Chicago White Sox: Intriguing prospect gets an MLB opportunity

The Chicago White Sox kicked off September with a flurry of roster moves. Tim Anderson hit the IL, Jake Lamb was designated for assignment, and Billy Hamilton was activated from the IL. Gavin Sheets was called up from Triple-A Charlotte to join the 28-man roster along with another intriguing name that caught some White Sox fans off guard. It was a White Sox 18th round pick from the 2018 MLB draft named Romy Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was among those caught off guard when Charlotte Knights manager Wes Helms called him into his office earlier this week. Gonzalez had just arrived in Charlotte with only nine Triple-A games under his belt.

Helms was surrounded by the rest of the Triple-A coaching staff and the office door, which was always open was closed. Gonzalez immediately knew something was up. That is when the coaching staff informed him that he was getting called up to the big leagues.

Two weeks ago he was sitting in a dugout in Birmingham Alabama play for the White Sox Double-A team. On Wednesday night he was taking batting practice with Seby Zavala and Billy Hamilton on Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Chicago White Sox are hoping that Romy Gonzalez shows them something good.

It was a surreal feeling for Romy Gonzalez who did his best to soak in every moment of his first MLB game. While the promotion may have come as a surprise it was not gifted to him. He earned it. Gonzalez had been one of the hottest hitters in the White Sox organization. In nine games in Triple-A, Gonzalez had 11 hits, 10 RBIs, and hit three home runs while batting .344 with a .750 slugging percentage.

In 87 games this season, 78 coming in Double-A Birmingham he has a slash line of .275/.357/.525 with 23 homers in 335 at-bats. He is one of just seven players across the minor leagues with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. With his combination of power and speed, he has all the tools to help the White Sox as the race to the playoffs ramps up in September.

"“People I’ve learned to trust in this organization are really high on him,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said Wednesday. “So, I think we’re all going to be really impressed with what we see.”"

La Russa hinted at the possibility of seeing Gonzalez in the starting lineup this weekend in Kansas City. Gonzalez has some versatility in the field. In 2019 he spent the majority of his time in left field. This season he has shifted over to shortstop. Making him a middle infielder is a move that paid dividends.

"“He was always a guy that we thought had hitting ability, but there was something about being in the middle of the diamond that really helped him gain some confidence,” Sox assistant general manager/player development Chris Getz told the Chicago Tribune."

With Tim Anderson expected to miss a couple of games the move to call up Gonzalez signals the White Sox are not afraid to call up a rookie while amid the postseason race.