As with most roster moves this season, the White Sox gained a healthy player at the expense of another.
Ahead of this afternoon’s series finale against Detroit, the White Sox placed outfielder Billy Hamilton on the injured list with a right oblique strain. As part of the corresponding move, the team returned outfielder Adam Engel from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte and reinstated him from the 10-day injured list.
Engel was originally placed on the injured list back on April 1st (retroactive to March 29th) after he suffered a strained right hamstring during a March 20th spring training game. While he was only expected to miss “a couple of weeks,” MRIs showed the 29-year-old’s original Grade 2 strain turned into a Grade 3 after a setback in his rehab tore the muscle off his tendon.
In seven games with the Charlotte Knights, Engel went 8-for-28 (.286) with two doubles, one home run, three RBI, and four runs scored. With the outfield depth still scarce, Engel will likely slide back into the starting center field job as Tony La Russa hinted at a few weeks ago. Just don’t be surprised if he’s not in the lineup every day to start as the team wants to monitor his workload in the early going.
As for Hamilton, he’s been nothing short of a spark for this team. He’s currently slashing .217/.246/.406 (15-for-69) with three doubles, two triples, two home runs, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored and five stolen bases this season. While the numbers might not necessarily reflect it, the 30-year-old has come up clutch multiple times over the past several weeks and become a fan favorite.
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