After a dark few months of limbo, Nicky gradually escaped his funk. He asked for and received his release from the Brewers. He had resigned himself to plotting a post-baseball life when the Sox called a day later. Sox assistant general manager Buddy Bell knew Rod Delmonico and remembered the talented son the Orioles had selected in the sixth round of the 2011 draft The Sox liked Delmonico the player but, more importantly, the person. "They told me don't worry about baseball, just take care of yourself first," Delmonico recalled of signing a free-agent contract with the Sox. "They gave me the faith to know that baseball would be here when I got back." Added Barbara: "The White Sox always will have a special place in my heart." The Sox signed Delmonico and wished him well in rehab, where Barbara recalled running into one of Nicky's regular visitors on family day. The man was Tommy Thompson, a Sox assistant director of player development, who knew from his own experience with substance abuse the hell Delmonico was enduring. Thompson's personal touch typified the organizational commitment the Sox made to the lower-level prospect they viewed as a low-risk, high-reward gamble. Nick Capra, the Sox third-base coach who was director of player development then, remembered a consensus building due to Delmonico's character.

9 "We knew his history and, more or less, were willing to give him a second chance," Capra said. "Nicky's a winner. His baseball mentality is what you're looking for. You always see a smile on his face." Delmonico's smiles have been wider and more frequent since Aug. 1, when the Sox called up the versatile 6-foot-2, 230- pound left-handed hitter. He reached base his first 13 games, a team record. He hit six home runs in his first 19 games, the fastest Sox player to ever do so. In sandlot terms, he is feeling it. "I feel like I'm narrowing my strike zone, not trying to do too much, squaring up the ball and letting everything else take care of itself," said Delmonico, who had a.343/.443/.642 slash line before Tuesday. "I worked hard to prepare for this moment and, mentally, I'm the person I want to be right now." When Delmonico received news of his promotion July 31, he instantly called his mom even if she was sleeping. "I didn't know what to think when the phone rang at 12:30 in the morning," Barbara said. "And Nicky just said, 'Mama, your baby is going to the big leagues.' I've teared up every day since." The tears started falling at Delmonico's debut Aug. 1 at Guaranteed Rate Field when Nicky laced an eighth-inning single to center for his first major-league hit. Delmonico stood on first base and started looking for his family in the stands: his mom and stepfather, his dad, his two brothers and their wives, and his girlfriend. He thought of all those long days in Arizona and lost months after the suspension. He never has felt more emotional on the baseball field. "It just didn't feel real," Delmonico said. The real deal now puts Delmonico in position to be a bigger part of the Sox rebuilding project than expected, all because he persevered through a drug addiction. "I went through all that at a time it was the best thing for me because I got to learn about myself, more than anything, and got back to what I loved the most," Delmonico said. He paused, took a breath and looked toward the sky. "I hope my story," Delmonico said, "can inspire a lot of people to never give up on your dreams." Matt Davidson heads to rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune August 22, 2017 White Sox third baseman Matt Davidson took fielding practice Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field and then packed and headed to the airport for a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte. Davidson has been on the disabled list since Aug. 4 with a right wrist bruise. Because he has been out for an extended period of time, Sox manager Rick Renteria said he expects Davidson to start with limited action and work his way up to a few full games in a row, indicating that could take as long as a week. "He's been working very hard doing all the drill work, doing everything to keep himself fit to swing," Renteria said. "But getting down there and seeing some live pitching is certainly going to help. It will get him back in sync if he's lost anything through the time he's been down." Davidson's injury came as he was trying to make a strong finish to his first full season with the Sox. He was hitting.238 with 11 doubles, 22 homers, 51 RBIs, 124 strikeouts and a.784 OPS in 88 games. Yolmer Sanchez and Tyler Saladino have filled in at third base in his absence. Opportunity seized: Renteria wondered Tuesday whether the Sox have found a "diamond in the rough" o for their opening at closer. After the trades of closer David Robertson and relievers Tommy Kahnle, Anthony Swarzak, Dan Jennings and Tyler Clippard, the Sox were light on ninth-inning options. But Juan Minaya converted his third straight save opportunity Monday against the Twins after earning saves Friday and Sunday against the Rangers. In Sunday's victory, he gave up a two-run homer to Rougned Odor, but Renteria liked how he recovered to finish the game.

