DETROIT — The AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox made a few roster moves Friday, notably demoting a player whose fortunes slipped dramatically since he burst on the scene in April.
But one player's slump became a long-awaited opportunity for another.
The White Sox recalled Jake Burger from Triple-A Charlotte, putting the infielder in the majors after two Achilles tendon injuries and a stint with a local Missouri league.
On Friday, Burger, the former CBC High School standout, made his major league debut by going 2 for 4 with a double and a run in Chicago's 8-2 victory over Detroit.
The 25-year-old Burger was selected by Chicago with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft out of Missouri State. He hit .322 with 10 homers and 36 RBI in 42 games with Charlotte this season.
He started Friday night's game against the Tigers at third base, grounding into a double play in his first at-bat. His family drove to Detroit from St. Louis after learning the news Thursday night.
“This feels really good,” he said before the game. “This is kind of a surreal feeling. I'm still numb."
Burger was considered one of the team's top prospects before he tore his left Achilles tendon during a spring training game in February 2018. The same injury happened again in the backyard of his home in May of that same year.
When the minor league season was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Burger decided to play in the O’Fallon, Missouri-based CarShield Collegiate League. The White Sox approved the plan, wanting to help Burger get some game action.
This season, back in the minors, he hit .354 with four homers and 20 RBI for the Knights in June.
“I just wanted to play my game and do what I could do,” he said. “I knew there was a possibility of getting called up, but I wasn't focused on it. I stayed locked onto the next pitch."
The 6-foot-2 Burger could help the White Sox at second base or third. Second baseman Nick Madrigal is out for the year with a torn right hamstring. Third baseman Yoán Moncada is expected to miss the team's three-game series at Detroit after he left Thursday's 8-5 victory over Minnesota with a bruised right hand.
“We've got a fair number of walking wounded around here,” manager Tony La Russa said. “We needed someone like Jake, who gives us more positional versatility than what we were getting out of Yermín.”
That would be slumping slugger Yermín Mercedes, the DH who was one of baseball's big surprises early in the season.
Mercedes, 28, was batting .415 with five homers and 16 RBI in 22 games in April. In May, Mercedes angered La Russa by homering on a 3-0 pitch in the ninth inning of a game the White Sox led 15-4.
The rookie has struggled of late, hitting .150 (16 for 107) over his last 31 games.
“We fully expect we will see him again at some point,” La Russa said. “He left here dedicated to getting his bat back on track.”
Until he does return, the White Sox will see what they've got in Burger, whose future in the game has started looking bright again.
Burger was selected Wednesday for the AL team for the All-Star Futures Game on July 11 in Colorado.
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