WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF MAY 25, 2018 “Control eludes Giolito in short start, as Sox fall”… Max Gelman, MLB.com “Catcher Castillo suspended 80 games” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Tilson joins White Sox after almost 2-year rehab”… Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Farquhar expected to throw out 1st pitch June 1”…. Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Thursday's top prospect performers”… Mike Rosenbaum, MLB.com “For rebuilding White Sox, Welington Castillo PED suspension is 'a lesson we weren't looking to learn right now'”… Vinnie Duber, NBC Sports Chicago “The White Sox sent down Carson Fulmer, so why isn't Lucas Giolito receiving the same treatment?”… Vinnie Duber, NBC Sports Chicago “Major League Baseball hands Welington Castillo an 80-game suspension after positive test for banned substance”… Vinnie Duber, NBC Sports Chicago “Dylan Cease, pitching tonight on NBC Sports Chicago, showing why he’s a part of White Sox bright future”… Vinnie Duber, NBC Sports Chicago “Danny Farquhar to throw out the first pitch before White Sox game on June 1” … Vinnie Duber, NBC Sports Chicago “White Sox add Dustin Garneau to help thin catching corps in wake of Welington Castillo suspension’” … Vinnie Duber, NBC Sports Chicago “Column: White Sox's reaction to Welington Castillo's suspension? It's complicated” … Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune “Lucas Giolito bombarded in White Sox’s 9-3 loss to Orioles” … Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune “White Sox manager Renteria sends another message: Make an effort or grab some bench” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Sorry, Chicago White Sox fans ... wrong time,wrong place for Machado” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Danny Farquhar to throw out the first pitch at White Sox's June 1 game”… Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune “Nellie Fox's card inspiration for Big League Chew: 'My dad used to say it was lightning in a pouch'” … David Haugh, Chicago Tribune “Series preview: White Sox at Tigers” … Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune “Giolito KO’d early, Bundy goes distance as O’s topple White Sox” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Sun-Times “Welington Castillo is first active Cubs or White Sox player suspended for PEDs” … Satchel Price, Sun-Times “White Sox claim Garneau off waivers, move Gonzalez to 60-day DL” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Sun-Times “White Sox react to Welington Castillo’s 80-game suspension” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Sun-Times “Danny Farquhar will take mound to throw first pitch at White Sox game” … Satchel Price, Sun-Times “White Sox make moves after Welington Castillo’s suspension” … Satchel Price, Sun-Times “Welington Castillo suspended 80 games by MLB for violating drug policy” … Satchel Price, Sun-Times “White Sox’ Tim Anderson says he’s just scratching the surface” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Sun-Times “Report: White Sox’ Castillo to receive 80-game suspension for PEDs” … Daryl Van Schouwen, Sun-Times “Scouting report: Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Chicago White Sox catcher Castillo apologizes for failed drug test” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Giolito makes early exit in White Sox's 9-3 loss to Orioles” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald

“Q&A: Breaking down some top high schoolers in the MLB Draft with USA Baseball’s Matt Blood” … Max Bultman, the Athletic “Roster Requirements: Six players who can help your team with oppo power” … Eno Sarris, The Athletic “At this rate, fireballing Dylan Cease isn’t long for Winston-Salem” … James Fegan, The Athletic “Posnanski: Chet Lemon over Lou Brock? Explaining five WAR comparisons that may make you angry” … Joe Posnanski, The Athletic “Book excerpt: A year like no other for Ken “Hawk” Harrelson” … The Athletic “Unfortunately, Welington Castillo’s remorse can’t catch for the White Sox” … Lauren Comitor, The Athletic

