Joshua

Palacios

This is the second straight start in right field and in the leadoff spot for Palacios, who’s gone 5-for-25 with eight strikeouts and three walks in 12 games. Brooks Baldwin will get the day off with Lenyn Sosa re-entering the lineup at second base.

With Mike Tauchman (hamstring) landing on the IL, the White Sox will turn to Palacios, who is hitting just .231/.421/.308 in five games at Triple-A. He’ll just be a backup at the big league level, even on the White Sox.

This seemed inevitable after Tauchman pulled his hamstring rounding third base on Wednesday night and couldn’t make it to home plate. The 34-year-old also had a hamstring strain to begin the season, so it may take a few weeks before we see him back on the field for the White Sox. The team called up Joshua Palacios in his place, but Austin Slater and Michael A. Taylor should see more playing time with Tauchman sidelined.

Palacios was recently designated for assignment by the Pirates. He went unclaimed on waivers and opted to test free agency. The White Sox will add him to their glut of veteran outfielders who have operated on the fringes of MLB rosters, such as Mike Tauchman, Austin Slater, Michael A. Taylor, Corey Julks and Cal Mitchell.

Palacios went unclaimed on waivers last weekend after being designated for assignment by the Pirates. The 29-year-old outfielder has opted to test the free agent waters and should be able to latch on elsewhere. He holds a .230/.286/.364 triple-slash line with 12 homers and seven steals in 156 games in the big leagues dating back to 2021.

Both Palacios and Strzelecki were booted from the 40-man roster and placed on waivers, and neither went claimed. Both will have to be added back to the 40-man if Pittsburgh deems them worthy of MLB action.

Palacios is off the 40-man roster to make room for Hunter Stratton. The 29-year-old could see interest on the waiver wire, but if he goes unclaimed, there’s a good chance he’ll report to Triple-A Indianapolis to provide outfield depth.

The contract is a major-league deal, with an additional $250,000 in incentives, so the 37-year-old Pham will be firmly in the mix for a starting outfield job in Pittsburgh. 2024 was a busy season for Pham, who hit .266/.330/.380 with five home runs and six steals in 297 plate appearances for the White Sox before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the trade deadline. When the Cardinals fell out of playoff contention, they placed Pham on waivers after just 77 plate appearances. He later signed with the Royals and struggled to a .228/.250/.337 slash line in 104 plate appearances. Pham is a career .258/.346/.427 hitter who can play all three outfield spots, so he likely gives the Pirates a better bat in right field than Joshua Palacios or even Henry Davis, both of whom were expected to compete for that role.

Palacios, 29, hit .291/.372/.489 in 50 games for Indianapolis this season. He also got into 20 games for the Pirates this summer, batting .230/.319/.344 in 69 plate appearances. He’ll get a brief look here before the Pirates make a decision on whether to keep him on the 40-man this winter. Most likely, he’ll be set free.

Palacios is ready to play after a three-week absence, but the Pirates have decided to try fellow left-handed-hitting outfielder Billy McKinney instead. Palacios hit .230/.319/.344 in 69 plate appearances before getting hurt last month.