UPDATE (10:27 a.m. today): While I was told Clevinger was heading to Chicago, Fraser Ellard and Bryan Ramos will be the first two players to be part of the expanded 28-man roster in September.
Original story, posted Friday night: Major league rosters expand to 28 players on Monday, and the White Sox tipped off one of their two possible additions when Mike Clevinger was scratched before he was supposed to take the mound for Charlotte in Nashville on Sunday.
Indeed, Clevinger is heading up to join the White Sox begin a seven-day road trip to Minnesota and Detroit. The White Sox haven't announced a starter for their Labor Day matinee, and while James has been told that Clevinger isn't going to fill that particular vacancy, he could very well be a bulk option, whether he's entering after an opener or doing some kind of a shift on a true bullpen day.
Clevinger has fared decently in Charlotte's rotation, with a 4.22 ERA over 18 starts and 79 innings. He most recently threw five innings of one-run ball to open the series against the Sounds on Tuesday, and pitched into the sixth inning the start before that. Had Clevinger's availability not been the easiest to line up of any Charlotte starter, I'm not sure the White Sox would be making plans around him, but there's also a documented history of the White Sox appreciating his presence more than the rest of the league, so you couldn't dismiss him as a possibility during a September where the White Sox will probably exchange call-ups throughout.
Among position players, Bryan Ramos is the only member of the 40-man roster who isn't already in Chicago, so he would be the most obvious candidate to take the other roster spot. He did play the entirety of Sunday's game in Nashville, so if he's the other addition, the White Sox don't feel the need to get him in place by Monday afternoon.
Nashville 7, Charlotte 0
- Bryan Ramos and Jacob Gonzalez bothw ere 0-for-4 with two strikeouts
- Dru Baker was 0-for-3 with a K.
- Jairo Iriarte: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 7 of 22 pitches for strikes.
- Peyton Pallette: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, all 6 pitches strikes.
Notes:
*Chase Plymell was the spot starter in Clevinger's place, but he appeared to injure his shoulder in the first inning on a wild pitch.
*The Knights were held to four hits in their second straight shutout.
Knoxville 11, Birmingham 1
- Rikuu Nishida was 0-for-2 with two walks. He was also picked off/caught stealing.
- William Bergolla, 1-for-3 with a sac bunt.
- Sam Antonacci went 1-for-4.
- So did Braden Montgomery; of course his hit was a double.
- Ryan Galanie returned to the lineup as DH, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Winston-Salem 5, Rome 0
- Samuel Zavala was 2-for-5 with two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Jeral Perez, 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Kyle Lodise went 1-for-4 with a double and a sac fly
- Caleb Bonemer homered twice, doubled, walked and struck out.
- Lyle Miller-Green went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Ryan Burrowes, 1-for-4 with a K and a stolen base.
- Christian Oppor: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 45 of 66 pitches for strikes.
Kannapolis 4, Salem 1
- Ely Brown went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- George Wolkow was 1-for-3 with a double, walk and 30th steal.
- Anthony DePino went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- Kaleb Freeman, 0-for-3.