Control eludes Giolito in short start, as Sox fall Chicago offense can't recover after right-hander allows 7 runs over 1 1/3 innings By Max Gelman / MLB.com / May 24, 2018 CHICAGO -- One night after routing the Orioles at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox had the favor returned on Thursday. Chicago starter Lucas Giolito recorded only four outs, his shortest start of the season, as Baltimore pounced on him for seven runs in a 9-3 White Sox loss. Giolito's ERA rose to 7.53 and he took sole possession of the American League lead for walks allowed (37) and the MLB lead for hit batsmen (10). "I take what I do very seriously," Giolito said. "I work as hard as I can at it. So when I experience failure like this, it's kind of hard to deal with. All I can do is come back tomorrow, keep working on things and hopefully have a better one." Things didn't start out poorly for Giolito, but it snowballed quickly as the first inning progressed. The White Sox got a break when Manny Machado was tagged out following an Adam Jones rundown between third and home, but Giolito issued three straight walks to force in the Orioles' first two runs. Giolito then gave up a Chance Sisco two-run single to put the White Sox down, 4-0, before they had a chance to bat. The second inning didn't get any better. Trey Mancini and Jones led off with consecutive home runs off Giolito, the third time this season the Orioles have gone deep back to back. Following a Machado flyout and Jonathan Schoop single, Giolito hit Chris Davis with a fastball and was removed from the game. White Sox manager Rick Renteria said that despite Giolito's low-key demeanor, the young righty has a very high intensity on the mound. Sometimes that can lead to issues bringing success from bullpen sessions into a game-like atmosphere. "Back to the drawing board, go back and continue to work, see if we can make that jump where he continues to feel comfortable on the mound from the first inning," Renteria said. "He seems to be a guy that if he can get through that first inning comfortably, or even manage it with minimal damage, he seems to settle down and continues to move forward." The White Sox are not considering sending Giolito to Triple-A Charlotte to re-adjust as they did with Carson Fulmer, Renteria said. Rather, Giolito has shown he can settle down after rough early innings, but he just hasn't done so consistently. "He's just a young man who's got to continue to minimize the emotional aspect of crossing from preparation into the game and staying focused, relaxed and hammer the zone with strikes," Renteria said. "I'd agree, I feel good physically, my arm feels good, body feels good," Giolito added when asked if his struggles are more mental than physical. "I've been doing a lot of stuff in the gym to get some movement squared away. [I've] just [been] letting the game speed up and letting it get out of control." Offensively, the White Sox were stymied all afternoon by Baltimore starter Dylan Bundy, who set down the first 10 Chicago hitters before plunking Yolmer Sanchez. Jose Rondon hit a three-run homer later in

the fourth, but it was one of only two hits the White Sox managed off Bundy, who struck out a career-high 14 batters in his second career complete game. SOUND SMART Jace Fry gave up his first hit of the season in the eighth inning, ending his 8 1/3-inning hitless streak to start the season. Fry is still working on a 12 2/3-inning scoreless streak that dates back to Sept. 26, 2017. HE SAID IT "With Gio, I expect that we would have a nice clean start from the beginning, but when he doesn't, I still feel like if he gets through it, he'll settle down and continue to hammer away at what he needs to do in order to get deeper into a ballgame, and that was a little different with Carson. With Carson, it was right from the get-go he was struggling, and he had a difficult time extending his outings after the third or fourth because it just kept getting too deep into his pitch count and not really hammering the strike zone as much." -- Renteria, on comparing the struggles of Giolito and Fulmer UP NEXT The White Sox travel to Detroit on Friday to begin a three-game set with their division rivals at 6:10 p.m. CT. Reynaldo Lopez (1-3, 2.98 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago, coming off the best start of his career. Lopez threw eight scoreless innings against Texas last Sunday, allowing just two hits and striking out eight. Mike Fiers (4-3, 4.57) goes for the Tigers.

Catcher Castillo suspended 80 games By Scott Merkin / MLB.com / May 24, 2018 CHICAGO -- White Sox catcher Welington Castillo received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball made the announcement Thursday morning. Castillo, 31, issued the following statement through the Major League Baseball Players Association in regard to the suspension. "I was recently notified by Major League Baseball that I had tested positive for EPO, a substance that is prohibited under MLB's Joint Drug Agreement. The positive test resulted from an extremely poor decision that I, and I alone, made. I take full responsibility for my conduct. I have let many people down, including my family, my teammates, the White Sox organization and its fans, and from my heart, I apologize. Following my suspension, I look forward to rejoining my teammates and doing whatever I can to help the White Sox win." The White Sox brought in Castillo via a two-year, $15 million free-agent deal, with an $8 million club option for 2020, as an integral part of the club's rebuild. He was set up to work with young pitchers such as Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer, to name just a few, as well as young catchers such as Zack Collins and Seby Zavala. The presence of a reliable veteran behind the plate like Castillo, who is hitting .267 with six home runs and 15 RBIs with $7.5 million 2018 salary, enabled the White Sox to avoid rushing Collins and Zavala's development. According to general manager Rick Hahn, who spoke to the media Thursday, Castillo sought him out as well as manager Rick Renteria when he found out the news Wednesday night. "He said it was a priority for him to apologize to his teammates, which he did earlier this morning," said Hahn, who referred to Castillo's apologies as "extremely heartfelt." "He certainly has stood up and accepted responsibility for his actions. It doesn't change the fact that it's disappointing." "Obviously it's a little bit of a blow for us, a young man who knows he made a mistake, and I think he'll learn from it," Renteria said. "It doesn't change how I feel about him. This kid, I've had him before, and this too shall pass, as they say, and we'll move on."

