Castillo on leave; zavala, skole up
PHILADELPHIA — The White Sox recalled catcher Seby Zavala from Class AAA Charlotte and put catcher Welington Castillo on the family medical emergency leave list before the game Friday against the Phillies.
The Sox also purchased the contract of 30-year-old first baseman Matt Skole from Charlotte and added him to the 40man roster. First baseman AJ Reed was optioned to Charlotte after the team’s 4-0 loss to the Mets on Thursday.
This will be the second stint with the Sox this season for Zavala, the Sox’ No. 27 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Zavala will catch one of the games in the series against the Phillies, manager Rick Renteria said. Catching left-hander Ross Detwiler on Saturday is a good bet, with James McCann catching Reynaldo Lopez, who is on a run of four good starts, on Sunday.
Castillo likely will rejoin the team Monday in Detroit. Zavala got the nod over Zack Collins, the Sox’ No. 11 prospect, who went 2-for-26 with 14 strikeouts before being sent back to Charlotte on July 15.
“Hopefully, it’s a very short stint for Castillo, and [keeping Collins at Charlotte] wouldn’t disrupt Zack’s continued work,” Renteria said. “Just continue to work, continue to play.”
Zavala, 25, was batting .218 with 16 home runs in 61 games with the Knights and has thrown out 34 percent of attempted basestealers. He was called up in late May when Castillo was sidelined by a concussion and went 1-for-9 with seven strikeouts in three games.
Castillo, 32, is batting .176 with five home runs in 46 games. He is required to miss a minimum of three games.
Just a pinch
The left-handed-hitting Skole, who was hitting .248/.384/.497 with 21 home runs, 15 doubles, 56 RBI and an International League-leading 70 walks in 92 games for Charlotte, likely will be limited to pinchhitting duty with no DH in the National League park this series. Skole appeared in four games with the Sox last season, going 3-for-11 with a home run in his major-league debut on May 28, 2018, in Cleveland.
He drove in the tying run in the ninth against the Phillies with a pinch-hit single.
“Once we get out of the National League, DH him, use him at first, give him the matchups that help us,” Renteria said. “He’s been grinding it out in the minor leagues, paying his dues. He puts together a good atbat,
has some pop, puts the ball in the gaps.”
This and that
Right-hander Kelvin Herrera, who went on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 18) with a right oblique strain, began a minorleague rehab assignment with Charlotte. The team’s third-highest-paid player this season ($8.5 million) behind Jose Abreu and Ivan Nova, Herrera owns a 7.36 ERA with a 1.82 WHIP in 38 relief appearances. Herrera is also under contract next season.
♦ Charlotte center fielder Luis Robert was named the Sox’ Minor League Player of the Month for July, and 30-year-old Class AA Birmingham left-hander Matt Tomshaw was named Pitcher of the Month.
♦ Charlotte infielder Alcides Escobar, who batted .286/.343/.444 with 10 home runs, was released by the organization and apparently left on unhappy terms, writing on Twitter: “I asked for my freedom, they did not let me free and I did it because they lied to me. They are not honest.”
Escobar was the American League Championship Series MVP as a Royal in 2015.