Pregame notes: Unending roster churn

John Brebbia was the second-biggest free-agent signing of the offseason and pitched the ninth inning the last time the White Sox won a game. But that Brebbia was even still on the roster after the trade deadline represented a failure to meet the goals the team had in bringing him on.

By designating him for assignment on Tuesday, on the heels of his second two-homer inning of the season, the White Sox cut ties with the veteran reliever before his presence could be immortalized on team picture day. His sterling strikeout-to-walk ratio remains intact to give an idea to what the Sox had in mind, but a career-worst 6.29 ERA and a team bullpen performance that doesn't show any residue of a stabilizing veteran presence are more likely to stick as the lasting memory.

"I don’t really know what goes into all that kind of stuff," said Grady Sizemore. "It’s a business and sometimes they make business decisions and sometimes we lose some veteran guys or guys that have helped us out a lot. John was loved in that clubhouse, he’s a great leader, great personality. Wish him the best. Hate to see him go."

Prelander Berroa's wayward season, mostly spent struggling at Triple-A Charlotte has quietly played a comparable role in the lack of stability in the White Sox bullpen. Having already made his major league debut last year with the Mariners and still sitting 99 mph when I saw him in person last weekend, Berroa has the sort of arm talent to offer a higher ceiling, but his violent delivery has produced erratic results.

It's been pretty clear at various points of the year that some in the organization viewed Berroa as pretty far away from helping, but he went unscored upon in his last four outings with the Knights--while walking more than he struck out--so here he is to ply his trade.

Jacob Amaya says you're free to call him Jake if you'd like, and after going through the DFA process and bouncing between multiple organizations, he both sees plenty of familiar faces in the White Sox clubhouse and sounds like he'll much more fluidly slide into a utilityman role for which Bryan Ramos would be miscast.

"I’m not really a power hitter, got sneaky pop in there but I’m not going to give you 45 a year, so have to stay in the middle, stay with line drives, try and break down my swing a little more than I have in the past with videos and stuff like that," Amaya said, when asked what he brings to the table. "A good guy, I guess. I’m there for my guys. I want to come here every day and do the right things and go out there and produce and make some plays for whoever is on the mound and come in here and just show up."

Farm director Paul Janish said on Monday that he anticipated Ramos finishing out the year in Chicago, and Sizemore certainly sounded open to it as well, for whatever that's worth.

"I like Ramos, too," Sizemore said. "Ramos has done a great job for us when he was up here for that short stint. I know he’s got a bright future with us. Having him up here yesterday was so we’re not a man short for when Jacob did get here. I hope to see him back. He can really play, he’s got a great bat. I really like everything about his game. I don’t make all the calls."

Yoán Moncada and Michael Soroka began their Triple-A rehab assignments on Tuesday. Sizemore did not have much specifics on how long either would need, but obviously Moncada has been out for months, and a lot has to be tested to determine his readiness.

"Right now, we’re just hoping he can build up to nine innings and not re-injure anything and then we’ll reassess from there," Sizemore said when asked where Moncada would fit upon return. "It’s going to be a little bit of us trying to give him a platform and kind of a guideline, kind of like a timetable, but he’s also going to have to tell us and give us feedback on how he feels and where he’s at percentage-wise and all that stuff. Hopefully we see him and hopefully he can stay healthy enough to get back up here before the season ends."

The White Sox also still need a starting pitcher for Thursday. Nick Nastrini would be lined up for it based on his schedule at Triple-A, but so would Jairo Iriarte at Double-A, and the organization is interested in the idea of seeing the 22-year-old Venezuelan in Chicago at the end of the year in some form.

The White Sox are 4-30 since the All-Star break. We've hit on this theme a lot, but holy hell.

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