Renteria's comments were echoed by Castillo's teammates. When Castillo returns in late August, he will be accepted back as part of the family. He's the first White Sox Major Leaguer to be suspended under the Joint Drug Agreement. "It's a really difficult moment for all of us, our organization and for Weli," said White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu through interpreter Billy Russo. "I spoke with him in the morning and he was very … hurt. But we're human beings and we make mistakes. It's up to us to move forward and to learn from them. He has our support. It's a tough situation for all of us, our organization, for him and for me." "We have a really good relationship," White Sox second baseman Yolmer Sanchez said. "He's my friend, and when he wants, I'll be here for him." "I'm just going to support him as a family," said Omar Narvaez, the new White Sox starting catcher. "We all make mistakes." Alfredo Gonzalez was added from Triple-A Charlotte to move into Narvaez's backup role. Kevan Smith (Triple-A Charlotte) and Zavala (Double-A Birmingham) represent future backstop options who are currently on the disabled list. Hahn admitted to not enjoying much of Wednesday's 11-1 victory despite it being one of the most exciting White Sox games of the season. While Hahn and the White Sox have run the full range of emotions with the suspension, it ultimately might serve as an important cautionary tale for younger players. "That's a very clear lesson to take away from this," Hahn said. "It's the importance of being fully aware of what you're doing and seeking out the right advice before you take any actions in the outside world about trying to help yourself. "Players bear full responsibility for what they do regardless of intent or understanding of exactly what they are doing, which again makes it a very strong and effective program we support. But it's a reminder to everyone in that clubhouse and throughout the league to be diligent about what you are doing."

Tilson joins White Sox after almost 2-year rehab Outfield prospect called up after tearing left hamstring in MLB debut in August 2016 By Scott Merkin / MLB.com / May 24, 2018 CHICAGO -- The White Sox embark on a six-game road trip starting in Detroit on Friday, so it seems only fitting that outfielder Charlie Tilson rejoined the team from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday. Tilson replaced Leury Garcia, who was played on the 10-day disabled list with a left knee sprain. It was Aug. 2, 2016, a few days after the White Sox acquired Tilson from the Cardinals, when the fleet-footed outfielder made his debut at Comerica Park and picked up his first Major League hit. Tilson received kudos from Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, only to tear his left hamstring chasing a fly ball in the fifth inning. Recovery from surgery on that particular injury was followed by a stress reaction in his right foot and a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his right ankle. Almost two years of setbacks never sapped Tilson's spirit or resolve. "My biggest strong suit was not losing hope," said Tilson, who started in left field Thursday. "I always envisioned this opportunity, the opportunity I've been working so hard for. The confidence is there, and I couldn't wait to get to this clubhouse. I'm extremely excited and pumped to get out there and help the team any way I can."

"He's pretty happy to be up right now, pretty happy to be home in front of hopefully what will be his hometown crowd," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "And we're looking forward to seeing him out there." Tilson's brother and parents were in attendance Thursday. The 25-year-old left-handed hitter is a native of Winnetka, Ill. MLB Pipeline ranks Tilson as the No. 15 prospect in Chicago's system. White Sox add Garneau The White Sox claimed catcher Dustin Garneau off waivers from the Athletics and optioned him to Charlotte. The team also transferred right-handed pitcher Miguel Gonzalez to the 60-day disabled list, keeping the 40-man roster at 40. Garneau, 30, has appeared in 87 career games with the Rockies (2015-17) and Athletics (2017), hitting .192 with 17 doubles, five home runs, 23 RBIs and 24 walks. He has thrown out 41.4 percent (17-for-41) of attempted basestealers in his Major League career. The move was necessitated by Welington Castillo's 80-day suspension for violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, announced Thursday. Omar Narvaez became the team's starting catcher while Alfredo Gonzalez was added from Triple-A Charlotte. "I learned a lot from him, especially about calling games and things like that, but mostly the mental side of the game," said Gonzalez of Castillo through interpreter Billy Russo. "He helped me a lot with that during Spring Training. "I'm very happy to be here even though the circumstances are not the best. I am sad for him, too." Zavala in the mix Kevan Smith would have been the choice to replace Castillo if not for the right-handed hitter being on Charlotte's disabled list with right ankle soreness. But one interesting note from the situation was general manager Rick Hahn including Seby Zavala in the callup mix. Zavala, 24, also is on the disabled list with wrist issues for Double-A Birmingham. But the No. 21 White Sox prospect has 10 home runs and an .877 OPS for the Barons this season. "He made a real good impression in Spring Training on Ricky and the staff," Hahn said. "Obviously, he's gotten off to a real nice start in Birmingham, showed a lot of power even though he has been playing with a wrist issue for a while. "Hard worker, calls a good game, solid catch-and-throw guy. As we talked about going back to the end of last season, despite there perhaps being some other higher profile catching prospects in the organization, Seby's doing everything in his power to make sure he's part of that conversation going forward." Hahn also talked about Zack Collins, the team's top catching prospect and No. 9 prospect overall. But Hahn reiterated a prospect won't be rushed to the Majors because of a need at this time.

