Daniel Hudson, come on down (updated)

I'll give Kenny Williams credit -- his moves may not go over well with the mainstream media or a large percentage of the fan base, but it's going to be pretty interesting for the baseball geeks among us.

While Ozzie Guillen was preparing to not use Bobby Jenks in a key late-inning situation in favor of Tony Pena once again, the Sox cut Dan Hudson's start against Norfolk short to let him know he's heading to the big leagues, according to The Daily Press (Newport News, Va.):

The 22-year-old pitcher, who starred at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach and at Old Dominion University, came back as a member of the Charlotte Knights and pitched three shutout innings against the Norfolk Tides. After the third inning, pitching coach Richard Dotson pulled Hudson out of the game and told him he was being called up to the majors by the Chicago White Sox.
"It couldn't have happened in a better place," Hudson said between games of a doubleheader. "To get the news here, at this park with all of my friends and family here, it's crazy to think about."

I had no strong feelings either way on a potential Hudson promotion. He hadn't mastered Triple-A yet, as he still had some issues with efficiency, slider command and a very high flyball rate.  On the other hand, he had no problem limiting the damage, which is a skill that has served him well so far on his five-level climb:

But really, the biggest obstacle preventing a Hudson promotion was the 40-man roster. However, after trading Jim Thome and Jose Contreras, the White Sox have the room.

Otherwise, there aren't compelling arguments against giving it a shot. Service time and options aren't a concern with a mere September call-up, and since he's joining the 40-man roster with Triple-A success under his belt, they haven't over-accelerated his timetable in any way, arbitration-wise.

The Sox managed his workload well, also. Hudson's starts lasted only five and six innings over the last month, keeping his innings total under 150. Considering he threw 161 2/3 innings between Old Dominion and Great Falls last year, a couple big league starts (probably short ones with a pitch count) shouldn't be particularly taxing.
It gives the Sox an opportunity to see if Hudson has a shot at starting the 2010 season at the back end of the big-league rotation. I would just hesitate to read too much into any September surprise. Lance Broadway shut down opponents in his first cup of coffee, and nobody reaped rewards from that success story.
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Minor league roundup:

• Charlotte 4, Norfolk 0 (Game 1, 7 innings)
  • Hudson struck out five over three innings, walking one and striking out one.
  • Kelvin Jimenez (2 IP), Fernando Hernandez (1 IP) and Jon Link (1 IP) finished the shutout.
  • Kent Gerst and Brady Shoemaker both drove in runs in their first Triple-A game, without a hit.
  • Stefan Gartrell doubled and drove in a run.
• Norfolk 10, Charlotte 0 (Game 2, 7 innings)
  • Miguel Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with a strikeout in his first taste above rookie ball.
  • Gartrell, Shoemaker, and Gerst all went hitless.
  • Dutch Oven gave up seven runs over 3 1/3 innings.
  • Jhonny Nunez gave up a run on two hits over an inning, no walks or K's.
• Birmingham 1, Huntsville 0
  • Kyle McCulloch tossed seven excellent innings, scattering five hits and a walk while striking out two.
  • Clevelan Santeliz allowed a hit and a walk, but struck out two to nail down the save.
  • Dayan Viciedo went 2-for-4.
  • Jordan Danks (two strikeouts) and C.J. Retherford both went 0-for-4.
• Salem 3, Winston-Salem 2 (Game 1, 7 innings)
  • Hat trick for Brent Morel, striking out three times in three at-bats.
  • Jacob Rasner tossed a quality start in defeat, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings, striking out four.
  • Nathan Jones pitched a scoreless inning, allowing a hit.
• Winston-Salem 6, Salem 1
  • Levi Maxwell struck out seven over six innings, allowing a run on six hits and a walk.
  • Justin Greene went 2-for-3 with an RBI; Brent Morel went 1-for-3 with a double.
  • Salvador Sanchez hit a two-run homer.
• West Virginia 7, Kannapolis 3
  • Jon Gilmore doubled and drove in two runs.
  • Santos Rodriguez pitched a scoreless inning in his A-ball debut, allowing a hit and recording one strikeout.
  • Josh Phegley and Daniel Black each went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
  • James Albury was roughed up for five runs on seven hits and two walks over three innings.
• Bristol 6, Elizabethton 4
  • Daniel Holmberg gave up three runs on eight hits over five innings. But he didn't walk anybody and struck out three.
  • Two scoreless innings for Matthew Heidenreich; two hits, one strikeout.
  • Leighton Pangilinan went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI.
  • Misael Tavarez hit a solo shot; Harold Baines had two hits and drew a walk.
  • Trayce Thompson went 0-for-5, finishing the year with no hits in his last 18 at-bats.
• Great Falls 16, Billings 5
  • Kevin Dubler went 2-for-3 with two walks, three RBI and three runs scored. He also stole his first base.
  • Jose Vargas doubled twice, singled, drove in two and scored two runs. He also stole home.
  • Kyle Colligan went 0-for-2 with four walks and two steals.
  • Nick Ciolli doubled, walked and drove in three.
  • Joucer Martinez struggled with the long ball: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K , 2 HR.
  • Nelson Curry (4 IP, 2 H, 2 K) and Matt Hopps (2 IP, 2 H, 1 K) held Billings scoreless.

Two notes:
*Bristol's season has come to a conclusion.
*Charlotte borrowed a few players from the lower levels to make up for the September call-ups: Shoemaker and Gerst (Dewayne Wise), Gonzalez (Tyler Flowers).