TORONTO — You’re forgiven if you haven’t been able to keep up with the White Sox‘ new faces in the clubhouse.
Fifty-three players have appeared in games this year for the Sox, steady turnover for a 26-man roster that carries 10 rookies, the most in the majors — and a figure that’ll keep climbing throughout the summer as the team grasps for long-term talent.
The Sox’ latest rebuilding strategy surely doesn’t satisfy all impatient fans, but it does mean a steady stream of life-changing moments for guys who weren’t always sure they’d realize their boyhood dreams.
“Especially when you’re grueling through the ups and downs in the minor leagues,” said pitcher Jacob Palisch, one of the two freshest faces getting the call to join the Sox on Friday in Toronto for their series opener against the Blue Jays.
“You’re seeing buddies get moved up, you’re seeing buddies get released and you’re wondering, ‘Is this even the path for me?’” Palisch said.
Palisch, a 6-5 left-hander, had a 1.19 ERA in 53 innings at Double-A Birmingham to earn his first big-league test — and to once again push back thoughts of throwing in the towel in favor of a decent backup plan. He has a computer-science degree from Stanford and a master’s from Texas A&M.
“I’d be giving up runs, ERA would be skyrocketing, my arm would be hurting, and it’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve got two really good degrees. I’m missing out on a lot of my friends’ weddings and all that stuff,”’ Palisch, 26, said. “But I got a lot of support from a lot of people and kept with it.”
He shared the moment with reliever Wikelman Gonzalez, who joins shortstop Chase Meidroth and catcher Kyle Teel as the latest piece of the Garrett Crochet trade to arrive in the majors.
The 23-year-old Venezuelan right-hander started the season at Birmingham before going 5-0 with a 2.75 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12 appearances at Triple-A Charlotte.
Gonzalez allowed a run and a hit and walked two in his two-inning debut, but he got a lineout from Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to escape the eighth-inning jam. Palisch’s debut will have to wait.
“I’ve been dreaming of this since I was 3 years old,” Gonzalez said. “For me, baseball is happiness. Being on a baseball field is a joy for me.”
But the joy can bring struggle, as Sox fans have learned all too well after a promising contention window featuring Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert Jr. crashed and burned.
And this time around, the Sox’ highest-profile hopes are still figuring it out. The team’s top-ranked prospect, left-handed Naperville native Noah Schultz, allowed six runs and eight hits and walked one in his 5 1/3 -inning debut at Charlotte on Thursday.
And a roller-coaster season for prized shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery has taken another dip. He has batted .176 this month at Charlotte after a promising rebound from an early-season slump that prompted Sox brass to yank him from the daily grind and work on his swing in Arizona.
If Montgomery turns it back on — and if Schultz settles down — both could find themselves in Chicago later this season.
No matter how many faces file in and out of the Sox’ rebuild — and no matter how long each of them lasts — they’ll find a welcoming Sox clubhouse, starting pitcher Davis Martin said before meeting Palisch.
“It’s something that a lot of us this year really pride ourselves on, just knowing everybody’s name, caring about each other; that’s just the clubhouse we have,” he said. “We have guys that actually care about other guys’ careers, and I think that shows up in the day-to-day stuff. You meet new guys, you get to know them, and within a week, you’re cuttin’ it up.”