Farquhar expected to throw out 1st pitch June 1 White Sox reliever recovering from brain hemorrhage By Scott Merkin / MLB.com / May 24, 2018 CHICAGO -- The incredible recovery of Danny Farquhar will take another uplifting step forward on June 1, when the White Sox reliever is set to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the club's Friday night game against the Brewers at Guaranteed Rate Field. Farquhar, 31, sutained a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm after he pitched on April 20 against the Astros, and he then underwent surgery. Farquhar has visited the White Sox clubhouse twice since leaving RUSH University Medical Center, and he was cleared by his doctors to throw the first pitch.

View Full Game Coverage "It just makes me smile," White Sox starting pitcher James Shields said. "He's just such a great dude. We are so happy everything is going smooth with him." "That's pretty cool actually that we all get to see him," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He looks really good, and the fact that he's gonna be able to do that is truly a testament to all the people that took care of him, his fortitude, his willingness to fight through something which was a very difficult thing to fight through." Farquhar's wife, Lexie, and his three children -- Madison, Landon and Liam -- will join Farquhar, as White Sox fans and the team welcome him back to the ballpark. The RUSH team, including doctors, nurses and staff who helped care for Farquhar during his recovery, will also be in attendance for the first pitch. In celebration of Farquhar's recovery and the Farquhar family, Chicago White Sox Charities will donate proceeds from all fundraising efforts that evening, including the Sox Split raffle, game auction and scoreboard message purchases, to the Joe Niekro Foundation, an organization committed to supporting patients and families, research, treatment and awareness of brain aneurysms. The organization was founded by Natalie Niekro, the daughter of right-handed pitcher Joe Niekro, who spent 21 seasons in Major League Baseball and passed away suddenly in 2006 as a result of a brain aneurysm. Fans at home can support the fundraising effort by purchasing Sox Split raffle tickets online at whitesox.com/soxsplit. Farquhar has been recovering at home in Chicago since his release from RUSH on May 7. Dr. Demetrius Lopes, Farquhar's neurosurgeon, expects Farquhar to be able to pitch again in the future, but he will not medically release Farquhar to pitch in a competitive game during the 2018 season, in order to allow the righty to fully recover from the hemorrhage. "It's something you never want to see in baseball, let alone to one of your teammates," Shields said. "To be able to have him persevere through what he's gone through and be so positive. Really, he's so positive about everything and upbeat. It's going to be fun to watch." "He's driving by himself and doing everything on his own, which is nice," White Sox starting pitcher Hector Santiago said. "It will be fun to see him out there with his family and be back on the field where the fans can cheer him on. I'm pretty sure it will be pretty loud when he gets ready to throw that first pitch."

Thursday's top prospect performers By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com / May 24, 2018 Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Thursday. Brendan McKay has a legitimate chance of becoming Major League Baseball's next two-way star. Right now, however, the Rays' No. 3 prospect is standing out more for his success on the mound. McKay, MLB Pipeline's No. 24 overall prospect, tossed six scoreless innings on Thursday, leading Class A Advanced Charlotte in a shutout of Fort Myers, 1-0. Entering the game in the third inning in relief of rehabbing big leaguer Yonny Chirinos, McKay allowed three hits, hit one batter and struck out three as he improved to 2-0 in as many outings for the Stone Crabs. McKay, 22, has now worked 23 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run dating back to his April 28 start with Class A Bowling Green. He's permitted just four hits while striking out 10 in 11 innings for Charlotte after posting a 1.09 ERA with 40 strikeouts and two walks over 24 2/3 frames (six starts) in the Midwest League.

