NAVARRO SENT TO BLUE JAYS FORTURNER
MARINERS 3, SOX 1
DionerNavarro periodically glanced at his cell phone and joked with teammate Todd Frazier about the oldiesmusic playing in the White Sox clubhouse before the game Friday against the Mariners.
Less than an hour later, general manager RickHahn told the catcher that he had been sent back to the Blue Jays in exchange for left- handed pitching prospect Colton Turner. The trade cleared a spot on the roster for Alex Avila, who was activated from the 15- day disabled list.
Hahn said the team might not be finished making moves.
“We’re continuing to have conversations with a handful of clubs on a handful of players,” he said. “The firm deadline being Aug. 31, there’s still some time between now and then. We’ll see what happens.”
Navarro, 32, hit .210 with six home runs and 32 RBI in 85 games after signing a one- year deal in December. He started the season in a platoon role but earned more playing time as Avila battled hamstring injuries.
The trade also creates an opportunity for rookie Omar Narvaez, who started Friday. Narvaez has impressed during his brief stint with the team.
“Omar has done a nice job putting himself on the map playing a role here over the next few years, and this should likely give him a few more opportunities over the next four or five weeks to play on a regular basis,” Hahn said.
The Sox’ long- term answer behind the plate likely is Zack Collins. The 2016 first- round pick is hitting .255 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 28 games for Class A Winston- Salem.
New face
Turner, 25, will join the bullpen for Class AA Birmingham. He went 3- 1 with a 1.33 ERA in 44 relief appearances this season for Class A Lansing, Class A Dunedin and Class AA New Hampshire in Toronto’s minor- league system.
Hahn said Turner hit 95 mph with his fastball and showed good command. The 6- 3, 215- pound left- hander had 70 strikeouts in 54 innings and limited right- handed hitters to a .144 average ( 19- for- 132).
“You can obviously see from the numbers he has done impressive work against righties for a lefthanded reliever, which is nice to see,” Hahn said.
Going for 11
Left- hander Jose Quintana finally can stop worrying about reaching double- digit victories in a season.
“Now, I’m going to focus and try to get more than 10— the more I can do to help my team,” Quintana said.
Quintana, who will be going for his 11th win Saturday, has not allowed more than three earned runs in seven consecutive starts.
“I’m trying to attack really early, throw strikes and get those outs quick,” Quintana said.