White Sox Promote Yoan Moncada To Big Leagues
(CBS) The future is arriving for the White Sox.
Chicago is calling up infielder Yoan Moncada, the top-ranked prospect in the game. General manager Rick Hahn made the announcement late Tuesday, shortly after the organization officially announced a seven-player trade with the Yankees, the latest massive move in the team's rebuild.
"We feel (Moncada) is ready for that next challenge that comes at the big league level," Hahn said.
Moncada is expected to be available when the White Sox host the Dodgers on Wednesday evening.
Moncada will likely play second base and third base. He's batting .282 with 12 homers, 36 RBIs, 57 runs and a .377 on-base percentage in 80 games at Triple-A Charlotte this season. He was acquired from the Red Sox in the Chris Sale trade last December.
A native of Cuba, Moncada is a career .285 hitter across three minor league seasons. He was Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year in 2016, when he hit .294 with 15 homers, 62 RBIs, 94 runs and a .511 slugging percentage in 106 games across two levels in the Red Sox organization.
He had a short stint with the Red Sox in the big leagues last season, hitting 4-of-19 in eight games.
Additionally, the White Sox recalled right-hander Brad Goldberg from Triple-A as well. The 27-year-old Goldberg had a 2.58 ERA in 28 appearances at Triple-A. He made one appearance with the White Sox earlier this season, allowing four runs in 1/3 innings in his big league debut on June 3 at Detroit.
Moncada's promotion wasn't the only big news of Tuesday evening for the White Sox, as they traded closer David Robertson, third baseman Todd Frazier and reliever Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees in return for four players, including 20-year-old outfielder Blake Rutherford, a first-round pick in 2016 and top-40 prospect.