Overall, McKay has pitched to a combined 0.76 ERA and 0.39 WHIP, with an equally impressive 50-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .101 opponents' average, in 35 2/3 innings (eight appearances/six starts) between the two levels. At the plate, meanwhile, the left-handed-hitting first baseman has produced a .247/.434/.318 batting line, totaling four extra-base hits, 18 RBIs and more walks (30) than strikeouts (20) in 26 games. The rest of the best performances from top prospects Thursday • No. 2 overall prospect (Blue Jays' No. 1) Vladimir Guerrero Jr's solo shot and Bo Bichette's (No. 11 overall, Blue Jays' No. 2) two-run homer accounted for all of Double-A New Hampshire's offense in a 4-3 loss against Reading. They both finished 2-for-4 at the plate, with Bichette also reaching once via a walk and recording his 10th stolen base in the contest. The 19-year-old Guerrero boosted his Minor League-best average to .427 with his third straight multihit performance, and he's now up to nine home runs and 46 RBIs through 42 games. • No. 17 overall prospect Alex Reyes (Cardinals' No. 1) struck out the side on three occasions and fanned nine consecutive batters -- breaking a 116-year Pacific Coast League record -- en route to racking up 13 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Memphis. He allowed one hit and one walk, throwing 52 of his 76 pitches for strikes in the outing. The 23-year-old righty has dominated while working his way back from 2017 Tommy John surgery, piling up 44 strikeouts and allowing just seven hits in 23 scoreless innings (four starts) across three levels. • No. 56 overall prospect Dylan Cease (White Sox No. 5) completed a career-high 7 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, as he recorded his sixth win in nine starts for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem. The 22-year-old right-hander issued two walks and struck out nine, sitting in the upper 90s and touching 99 mph against his final batter. He's pitched to a 2.83 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings this season. • No. 57 overall prospect Jo Adell (Angels' No. 1) connected on his first California League home run, hitting a two-run shot as well as a double in his third game since joining Class A Advanced Inland Empire. The 19-year-old outfielder earned a quick promotion after hitting .326/.398/.611 with six homers, seven doubles and 29 RBIs in 25 games with Class A Burlington. • No. 74 overall prospect Stephen Gonsalves (Twins' No. 3) posted his second straight scoreless start as Triple-A Rochester blanked Lehigh Valley, 2-0. He scattered four hits and four walks over five innings, striking out five and generating another six outs on the ground. Nick Gordon (No. 76 overall, Twins' No. 4), playing in his third Triple-A game, hit a pair of doubles and scored a run to pace the Red Wings offensively. • After going 0-for-8 in his first two Triple-A games, Angels' No. 8 prospect Matt Thaiss erupted to hit a pair of solo homers and went 3-for-6 as Salt Lake outslugged Albuquerque, 16-11. The 23-year-old first baseman, a first-round pick in 2016, earned a promotion to the Minors' highest level after slashing .287/.352/.490 with six homers and 10 doubles in 40 games with Double-A Mobile. • Astros' No. 9 prospect Corbin Martin racked up a season-high nine strikeouts and allowed just two hits as he completed a career-best 7 2/3 scoreless frames in a no-decision for Double-A Corpus Christi against Springfield. He threw 88 pitches, 63 for strikes in the outing and generated eight ground-ball outs. The 2017 second-round pick has given up just two earned runs over his last 22 innings (three starts/four appearances) since allowing six earned runs on five hits and lasted just 1/3 innings in his Double-A debut. • After striking out 18 batters over 9 2/3 innings in two big league starts, Brewers No. 9 prospect Freddy Peralta returned to Triple-A Colorado Springs and struck out eight over five scoreless innings to earn the win against Nashville. He permitted as many hits as walks (three), while throwing 57 of his 94 pitches for strikes. The 21-year-old righty is 6-1 in eight Triple-A starts, during which he's pitched to a 3.18 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.

• Starting for Springfield opposite of Corpus Christi's Martin, Cardinals' No. 19 prospect Jake Woodford took a no-decision despite completing eight scoreless frames during which he scattered six hits, walked two and struck out five. The 21-year-old righty owns a 3.98 ERA in 54 1/3 innings and has finished five innings in eight of his 10 starts, including six straight. • Marlins' No. 21 prospect Pablo Lopez allowed five hits and struck out five over six scoreless innings in another lights-out start for Double-A Jacksonville. The 22-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA from 0.28 to 0.24 with the performance, extending his lead over the field on the Southern League leaderboard. Lopez has not allowed an earned run in six of his seven turns this season, posting a 0.82 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and seven walks in 37 2/3 innings. • Mets' No. 1 prospect Andres Gimenez extended his hitting streak to nine games with a 3-for-3 performance that included a double in Class A Advanced St. Lucie's 4-2 win over Daytona. He also worked a walk, scored a pair of runs and stole three bases, giving him 15 steals on the season, second-most in the Florida State League. Overall, the 19-year-old shortstop owns a .287/.356/.441 batting line with 15 extra-base hits through 40 games in the pitcher-friendly league. • Red Sox No. 11 prospect Josh Ockimey hit a three-run homer and reached base four times, going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs scored in Double-A Portland's 12-2 win over Hartford. It was the fifth home run and second straight two-hit game for the 22-year-old first baseman, who's slashing .255/.381/.445 through 32 games. • Twins' No. 8 prospect Brent Rooker went deep twice for Double-A Chattanooga in his first career multihomer game. The 23-year-old first baseman hit a two-run blast in his first at-bat and added a solo shot in his third trip to the plate, finishing 2-for-5 with three RBIs. He's homered six times in 43 games this season after totaling 18 homers in 62 games across two levels during his pro debut.

