Pregame notes: Will Venable’s homecoming

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- If there's one big takeaway from all of today's White Sox transactions, it's that the Charlotte Knights have a new first baseman. Ryan Noda was claimed off waivers and optioned to Triple-A, filling the Andrew Vaughn-shaped hole in the Knights lineup.

Vaughn was assigned to Triple-A Nashville himself, so it could be a moment before there's a real measure on how things differ for him in a new organization.

"When I got the job, Andrew was the first player I called," Venable said. "Knowing his history here, his reputation for being a leader in the clubhouse and the importance of him to this organization. He was awesome for the players, awesome for the staff. We’re going to miss him. Excited for him at the same time and his opportunity with the Brewers. "

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To continue disavowing everything I learned in journalism school by rolling out news items in an ascending order of importance, Tyler Gilbert was activated off the injured list for the MCL sprain of his left knee, while Owen White was optioned to Triple-A. The Sox were having enough trouble finding ways to use White as is, and they've loved having Gilbert's low lefty angle in their bullpen mix. He's prepared to return to a swingman role, provided he can avoid a jagged mound giving him this same knee injury a third time.

"I just gotta avoid pitching out of the hole on the mound, I think that’s what happened both times," Gilbert said. "This one, fortunately, wasn’t as bad as the one that happened in spring. Luckily, there’s no tear or nothing. But when that ligament, once it gets barely aggravated, it kind of takes a little bit of time for it to calm down. Moving forward, just doing a few things that I can to try and avoid it.

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Venable is back in Texas, facing his old boss in Bruce Bochy. I sure hope all the Rangers reporters who came to his media session weren't banking on spicier quotes.

"Had the chance earlier [to manager against Bochy] and it was like every other series really," Venable said. "He’s meant a ton to me personally in my development and my growth. I appreciate everything he’s done for me, but it’s going to be another series where the White Sox are going to try to do our best to win it."

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Vinny Capra has been on the roster nearly a month (activated on May 16) and this is his seventh start. However, his first start didn't come until May 25, and now three of those seven starts have come in the last three days.

As always, there's a confluence of factors. Lenyn Sosa's injured list stint nudged him up the infield depth chart, and then Tim Elko went 0-for-12 with 10 strikeouts (and three walks) over his last four games, prompting a night off.

"We have been trying to get him involved, it just hasn’t really worked out with where our roster was at," Will Venable said of Capra. "Prioritizing defense a little bit here and with where we’re at it’s just sort of been that he’s been in there for three days. It isn’t as intentional as coincidental."

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Brooks Baldwin is back. He hit a freakish .380/.437/.734 with seven home runs in 19 games at Triple-A, blasting the standard for guy hitting well enough to get promoted off Truist Field stats into the sun.

"To be in the big leagues at all is special and should be special to anybody," Baldwin said. "Just trying to get back to what I was doing a little bit last year and get in my legs a little more and not really worry about the power. Just let the power do itself and be the line-drive hitter I’ve always been. I always say homers are accidents."

Having a lot of accidents, bud.

"When you put good swings on balls, accidents happen more often," Baldwin said. "When you try less, good things usually happen a lot more often."

Look for a feature on Baldwin's apparent adaptation of Daoist principles on Sox Machine at a later date, but Venable says he's mostly taking over Joshua Palacios' role on the team after the outfielder was designated for assignment. That would mean a lot more outfield than infield and a narrower path to regular playing time, but Baldwin was taking grounders on the infield pregame, for what it's worth.

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Aaron Civale will start Sunday. He was not with the team yet as of Friday. That means Saturday is still on track to be a bullpen game where Mike Vasil is the bulk pitcher. Gilbert and Tyler Alexander are both left-handed multi-inning options who could contribute as well.

Chris Getz said Jonathan Cannon is nearing a rehab assignment, but since he's yet to throw a bullpen yet and probably needs to throw two such sessions before heading to Charlotte, it could be another week before such a move is made.

Venable, like Getz, acknowledged that a six-man rotation could be possible at some point.

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The visitor's clubhouse at Globe Life Field smells weird. This is listed last because it's the most important thing.

The players are commenting on it repeatedly. If one of them gets sick, their suspicion will only grow further. Parts of the locker room carpet felt wet, and it certainly smells like something in there has been allowed to stay damp for too long.

First pitch: White Sox at Rangers

TV: CHSN

Radio: ESPN 1000 AM

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