There are a couple of recent roster moves to update that include a few of the bigger name White Sox prospects.
With Mark Teahen being placed on the 15-Day DL after suffering a fractured right finger, Brent Lillibridge has been called up to take his place, although Lillibridge did have a tough time making his way to Chicago, as he Tweeted:
Getting to Chi could not be hardr flight cancll,
switch to another flight delay 2 hours back to Charlotte. So can’t fly
out til tomorrow.
Lillibridge, 26, has stalled as a prospect over the last few seasons. To date, he has 197 Major League PA’s with a batting line of .177/.258/.251 with 1 home run and 8 stolen bases. This year with Triple-A Charlotte he hit .270/.330/.378 in 206 PA’s.
Third baseman Brent Morel, 23, who we ranked as the number 6 prospect in the White Sox system coming into the year, has been promoted to Triple-A Charlotte. Morel was having a solid, but unspectacular year at the plate with Birmingham hitting .324/.375/.434. The lack of power is a slight concern, not that I was ever expecting him to be a masher, although Birmingham’s spacious park is probably partly to blame for the .110 ISO. He puts the ball into play at a decent rate, but you would like to see him walk more often. Morel is a great makeup guy with a fantastic work ethic.
Second baseman C.J. Retherford, 24, moves in the opposite direction to Morel after a poor start to his season with Charlotte. Retherford was hitting just .201/.246/.314 through 171 PA’s with an uncharacteristically high strikeout percentage (17.5% vs. just 13.3% last year). He was hurt by a very low BABIP (.224). Hopefully the demotion to Birmingham will get C.J.’s season going.
Trayce Thompson, one of the few bright spots in the White Sox system this year has landed on the 7-Day DL after reportedly injuring his hand. The 19 year old outfielder is hitting .236/.296/.458 with Low-A Kannapolis and showing very good power. His strikeout rate, 27%, although high, is actually a very positive step forward for him after he struck out in 34.76% of his PA’s in rookie ball last year. He’s very raw, but his tools and athleticism make him one of the most exciting prospects in the Sox system.