For rebuilding White Sox, Welington Castillo PED suspension is 'a lesson we weren't looking to learn right now' By Vinnie Duber / NBC Sports Chicago / May 24, 2018 This rebuilding season is all about “learning experiences,” as Rick Renteria is often quick to remind. Now the White Sox have been taught a lesson they didn’t want to learn. Welington Castillo, one of the few veteran leaders on this otherwise young, developing roster, was handed an 80-game suspension Thursday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. It’s the antithesis of the culture and identity the White Sox are trying hard to create as they attempt to construct a homegrown contender: playing hard, playing the right way, Ricky’s boys don’t quit. Earlier this week, it was Castillo, oddly enough, who was benched by Renteria for not running to first base on a popup. Now Castillo has received another punishment, one far more severe and one that didn’t come from the White Sox organization. “It’s disappointing. Surprising, disappointing and there’s a little bit of sadness,” general manager Rick Hahn said Thursday. “We know the type of guy he is, and he shows it, too, by standing up and accepting full responsibility for what he puts in his body, regardless of how he got it or why he did it. “In some ways it’s a lesson for these guys about being diligent, and in some ways it’s a lesson about accountability. But ultimately, it’s a lesson we weren’t looking to learn right now.” As Hahn mentioned, Castillo has apologized profusely. He talked with Hahn and Renteria after finding out about his suspension Wednesday night. He apologized to his teammates Thursday morning. And he released an apologetic statement through the MLB Player’s Association on Thursday.

“The positive test resulted from an extremely poor decision that I, and I alone, made,” the statement read, in part. “I take full responsibility for my conduct. I have let many people down, including my family, my teammates, the White Sox organization and its fans, and from my heart, I apologize.” Hahn was quick to point out that Castillo’s transgression will have little to no effect on the organization’s rebuilding effort, and with catching prospects Zack Collins and Seby Zavala looking strong in the minor leagues, that’s not difficult to believe. But there are several important things that Castillo was brought in this past winter to accomplish that could impact the White Sox situation past the next three months and into coming seasons. Castillo was acquired specifically to help a young pitching staff transition to the major league level. His experience as a veteran backstop was valuable to Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and the team’s other young arms at the major league level. “One of the first things Welington said to (Renteria) and I last night is how large a part of the disappointment he has in himself, and the root of his regret to us, is that he understood that part of his role in the clubhouse is to be a role model and to help develop some of these players,” Hahn said. “For the next three months, he won’t be available to do that. “Each player plays a certain role. In terms of what we’re trying to accomplish for the long term, this really is not going to have much of an impact at all. From a short-term standpoint, it’s going to stink. It’s disappointing in terms of the options that we’re running out there and our chances to win each and every night, and for the next three months these players won’t get the benefit of the wisdom that Welington brings.” Additionally, Castillo’s contract — which includes a team option for the 2020 season — allowed the White Sox a safety net in the developments of Collins and Zavala. If the contention window is supposed to open in 2020, and if Collins and/or Zavala weren’t quite ready to be a major league catcher by then, Castillo could provide the answer at that position. Should this suspension change the White Sox minds in that department, there’s a possibility of the team having a hole at catcher in the next couple years. “He’ll be back here in late August after the 80 games are served, and obviously he remains part of our plans for 2019,” Hahn said. “He’ll have an opportunity to make an impact on these young players in a positive way going forward.” And on top of it all, Castillo is a good player, a good hitter who was helping the White Sox offense. The wins haven’t been frequent, but without Castillo’s bat in the lineup for three months — he hit .333 in his last 15 games, while replacement Omar Narvaez has a .180 batting average this season — a season Hahn has described as “the hardest part of the rebuild” is bout to get harder. Losing Castillo might not seem like the difference between a win and a loss on most nights, but the White Sox now face a downgrade at the catching position. And now the waiting game gets even more difficult while Collins and Zavala continue to develop in the minors. “This is another example, as I’ve said from the start of this whole process, guys are not coming to Chicago because there’s a need in Chicago. They’re coming to Chicago because their development, we feel, is essentially complete at the minor league level and it’s time for them to accomplish what they can in Chicago,” Hahn said. “This catching situation is going to be no different, whether it’s Seby or Zack or (Kevan Smith) when he’s healthy. It’s going to be based upon how the long-term development of each of those players is best served, not necessarily by, ‘Hey, we need a catcher tomorrow in Chicago.’” The White Sox will need a catcher for a lot of tomorrows while Castillo serves his suspension.

