White Sox manager Will Venable excited to bring Tommy Pham’s trademark ‘edge’ to young, contending roster
HOUSTON – Right-hander Tanner McDougal, a preseason top-100 prospect per Baseball America capable of touching 100 mph, was in the visitor’s locker room at Daikin Park on Monday and will be activated on Tuesday as part of MLB rosters expanding to 28 players.
There’s more focus on the other player expected to join the Sox on Tuesday: a 38-year-old platoon corner outfielder acquired from the Phillies Triple-A squad for cash.
Over his 13 MLB seasons, Tommy Pham has a career .796 OPS against left-handed pitching. He addresses a need for right-handed thump created when the Sox designated both Everson Pereira and Austin Hays for assignment within days of each other to make room trade-deadline acquisition Brenton Doyle; a glove-first center fielder.
The Sox have plans for unlocking more offense from Doyle in the future, but a long and durable offensive track record is the heart of Pham’s appeal. The 38-year-old is a .315/.331/.492 hitter in 37 career playoff games.
“He understands what it means to be in meaningful games down the stretch,” said manager Will Venable. “He knows what it means to play playoff games. He understands what it means to just perform and exist in high-leverage situations.”
Beyond the field, Pham is more famous both publicly and in league circles for his marked intensity. His 2024 stint with the White Sox is remembered less for him being the only Sox regular with an OPS over the league average, and more for him overtly criticizing coaching decisions and touting his hand-to-hand combat skills after an on-field dustup with Brewers All-Star catcher William Contreras after a grueling loss in Milwaukee.
Rather than worrying how Pham will mesh with his young roster and their deliriously goofy dugout hijinks, Venable is looking forward to it.
“One of my favorite players to coach,” said Venable, who overlapped with Pham as the Red Sox bench coach in 2022. “There’s a real value to how he approaches things, and that edge that he’s got is real. I think it also works in a lot of different types of environments; I think our environment, especially.”
Leasure out until 2028
Sox reliever Jordan Leasure faced a long road to recovery when he was sidelined with a flexor strain in late May. He’s now looking at an even longer one after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament on Aug. 17. The Sox are hoping Leasure can return by spring 2028.
After undergoing his own UCL repair this spring, Mike Vasil is traveling to visit Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday for a progress assessment. Pending approval, he should begin throwing mid-September.
This and that
Tyler Schweitzer was activated from the paternity list Monday after missing this weekend’s series in Minneapolis. He has a 3.64 ERA in 29 2/3 innings of relief, and took Tyler Gilbert’s spot on the roster.
Rather than be a Sept. 1 addition, Drew Thorpe will start for Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday.
The Sox also acquired veteran outfielder Jake Cave from the Rays for cash. Cave, 33, has not appeared in the majors since 2024.
A veteran of three separate Astros’ World Series runs, Jose Urquidy was greeted as a returning postseason hero in his first trip back to Houston since 2023.
“They [taught] me how to be a good professional baseball player,” Urquidy said. “And I’m very grateful.”