10 "We're trying to use guys in different situations and see how they respond," Renteria said. "Sometimes you find a little diamond in the rough, and so far, he's been kind of our little diamond in the rough.... He's a hard worker, very detailed in everything he does, and he continues to give you a great attitude. He wants the ball whenever you give it to him." Minaya, 26, owns a 4.50 ERA this season, but in 10 August appearances through Monday has a 3.12 ERA with six walks and 10 strikeouts. He said he likes the pressure of the ninth inning. "We have to think it's like the seventh or eighth inning," Minaya said. "We have to think that it's the same. But it's not the same." Luc longly: Twins go deep 3 times in Giolito s White Sox debut Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times August 22, 2017 Lucas Giolito allowed four runs in six innings in his White Sox debut Tuesday, nothing to celebrate after a 4-1 loss to the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field. He was pleased that he didn t walk anyone, though, and that he got through six innings without an effective curveball. If he took anything away from his 99-pitch body of work before 14,053 fans, it was the reminder that mistakes in the major leagues will be paid for. All three homers were fastballs, Giolito said of Jorge Polanco s 408-foot leadoff shot in the fourth inning, Kennys Vargas 411-foot bomb to right-center leading off the fifth and Eddie Rosario s two-run, 409-footer to left-center in the sixth. Lucas Giolito pitches against the Twins during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field Tuesday. (Getty Images) On all three, I was trying to go in, and I missed right over the middle, and guys are going to hit it a long way if you miss your spot. That s going to happen. And that was the story of Giolito s first game in a Sox uniform. Enough things working well to make him believe he belongs and enough bad to remind him there s little margin for error at the major-league level. I feel like I belong, he said. I feel like my stuff plays. The Sox unveiled the 6-6 right-hander, the No. 6 prospect in the organization and No. 59 in baseball, according to MLB.com, after introducing Reynaldo Lopez a week and a half ago. Both were acquired in the trade with the Nationals for Adam Eaton. Both are pictured manning a couple of spots in the 2018 rotation behind Carlos Rodon. To Giolito s credit, he gathered himself after each homer and finished those innings well. He allowed four runs and six hits, walked none and struck out four. Excellent, is how manager Rick Renteria summed him up. I thought it was a very positive outing. Lucas threw the ball very, very well. Giolito, who had a humbling 6.75 ERA in four starts and two relief appearances with the Nationals last season, was 6-10 with a 4.48 ERA at Charlotte. His ERA in his last five starts was 1.71, and he looked poised and relaxed from the get-go, even though he hit leadoff man Brian Dozier. He opened with three scoreless innings. Last year during my time in the big leagues, the game would speed up on me a lot, he said. I d walk a guy, give up a couple of hits and start to kind of get out of control. Tonight, I felt under control. I was able to trust my stuff it was just those mistakes. I m happy I didn t walk anyone tonight. I was able to command the fastball pretty well, but fastball-changeup was pretty much all I had. Giolito got through it by commanding his fastball on both sides of the plate and spotting it up and down in the strike zone. The problem was those three he left in the middle of the plate. A couple of mistakes got us, catcher Omar Narvaez said. [But] I think he s going to be one of our best pitchers.

11 Why? Because his [93 mph] fastball is kind of sneaky, and he has a great changeup, Narvaez said. He uses it whenever he wants to, and he has a really, really good curveball. The Sox (48-76) had two big opportunities to give Giolito early run support but failed. After Yoan Moncada, who doubled his first two times up against Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson, scored on a wild pitch in the first inning, the Sox loaded the bases with one out in the second and with no outs in the third but did not score as Gibson (seven innings, one run, eight strikeouts) struck out Avisail Garcia, Yolmer Sanchez and Tim Anderson in order in the third. Sure, Sox are horrible, but having a plan is victory enough Rick Telander / Chicago Sun-Times August 22, 2017 Let s fantasize. It s 2020, the postseason has arrived, and the White Sox are contending for the World Series. They re rebuilt, retooled, refined, reborn. They re legit. Sure, it s a dream. But isn t that what all this deconstruction and selling of assets and acquiring of draft picks and young guys and hopeful phenoms is all about? Head man Rick Hahn has made no secret of the Sox project to blow up everything and construct a team that is not constrained by half-baked concepts, patched-together lineups, old-man salaries and little unity. It s good there s a genuine plan. Because if this current club were assembled by accident or bad decisions, with its worstin-the-american League record of after losing Tuesday night, there should be fan insurrection. As it stands, Sox followers, even with this wretched team, are the most satisfied and happiest pro sports fans in Chicago ahead of the 2016 World Series champion Cubs, the Bulls, the Bears and the Blackhawks. I m not making that up. It s from a recent survey by something called the J.D. Power Fan Experience Study. And you know surveys are not fake news. At any rate, Sox fans seem to be OK with this turbulent losing, which, from a certain vantage point, could be called plain old tanking. You stink now so you can smell like a rose later. Sox fans keep rolling with it the G-Rate stands half-empty but cheerful, understanding, nobody expecting much the North Side Cubs sucking all the oxygen out of the baseball room except what little the Sox need to chug quietly along. On any given day, it s hard to say who will be in the lineup for the Sox, except, of course, one of the many confusing Garcias. On Monday, young pitcher Carson Fulmer was brought up from the minors to start the second game against the Twins, got blasted into the ionosphere and landed back down in the minors. The Sox first-round pick in 2015, Fulmer is proof that rebuilding plans don t always work out perfectly. That s the uncertainty Hahn must deal with, but his confidence is complete. If you have a sound plan, you trust that, he has said. The Cubs did it, so why can t he? We ll find out as the gutting continues. Indeed, the players on the Sox are so much like pieces in a board game that it seems anyone who s not an adolescent might be shipped off for somebody younger, more unknown, with more potential, at any moment. Asked not long ago if All-Star outfielder Avisail Garcia, a free agent in 2020, will be part of the new regime, Hahn demurred. Where did Avi fit in? Right field today, Hahn replied. Garcia, after all, is an ancient 26. Established fellows like center fielder and leadoff man Adam Eaton, 28, were dumped during the offseason for kids like Lucas Giolito, 22, the Nationals No. 1 pitching prospect, who started for the Sox on Tuesday night.

12 And, of course, ace fireballer Chris Sale was shopped to the Red Sox for young infielder Yoan Moncada, two other prospects, plus bazooka-armed right-hander Michael Kopech. Just 21, Kopech keeps folks enthralled because, according to Baseball America, he threw a 105 mph fastball in a minor-league game last year. That s cool, but cautionary. I ll never forget talking to 2005 Sox World Series closer Bobby Jenks, who told me he once hit 103 mph in the minors. Nobody can touch that, I said with awe. Oh, they ll time it up if you don t move it around, Jenks corrected me. Doesn t matter how fast. Right now the Sox are slow. Speed to come. They promise. Renteria says Minaya is White Sox little diamond in the rough Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times August 22, 2017 This is what happens when the general manager empties out your bullpen: Juan Minaya becomes the closer. And wouldn t you know it, it s so far, so good with the 26-year-old Dominican right-hander who converted on all three of his save opportunities going into the Sox game Tuesday against the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field. It s a good opportunity I ve never had before, so I m going to work hard and take advantage, said Minaya, who has a 4.50 ERA in 27 relief appearances. Minaya, who saved eight games for the Astros Class A Quad Cities team in 2013, wants to approach the ninth like the seventh or eighth and just make good pitches, but there s no getting around that it s not the same. Juan Minaya delivers against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning Friday in Arlington, Texas. (AP) It s a little bit of pressure, but we re fine with it, he said. I like it. Minaya hasn t been perfect. He gave up a two-run homer to the Rangers Rougned Odor on Sunday in Texas, protecting a 3-0 lead, but still came away with the save. Manager Rick Renteria called Minaya, a September 2016 waiver claim from the Astros, a detailed, hard worker. Sponsored by Cedar Point Play your way at Cedar Point with thrills and experiences for all ages! Take it from bloggers - With 40 rides, a brand new waterpark, live shows and a mile-long beach, the fun at Cedar Point never has to end! See More So far, he s been kind of our little diamond in the rough, Renteria said. Since the All-Star break, general manager Rick Hahn has traded closer David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, Anthony Swarzak, Tyler Clippard and Dan Jennings from the bullpen. Nate Jones and Zach Putnam are out for the season with elbow injuries. Davidson out on assignment Matt Davidson, who hasn t played since the Jays Marcus Stroman hit him on the right wrist with a pitch Aug. 1, took infield practice and packed his bags to join Class AAA Charlotte for a rehab assignment. Davidson will need more than a couple of days, Renteria said. Make sure that he s feeling completely sound before he returns, Renteria said. Davidson was batting.238 with a team-high 22 homers and 51 RBI when he went on the disabled list seven days after getting hit. Nick s quick six

13 When Nicky Delmonico homered in Game 2 of the doubleheader Monday against the Twins, he got to six homers in 19 games faster than any Sox player in club history. Jose Abreu (21) is next on that list, followed by Zeke Bonura (22) from the 1950s and Magglio Ordonez (32). Delmonico reached base in 18 of his first 19 games, including a franchise-record 13 in a row to start his career. Four 25s and counting for Abreu Abreu is the first Sox player and 10th major-leaguer to begin his career with four seasons of at least 25 home runs. Abreu entered Tuesday needing 23 RBI to begin his career with four seasons of at least 25 homers and 100 RBI he would join Joe DiMaggio ( ) and Albert Pujols ( ). Abreu is on pace for career highs in doubles, extra-base hits and runs. Fulmer, the day after Renteria on Carson Fulmer s 1 -inning start Monday in which he gave up two three-run homers: It will impact him with an awareness. He ll recognize there are certain things you have to do to be effective at the major-league level. He knows he has the skill. Giolito after first start with White Sox: I feel like I belong Scot Gregor / Daily Herald August 22, 2017 There are so many hurdles to clear before a rebuild gets off the ground, and one was set up in front of the Chicago White Sox Tuesday night. Promising pitching prospect Lucas Giolito made his first start for the Sox in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field. As expected, the big right-hander soared through some points and stumbled through others. "I felt good going in, confident," Giolito said. "I'd say just a few mistakes got me tonight, trying to go in with the heater and leaving it over the middle. Guys up here are going to hit mistakes. That's kind of what happened." Acquired from the Washington Nationals in the Adam Eaton trade, the 23-year-old Giolito pitched 6 innings against the Twins and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits. Three of them cleared the fences, and that's how Minnesota scored all of its runs. Jorge Polanco and Kennys Vargas hit solo homers in the fourth and fifth innings and Eddie Rosario added a 2-run shot in the sixth. All 3 home runs were on fastballs. "I was essentially pitching with only the fastball a lot of the time, just trying to move it to both sides of the plate, pitch up when need be and for the most part we were able to do that," Giolito said. "You just can't leave it over the middle." Giolito threw 99 pitches in his Sox debut and 69 were fastballs. He had trouble throwing his curveball and changeup for strikes. When the off-speed pitches do come, the White Sox might have a top-end starter on the roster. That is certainly Giolito's goal. "I feel like I belong," he said. "I feel like my stuff plays. I'm happy I didn't walk anyone tonight. I was able to command the fastball pretty well, but fastball-changeup was pretty much all I had. I wasn't throwing the curveball as well as I would have liked, but I'm going to work on that for the next start and hopefully be able to command that pitch a little better." Manager Rick Renteria was very impressed with his new starting pitcher. "Excellent," Renteria said. "I thought it was a very positive outing. Truthfully, maybe we had two innings where we had opportunities to really possibly open up the game and we didn't do that. Lucas, I thought, threw the ball very, very well.