Daniel Palka already received bad news earlier in the week when the White Sox optioned him to Charlotte. The White Sox added to it by claiming AJ Reed from the Houston Astros on Monday. The Sox made room for him on the 40-man roster by transferring Ryan Burr to the 60-day injured list.
Reed checks the same spots at Palka -- a big man (6'4", 275 lbs.) who hits left-handed and plays first base. Reed also has a richer prospect history. Before the 2016 season, Baseball America called Reed the 11th-best prospect in baseball. Other outlets weren't as enchanted -- MLB.com had him at No. 40, Baseball Prospectus at No. 55 -- but he was a prospect of considerable stock.
Alas, Reed has all the markings of a Quadruple-A player:
- Triple-A: .260/.351/.517 over 356 games
- Majors: .153/.253/.244 over 48 games
Crawfish Boxes pegged him as a guy who couldn't succeed against premium velocity, and he wasn't going to get a chance to prove otherwise with Houston, as Yordan Alvarez and Tyler White passed him by. I wouldn't count on Reed finding a different level with Charlotte or Chicago, but with Palka and Zack Collins a combined 2-for-67 with 30 strikeouts this season and Gavin Sheets a half-season away from deserving his own clear path to the majors, the White Sox have a limited window for this kind of audition.
Birmingham 2, Pensacola 1
- Welington Castillo started his rehab stint at DH, going 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Luis Gonzalez was 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Gavin Sheets, 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Ti'Quan Forbes went 1-for-4 with a triple.
- Camilo Quinteiro filled in for Nick Madrigal, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- The Barons have a Tomshaw and a Tomscha.
Winston-Salem 3, Frederick 2
- Steele Walker went 0-for-4.
- Carlos Perez was 2-for-3.
Idaho Falls 2, Great Falls 0 (Game 1, 5½ innings)
- Kelvin Maldonado, Lency Delgado, Anderson Comas and Cabera Weaver all went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
- Luis Mieses was 0-for-2 without the strikeout.
- Sam Abbott had the lone Voyagers hit, going 1-for-2.
AZL White Sox 8, AZL Padres2 2
- Misael Gonzalez went 1-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- Harold Diaz was 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Samil Polanco, 2-for-5 with a double.
- DJ Gladney went 1-for-3 with a homer and an HBP.
- Bryan Ramos went 2-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts, and was caught stealing.
- Josue Guerrero went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Yoelvin Silven: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K
DSL Blue Jays 6, DSL White Sox 4
- Anthony Espinoza went 1-for-5 with a strikeout. He was also caught stealing.
- Benyamin Bailey doubled, singled, walked twice and got plunked.
- Jefferson Mendoza was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Wilber Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a walk.
