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White Sox Release 5 Players

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The White Sox have released five players – infielders Matt Skole and Ramon Torres, right-hander Zach Putnam, and lefties Caleb Frare and Matt Tomshaw – according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Frare, Skole and Tomshaw spent time in major league camp during the first version of spring training, but the White Sox reassigned them to the minors in March.

The most big league experience in the group belongs to the 32-year-old Putnam, who was rather adept at keeping runs off the board with the White Sox from 2014-17. During that 139 1/3-inning span, he posted a 2.71 ERA/3.34 FIP with 9.62 K/9, 3.62 BB/9 and a 47.6 percent groundball rate. Putnam hasn’t pitched in the majors since then, though, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and then, as a member of the Red Sox organization last year, battled a hamstring injury. He returned to the White Sox on a minor league contract in March.

Skole was once a solid prospect with the Nationals, and while he did slash .248/.384/.497 with 21 home runs in 391 plate appearances with the White Sox’s Triple-A team last season, he hasn’t seen much action in the majors. The 30-year-old owns a meager .567 OPS at the game’s highest level in 93 PA. Likewise, Torres, Frare and Tomshaw have shown well at times in the minors, but they haven’t made noteworthy impacts in MLB in their small sample sizes of work (Tomshaw hasn’t reached the majors thus far).

White Sox Sign Adalberto Mejia, Drew Anderson, Matt Skole

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The White Sox announced a series of minor league signings Tuesday, including the yet-unreported additions of left-hander Adalberto Mejia, right-hander Drew Anderson, corner infielder Matt Skole and outfielder Jaycob Brugman. They’ll all be in Major League camp this spring.

Mejia, formerly of the Twins, Angels and Cardinals, was a top-100 prospect at his best but has yet to put things together at the game’s top level. Now 26 years old, Mejia was unscored upon in 9 1/3 minor league innings across multiple organizations this year but was hit hard in the Majors, logging a 6.61 ERA (4.97 FIP, 5.98 xFIP) with an ugly 30-to-21 K/BB ratio in 31 1/3 innings.

Mejia did make 21 respectable starts for the Twins in 2017 (4.50 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 4.0 BB/9) at just 24 years of age, creating some optimism that he could settle in as the fourth starter he’d been projected as in the upper minors. But blister issues and a left wrist injury shortened Mejia’s 2018 season, and he wasn’t able to regain his footing in 2019. The White Sox don’t look to have room for him in the rotation, but he could provide depth in Triple-A or look to carve out a bullpen spot.

Anderson, 25, enjoyed solid numbers in Double-A and Triple-A in 2017-18 but hasn’t found success in the big leagues yet. He’s thrown 21 innings for the Phillies but been hammered for 18 earned runs on 29 hits and nine walks with 19 strikeouts. He’s only yielded one home run in that time, but he’s been plagued by a sky-high .389 BABIP in the Majors. Anderson notched a combined 3.72 ERA in 111 1/3 innings in Triple-A from 2017-18 but slumped to a 5.77 mark in 48 1/3 frames there in 2019.

The 30-year-old Skole appeared in 27 games for the White Sox in 2019, hitting .208/.275/.236 in 80 plate appearances. He posted a .248/.384/.497 batting line with 21 long balls in Triple-A Charlotte this past season — his second in the White Sox organization. Skole has a generally productive track record throughout the minors thanks largely to his persistent knack for drawing walks.

Brugman, 28, hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since his 2017 debut with the A’s, when he batted .266/.346/.343 in 162 plate appearances. He’s been with the Orioles and Mariners since that time, including a terrific .283/.363/.601 slash in 331 plate appearances with Seattle’s Triple-A club in 2019. Brugman, though, has never shown that type of power in the past, so those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt considering the juiced ball in Triple-A this past season; the outfielder’s 24 homers in 2019 matched his combined total from 2016-18. Brugman has long had solid walk rates, though, and he’s a solid defender who can play all three outfield spots even though he’s consistently posted below-average power numbers excluding the 2019 surge.

White Sox Outright Four Players

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The White Sox announced today that they have outrighted four players. Leaving the 40-man are southpaw Manny Banuelos, outfielder Ryan Cordell, and infielders Ryan Goins and Matt Skole.

The Chicago organization noted that all four players will reach minor-league free agency at the conclusion of the World Series. Accordingly, they’ll soon hit the open market.

Banuelos, 28, made it back to the majors for the first time since his 2014 debut. But he scuffled to a 6.93 ERA in 50 2/3 frames with the White Sox.

Cordell and Skole also received somewhat longer looks in their second seasons of MLB action. The 27-year-old Cordell was given 247 plate appearances but managed only a .221/.290/.355 batting line. Skole posted a meager .208/.275/.236 output over eighty trips to the plate.

Of the group, Goins obviously has far and away the most extensive experience. The gritty, light-hitting infielder actually had something of a career year at the dish, turning in a .250/.333/.347 slash in 163 plate appearances. That translates to a personal-best 86 wRC+.

White Sox Purchase Contract Of Matt Skole

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The White Sox announced today that they have purchased the contract of corner infielder Matt Skole. He’ll be joined on the active roster by Seby Zavala, who was called up with fellow catcher Welington Castillo going on the family medical emergency leave list.

Skole, who recently celebrated his thirtieth birthday, landed with the White Sox organization last year after running out his time with the Nationals club. Though he earned a brief chance at a MLB debut, Skole spent the bulk of the season in the upper minors — just as he had dating way back to 2013 — and lost his 40-man spot late in the season.

This year, Skole has boosted his output, though part of that reflects a rising International League offensive mean. Still, his .248/.384/.497 batting line reflects some real improvement. Skole has maintained his power (21 home runs) while improving his plate-discipline to levels he hasn’t managed since his time in the low minors (17.9% walk rate vs. 25.3% strikeout rate).

A left-handed hitter, Skole will likely function mostly as a bench bat and part-time DH. He has spent plenty of time at third base over his career, but has appeared primarily at first in recent seasons. If he appears in the field, it seems likeliest to come in occasional relief of regular first bagger Jose Abreu.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/22/18

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Rounding up some recent minor league transactions from around the baseball world….

  • The Marlins have signed outfielder Gabriel Guerrero to a minor league deal, as Guerrero announced on his personal Instagram page.  The 24-year-old has bounced around the farm systems of the Mariners, Diamondbacks, and Reds during his eight-year pro career, finally cracking the big leagues in 2018 by appearing in 14 games for Cincinnati.  He was outrighted off the Reds’ 40-man roster in October, paving the way for another trip to free agency.  Guerrero has a .273/.314/.413 slash line and 80 home runs over 3612 PA in the minors, showing glimpses of potential but never really establishing himself as a top-tier prospect.
  • The White Sox re-signed first baseman Matt Skole to a minors deal, as per Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.  Originally a fifth-round pick for the Nationals in the 2011 draft and a noteworthy prospect in Washington’s farm system, injuries hampered Skole’s progress, and he didn’t make his MLB debut until last season.  After joining Chicago’s organization as a minor league free agent last winter, Skole appeared in four games for the Sox and accumulated 13 plate appearances, before being outrighted following the season.  The 29-year-old Skole has a career .250/.356/.441 slash line and 116 homers over 3284 career PA in the minors.
  • Also from Eddy, the Mariners signed infielder Orlando Calixte to a minors pact.  Calixte spent all of 2018 at the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate before electing to become a free agent after the season.  Calixte has been a shortstop for much of his nine-year professional career, though he has also seen significant time as a second and third baseman, and in all three outfield spots.  This versatility helped him reach the majors in 2015 (two games with the Royals) and 2017 (29 games with the Giants) despite only hitting a modest .249/.303/.385 over 3628 PA in the minors.

White Sox Select Jose Ruiz, Outright Matt Skole

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The White Sox announced today that they have selected the contract of righty Jose Ruiz. To open a 40-man spot, the club outrighted infielder Matt Skole to Triple-A.

The move on Ruiz is one that the team announced yesterday, so it comes as no surprise. Of course, the exciting news for him was overshadowed by the team’s decision not to promote top-rated prospect Eloy Jimenez.

As for Skole, 29, he received his first MLB call-up and performed well in four games. But the corner infielder didn’t hit all that much at Triple-A, turning in a .237/.336/.404 slash in five hundred trips to the plate at Charlotte.

White Sox Place Matt Davidson On DL, Designate Ricardo Pinto, Select Matt Skole

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June 2nd: Pinto has been outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports on Twitter.

May 28th: The White Sox have placed designated hitter/corner infielder Matt Davidson on the disabled list, designated right-hander Ricardo Pinto for assignment and selected the contract of corner infielder Matt Skole, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

Back spasms have already kept Davidson out of action for nearly a week, so his DL placement is retroactive to May 25. The former well-regarded prospect had finally been enjoying a breakout season when healthy. In his age-27 campaign, Davidson has slashed .243/.368/.521 with 11 home runs in 171 plate appearances to perhaps emerge as a long-term piece for the rebuilding White Sox.

While Davidson has continued his high-strikeout ways, having fanned 32.2 percent of the time, he has also notched a personal-best 15.8 percent walk rate – up from the paltry 4.3 mark he posted in 2017. Moreover, Davidson ranks in the league’s upper echelon in exit velocity on fly balls and line drives, barrels per plate appearance and xwOBA (.419), according to Statcast.

Davidson’s injury creates room for Skole, who inked a minors deal with the White Sox in the offseason. Skole, a fifth-round pick of the Nationals in 2011, is now in position to make his major league debut at the age of 28. Once a promising prospect, Skole owns a .241/.336/.440 line in 1,168 PAs at Triple-A, including a .259/.360/.442 showing in 172 tries this season.

The addition of Skole could cost the White Sox the 24-year-old Pinto, whom they acquired from the Phillies in March. Pinto hasn’t exactly turned in great results at Triple-A Charlotte, having logged an 8.10 ERA with 8.10 K/9 and 7.2 BB/9 over 10 innings. He was far more successful last year at the minors’ highest level with the Phillies, as he recorded a 3.86 ERA, 6.82 K/9 and 2.67 BB/9 across 60 frames. Pinto even racked up 29 2/3 innings in Philly, but he struggled to a 7.89 ERA during that span.

White Sox Sign Chris Volstad, T.J. House, Matt Skole To Minor League Deals

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The White Sox announced a slew of non-roster invitations to Major League Spring Training today, including minor league deals with right-hander Chris Volstad, left-hander T.J. House and corner infielder Matt Skole. (The Sox also confirmed their previously reported minor league agreements with free agents Rob Scahill, Michael Ynoa and Patrick Leonard.)

Volstad, 31, will return to the South Siders after making a return to the Majors with them in 2017. The former Marlins right-hander had pitched just 10 1/3 innings in the Majors since the conclusion of the 2012 campaign but was called upon for a pair of starts and four relief appearances with the Sox, totaling 19 1/3 innings with a 4.66 ERA and a 10-to-5 K/BB ratio. This will be the third straight season that Volstad has spent in the ChiSox system, as he also pitched for their Triple-A affiliate in 2016.

House, meanwhile, should be somewhat familiar with the Sox having faced them often as a member of the Indians from 2014-16. Shoulder troubles slowed House’s career in 2015, and he’s scarcely appeared in the Majors since. House, 28, did enjoy a healthy season with the Blue Jays after a Spring Training scare in which he was struck in the head by a line drive. He recovered and went on to make 24 starts for Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a 4.32 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 in 133 1/3 innings of work. He also logged a pair of innings for Toronto in the Majors in August before being outrighted back to Buffalo.

Skole, also 28, has never appeared in the Majors. The former Nationals farmhand was considered one of the organization’s best prospects after a massive 2012 season in A-ball, but his 2013 campaign was cut short in a collision at first base that left him with a broken wrist and a torn UCL in his non-throwing elbow. Skole has played three full seasons in the upper levels of the minor since that time but has never rediscovered the form he showed in that promising 2012 campaign. He’s a career .238/.332/.444 hitter in parts of three Triple-A seasons.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/1/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

  • The Twins have called up veteran righty Dillon Gee, as LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune first reported (via Twitter). Gee will re-join the roster after the club dealt away a pair of pitchers in recent days. The 31-year-old logged four outings with the Rangers earlier this year and briefly appeared on the Twins’ active roster, though he did not see any game action. He has pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 through 78 Triple-A innings on the year and will offer a swingman option for Minnesota.
  • With outfielder Willy Garcia going to the 7-day concussion DL after a scary collision yesterday, the White Sox have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Nicky Delmonico, per a club announcement. Chicago has ample 40-man space after a bevy of deadline moves. Delmonico was a solid prospect when he was dealt from the Orioles to the Brewers in the 2013 deal that sent Francisco Rodriguez to Baltimore, but things did not work out in Milwaukee and he caught on with the South Siders as a minor-league free agent. He has spent the season at Triple-A, posting a .262/.347/.421 slash with a dozen home runs.
  • The Nationals released corner infielder Matt Skole after he cleared waivers following a recent DFA, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The 27-year-old lost his 40-man spot when the Nats acquired Howie Kendrick and evidently was not seen as being a part of the team’s future plans. A left-handed hitter, Skole has launched twenty or more home runs in several minor-league campaigns, including last year at Triple-A, and has consistently maintained a walk rate in the vicinity of 12% in the high minors. He also once rated as one of the Nats’ better prospects. But injuries have limited the Georgia Tech product quite a bit as a professional and he has spent more time at first base than at third in recent years.

Nationals Designate Matt Skole For Assignment

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The Nationals have announced that they’ve designated corner infielder Matt Skole for assignment. The move clears space on their 40-man roster for the newly acquired Howie Kendrick.

Skole, who turns 27, tomorrow, has spent the bulk of the season with Triple-A Syracuse, batting .235/.330/.458 over 179 plate appearances while also missing time to injury. Skole earned a place on the Nats’ 40-man roster following a 2016 season in which he posted a slash line at Syracuse that was similar to this year’s while hitting 24 homers. The 2011 fifth-round pick did not rank in MLB.com’s list of the top 30 Nationals prospects, and he has never played in the big leagues.

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