The Chicago White Sox narrowly had their fourth straight win on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles.
The difference in the game essentially came in the top of the fourth inning, when Tyler O’Neill sent a fly ball toward left field. The Sox’ Austin Hays began to track it down and was en route to make the inning-ending grab. Instead, he came up limping as the ball dropped in play and allowed Adley Rutschman to score all the way from first base. The Orioles would go on to win the game 2-1.
As if we needed any official confirmation, the Sox placed Hays on the 10-day IL Tuesday morning with a hamstring strain. Subsequently, they added outfielder Dustin Harris into the mix from Triple-A Charlotte. The 26-year-old will return to the big leagues after appearing in 46 games over the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers.
Harris has put together a solid showing in Charlotte to start the 2026 season. He has seven hits in eight games with a trio of RBIs. More importantly, however, is Harris’ versatility in the outfield. He has already played at all three positions over the first couple of weeks, and he’s even made an appearance at first base. For a Sox team that also lost Everson Pereira to the IL in recent days, it comes as little surprise that they went with a more experienced defensive option.
Indeed, many fans were quick to call for Sam Antonacci. Recently elevated to a Top 100 ranking by Baseball America, Antonacci looked the part of a major leaguer in both spring training and the World Baseball Classic. Nevertheless, the Sox are clearly taking things slow with the fiery playmaker, especially with infield depth being an area of strength.
Speaking of which, the team also called up infielder Tanner Murray in recent days to replace Pereira. It only made sense to go with a true outfielder this time around, even if Antonacci has been getting in some light work in left field with Charlotte.
With that said, it’s still only a matter of time before Antonacci gets the call. Not only is he playing that well in the minors, but the Sox’ other recent injury news has eliminated some potential competition.
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