The White Sox sent down Carson Fulmer, so why isn't Lucas Giolito receiving the same treatment? By Vinnie Duber / NBC Sports Chicago / May 24, 2018 Lucas Giolito is having a rough go of things in his second year with the White Sox. He came into the season with some pretty high expectations after posting a 2.38 ERA in seven starts at the end of the 2017 campaign and then dominating during spring training. But he’s done anything but dominate since this season started, and after one of his worst outings in Thursday’s 9-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, he’s got a 7.53 ERA in 10 starts in 2018. Giolito stuck around for only four outs Thursday, but he allowed the Orioles to do plenty of damage, giving up seven runs on six hits — two of which were back-to-back home runs to start the second inning — and three walks. He leads the American League with his 37 walks. “I take what I do very seriously. I work as hard as I can at it,” Giolito said. “So when I experience failure like this, it’s kind of hard to deal with. All I can do is come back tomorrow, keep working on things and hopefully have a better one.” All of Giolito’s struggles have fans wondering why the White Sox haven’t sent him down to Triple-A to work on his craft. “I don’t foresee that at this particular time,” Rick Renteria said when asked if Giolito could be sent to Triple-A. “I think he’s just a young man who’s got to continue to minimize the emotional aspect of crossing from preparation into the game and staying focused, relaxed and hammer the zone with strikes. And truthfully it’s just first-pitch strike and get after the next one.” The White Sox have already sent one young pitcher down in Carson Fulmer, who was having a nightmarish time at the big league level. Fulmer’s results were worse than Giolito’s on a regular basis. He got sent down after posting an 8.07 ERA in nine outings. But hasn’t Giolito suffered through command issues enough to warrant some time away from the major league limelight? According to his manager, Giolito’s situation is vastly different than Fulmer’s. “I don’t see them anywhere near each other,” Renteria said. “They’re two different competitors in terms of the outcomes that they’ve had. Lucas has at least had situations in which he might have struggled early and been able to gain some confidence through the middle rounds of his start and continue to propel himself to finish some ballgames, give us six or seven innings at times. So it’s two different guys. “With Gio, I expect that we would have a nice clean start from the beginning, but when he doesn’t I still feel like if he gets through it he’ll settle down and continue to hammer away at what he needs to do in order to get deeper into a ballgame, and that was a little different with Carson. With Carson it was right from the get-go he was struggling, and he had a difficult time extending his outings after the third or fourth because it just kept getting too deep into his pitch count and not really hammering the strike zone as much.” Renteria is not wrong. Giolito has had a knack to take a rough beginning to a start and turn it into five or six innings. Notably, he gave up a couple first-inning runs and walked seven hitters and still got the win against the Cubs a week and a half ago. And while his first-inning ERA is 10.80 and his second-inning ERA is 12.54, he’s pitched into at least the sixth inning in seven of his 10 starts. Renteria’s point is that Giolito is learning how to shake off early damage and achieving the goal, most times out, of eating up innings and keeping his team in the game. Those are a couple valuable qualities to develop for a young pitcher. But are those the lone qualities that determine that Giolito is suited to continue his learning process at the major league level? His command remains a glaring problem, and both he and Renteria admitted that his problems are more mental than physical.

“The one thing everyone has to understand is we have to go beyond the physical and attack a little bit more of the mental and emotional and try to connect and slow that down,” Renteria said. “Those aspects are the ones that ultimately, at times, deal in the derailment of the physical action. So if we can kind of calm that down a little bit. “He’s very focused. Giolito is high intensity. Nice kid but high-intensity young man when he gets on the mound. You might not believe it. He’s going 100 mph. So I think it goes to more just trusting himself, trusting the process, taking it truthfully one pitch at a time.” Well, if a demotion to the minors isn’t likely, what about moving Giolito to the bullpen? Carlos Rodon and Chris Sale dipped their toes in bullpen waters before moving to the rotation. Could a reversal of that strategy help Giolito? Well, the current state of the White Sox starting rotation — Fulmer in the minors, Miguel Gonzalez on the 60-day DL and pitchers like James Shields, Hector Santiago and Dylan Covey, who aren’t exactly long-term pieces, getting a lot of starts — doesn’t really allow for another piece to be removed. “I know they have done it with Rodon and Sale,” Renteria said. “The difference is we don’t have the makeup of the starting rotation that those clubs had in order to put those guys in the ‘pen. We are in a different situation right now. Moving forward, is that something we can possibly do? Absolutely. It has been done with very good success. “Right now we are in truly discovery mode and adjustment mode and adapting and trying to do everything we can to get these guys to develop their skill sets to be very usable and effective at the major league level and we are doing it to the best of our ability.” There could be promise in the fact that Giolito has turned a season around as recently as last year. Before he was impressing on the South Side in August and September, he was struggling at Triple-A Charlotte. Even after he ironed things out, things had gotten off to a rocky enough start that he owned a 4.48 ERA and 10 losses when he was called up to the bigs. It doesn’t seem Giolito will be going back to Charlotte, unless things continue to go in a dramatically poor direction. Right now, these are just more of the growing pains during this rebuilding process. “The hardest part of the rebuild” doesn’t just means wins and losses. It means watching some players struggle through speed bumps as they continue to develop into what the White Sox hope they’ll be when this team is ready to compete.

