The White Sox optioned Gregory Infante to Charlotte this afternoon following their 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. I figured he'd be the first reliever sent down, partially due to results (16.62 ERA, 3.23 WHIP over six games), and partially due to factors contributing to those results (his fastball is missing two ticks). Juan Minaya jumped in front of him by walking four guys in a game, but Infante finds himself back in the minors just the same, hoping his next MLB appearance won't require another seven-year wait.
If you're trying to figure out who will replace him, the Sox don't necessarily need to summon a reliever, especially if the weather is as bad as advertised in Minnesota. Rick Renteria has used his full bench in a few games, so I can see the Sox adding to his bench while the opportunity is there. Summing up the routes:
Relievers: Thyago Vieira is the only reliever who is in full working order, on the 40-man roster and not yet in Chicago. If they want to go off the roster, Jeanmar Gomez, Xavier Cedeno, Robbie Ross and Rob Scahill all pitched today for Charlotte, so it seems like they're out of play.
Vieira's been off to an OK start: 2⅔ innings, one hit, two walks, five strikeouts. Did he telegraph it a few days ago?
https://twitter.com/ThyagoVieira40/status/983187694397173760
Catcher: If Welington Castillo needs a few days for his knee -- Bruce Levine says he underwent an MRI -- the Sox might be able to call up Kevan Smith. He went on the DL at the end of spring training with a sprained ankle, but the injury was supposed to be mild.
Other: Ryan Cordell didn't start for the Knights, which is usually the first thing you'd look for. Then again, he's started the season 2-for-21 with nine strikeouts, so he could just be getting a breather.
I'm not great at guessing these fringe roster shuffles, but I'll go with Smith for a series, especially if that series is only one game.
Norfolk 4, Charlotte 3 (11 innings)
- Charlie Tilson went 0-for-5 with a strikeout, but he stole a base.
- Daniel Palka was 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Casey Gillaspie wore the golden sombrero during an 0-for-5 day.
Birmingham 5, Montgomery 2
- Tito Polo was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Jameson Fisher went 1-for-3 with a homer, walk and strikeout.
- Zack Collins was 0-for-3 with a walk and a K.
- Seby Zavala went 2-for-4 with a homer, double and strikeout.
- Spencer Adams: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
- Ian Hamilton: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Winston-Salem 9, Myrtle Beach 0
- Joel Booker went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.
- Luis Alexander Basabe filled the box score: 3-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base.
- Alex Call went 0-for-1 with three walks.
- Gavin Sheets went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.
- Yermin Mercedes struck out as a pinch hitter for Sheets.
- Micker Adolfo was 2-for-5 with a double.
- Yeyson Yrizarri went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk.
- Ti'Quan Forbes was 2-for-4 with a double, but he was picked off/caught stealing.
- Dane Dunning is biding his time: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP. Both hits came in the seventh inning.
Kannapolis 6, Asheville 4
- Michael Hickman went 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Tate Blackman was 1-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Carlos Perez, 2-for-3.
- Lincoln Henzman: 6.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
- Tyler Johnson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
More:
*Matt Cassidy watched Henzman's start:
