Ahead of tonight’s Crosstown Classic opener at Wrigley, the White Sox made a total of six roster moves.
In an afternoon press release, the team announced that outfielder Luis Robert Jr. has been activated from the 10-day injured list. He is coming off a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte after not seeing major league action since April 5th.
As part of the moves, outfielders Tommy Pham and Dominic Fletcher were each placed on the 10-day injured list. Pham suffered a left ankle sprain on his slide into home plate against the Brewers on Sunday, while Dominic Fletcher experienced a left shoulder strain as a result of his home run robbery in the same game. Both moves are retroactive to June 3rd.
To round out the transactions, outfielders Zach DeLoach (Triple-A Charlotte) and Duke Ellis (Double-A Birmingham) have each been promoted to the big league squad. Infielder Zach Remillard was also designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man for Ellis.
Starting with Robert Jr., the centerfielder suffered a Grade 2 hip flexor strain while running to second base on a double against Kansas City. Though the injury was not as bad as the complete tear of his right hip flexor in 2021, Robert Jr. still missed nearly two months. At the time, the 26-year-old was hitting .214/.241/.500 (6-for-28) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored in just seven games.
In addition to Robert Jr., perhaps the most notable of these moves is the promotion of outfielder Duke Ellis from Double-A Birmingham. The 26-year-old is slashing .258/.341/.308 and is 34-for-35 in stolen base attempts this season for the Barons. With speed and defense being his calling card, it seems likely that Ellis could be used as a late-game replacement.
As for DeLoach, the 25-year-old is batting .281/.370/.369 (45-for-160) with six doubles, two home runs, 21 RBI and 28 runs scored in 44 games with Charlotte in 2024. He also was briefly with the Sox from May 22-24, where he went a quiet 0-for-5 over his first three major-league games.
It’s unclear how long Pham and Fletcher will be sidelined with their injuries as no timelines have been provided. Should more information become available, we’ll provide additional updates.
Following the moves, the White Sox 40-man roster remains at 40.
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