Pregame Notes: How will the Sox fare against a rookie pitcher who had a 7.97 ERA in Triple-A?

It's hard to know what to write sometimes about a 31-100 team that just wants the season to be over. Luckily there's a bunch of roster moves to unpack.

Nick Senzel hasn't had a role on the roster since Miguel Vargas was acquired. Of the 10 games that account for the entirety of his White Sox tenure, only three of them came in August.

The 25-year-old Amaya was the return the Marlins received when they traded infielder Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers before the 2023 season. At the time, it seemed like Miami was swapping out a reliable up the middle defender for a younger version of themselves, as Amaya was viewed as a good bet to stick at shortstop, where his hit-over-power offensive profile would be palatable. Instead Amaya has plateaued as a .246/.342/.380 career hitter at Triple-A, which has prevented him from getting a sustained major league look.

Nothing if not open to giving looks to plateaued former Dodgers prospects, the White Sox can use Amaya as a much more traditional up-the-middle reserve infielder to Brooks Baldwin and Nicky Lopez than Senzel ever could be. He's expected to be added to the active roster once he arrives in Chicago, as the White Sox would rather keep Bryan Ramos playing everyday in Triple-A for now.

The mechanics of Monday's roster moves were still in motion when the Sox clubhouse opened to media Monday afternoon. Senzel's nameplate was still in place, and Ky Bush was walking out with a duffel bag as reporters were walking in. Ramos taking batting practice and ground balls in Chicago during what would otherwise have been his off day with the Knights, is likely just another moving part of all this.

Bush looked definitively sharp in one start out of four in the majors. After the most recent outing ended after three innings with diminished velocity, while the rookie left-hander noted his career-high in innings might have been affecting him, optioning him back to Triple-A Charlotte is pretty self-explanatory.

“He showed us a lot," said Grady Sizemore. "He really competed out there. He gave us good outings. He threw in some tough spots and got out of some tough jams. We wish him the best. I’m sure we’ll see him up here again."

With Garrett Crochet already limited to two-thirds of an outing on most turns, the White Sox will certainly need to replace Bush's innings in the rotation somehow. Sizemore said the solution is still being determined, but also acknowledged a call-up could be the answer.

Having last pitched on Saturday, Nick Nastrini would be lined up for it. He's been sitting 95 mph with his fastball now that the effects of pneumonia are long past, has a 2.45 ERA over his last four outings at Triple-A, and walked just six of 77 hitters faced over that span. Also, he's just feeling better.

There have been some meaningful changes since Bryan Ramos was last in Chicago.

By far the most important, Ramos is now a US citizen, the realization of a five-year process, which grants him the ability to have his parents visit him from his native Cuba. His parents have never seen their 22-year-old son play in person since he's become a professional, and Ramos said he's already working on setting up a trip.

Studying since January, Ramos said he aced the citizenship test he had to take last month in Arizona.

"I would say I’m an original Cuban, but to be an American citizen is like a big thing for me and my family," Ramos said. "I can bring [my family] here with me and then we can be together. I don’t have to wait until December to go there and see them and then come back to work."

Ramos has also been mashing of recent in Triple-A, hitting .291/.398/.557 in August with six home runs in 20 games, and can tie his success to a specific mechanical adjustment.

"Early on the season he was kind of swaying over his back side," said Charlotte hitting coach Cameron Seitzer. "He just needs to coil into his [back] hip, not so much sway back, allowing him to get to his forward move more efficiently and repeat it. Ever since [Ramos worked with Seitzer and hitting coordinator Alan Zinter on his load] things kind of changed for him. It's been really fun to watch. He's made some serious adjustments and turned his season around."

The Tigers recalled former first-round pick Ty Madden to make his major league debut and start against the White Sox on Monday night. Madden has real stuff, as evidenced by his 102 strikeouts in 79 Triple-A innings. He also has real command issues, as evidenced by his 100 hits allowed in 79 Triple-A innings.

At first blush, using a pitcher who had a 7.97 ERA at Triple-A against the worst offense in the league seems like the Tigers testing what they can truly get away with in attempting to seal a 7-0 season record at Guaranteed Rate Field. At the same time, Reese Olson had a 6.38 Triple-A ERA when the Tigers called him up to make his debut against the Sox last year, and he went out allowed two runs in five innings.

First pitch: White Sox vs. Tigers

TV: NBCSCH

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