Major League Baseball hands Welington Castillo an 80-game suspension after positive test for banned substance By Vinnie Duber / NBC Sports Chicago / May 24, 2018 A day after it was reported that Welington Castillo would receive an 80-game suspension for violating baseball’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, Major League Baseball made it official and announced the ban. Castillo, the veteran catcher brought in by the White Sox this past offseason, tested positive for a banned substance, per the league’s announcement, and was handed the 80-game suspension for first-time offenders. Castillo released a statement a few hours after the suspension was officially handed down. “I was recently notified by Major League Baseball that I had tested positive for EPO, a substance that is prohibited under MLB’s Joint Drug Agreement,” he said. “The positive test resulted from an extremely poor decision that I, and I alone, made. I take full responsibility for my conduct. I have let many people down, including my family, my teammates, the White Sox organization and its fans, and from my heart, I

apologize. Following my suspension, I look forward to rejoining my teammates and doing whatever I can to help the White Sox win.” It was the first time since new, harsher rules were put in place in 2005 in the wake of baseball’s steroid era that the White Sox have had a major league player suspended for such an offense. Reports Wednesday night — which came out while Castillo was playing in the White Sox game against the visiting Baltimore Orioles, his former team — indicated that Castillo did not test positive for a steroid, but rather for a non-steroid performance-enhancing drug. Baseball's announcement indicated that Castillo tested positive for Erythropoietin, a performance-enhancing substance. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn released a statement on the suspension: "The Chicago White Sox were saddened and disappointed to learn of the suspension of catcher Welington Castillo for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Welington has apologized to the team and his teammates and has taken full responsibility for his actions. He understands that he has negatively affected the team and has fallen short of the expectations we have of our players. The White Sox fully support Major League Baseball's policy and its efforts to eliminate performance enhancing substances from our game.” Castillo has a key role on this White Sox team as a veteran catcher tasked with helping to develop a group of young pitchers, two of whom are seen as very important pieces of the organization’s ongoing rebuilding effort: Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. How Castillo’s 80-game absence affects their development remains to be seen. Omar Narvaez, not as adept defensively behind the plate as Castillo, will take over as the team’s No. 1 catcher. While the White Sox work to develop a specific identity and culture through this rebuilding process, this suspension seemingly flies in the face of what manager Rick Renteria is attempting to create with his preaching of playing hard, playing the right way and giving everything you’ve got. It was Castillo who was benched earlier this week for not running to first base on a popup. Renteria has done that several times this year, and it makes one wonder how such an egregious violation of baseball’s rulebook will be handled inside the clubhouse both during and after Castillo’s suspension. Castillo’s future is also a topic of discussion in the wake of this news. He signed a two-year deal with the White Sox during the offseason, and there’s a team option for a third. It seemed to be an addition that would act as a bridge to highly ranked catching prospect Zack Collins, who along with fellow catching prospect Seby Zavala is having a nice offensive season at Double-A Birmingham. Collins and Zavala aren’t necessarily close to hitting the major leagues, and if this suspension should change Castillo’s future with the team, perhaps it could impact those prospects’ futures, as well. Maybe Castillo wouldn’t be around to provide a veteran safety net in 2020 or whenever they reach the big leagues. With Kevan Smith, who lost out on the backup catcher’s job in spring training, on the disabled list at Triple-A Charlotte, the White Sox brought Alfredo Gonzalez up from the minors to serve as the backup to Narvaez and take Castillo’s spot on the active roster. But it’s possible Gonzalez will be just a temporary solution until Smith returns to full health.

Dylan Cease, pitching tonight on NBC Sports Chicago, showing why he’s a part of White Sox bright future By Vinnie Duber / NBC Sports Chicago / May 24, 2018 Dylan Cease isn’t the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the White Sox system. He wasn’t even the highest-ranked prospect in the trade that brought him to this organization. But Cease is doing anything but flying under the radar, a testament to the amount of minor league talent and the level of interest in this rebuilding process. Cease, no slouch in the rankings at No. 5 in the White Sox organization and No. 56 in baseball, is having a nice season at Class A Winston-Salem. He enters Thursday night’s game — which will air on NBC

Sports Chicago — with a 3.12 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 40.1 innings of work. Last time out, he bounced back from his only real rough start of the campaign, throwing six shutout innings. It paled only in comparison to his finest start of the year: seven shutout innings with 12 strikeouts on the first day of May. Earlier this month, he spoke on a conference call about some of his hopes for and improvements made during the 2018 season. “Making every start is probably one of the most important things when it comes to being a starting pitcher,” Cease said. “For me, my goals are more execution-based. How am I executing my pitches? How are they coming out of my hand? Things like that. But that’s definitely on the back-burner of something I want to do. “I definitely feel like I’ve taken a step forward (with my command). The ability is there, it’s just whether you can consistently do it. And for me, I feel like I’ve been doing it better, and I’m continuing to kind of narrow down on my process and find the consistent things I need to do in order to put myself in a position to execute my pitches. So it’s definitely getting better.” White Sox fans who haven’t taken the leap and sprung for the minor league streaming service will finally get a chance to see Cease pitch for the first time since an impressive spring training, when he pitched 6.1 shutout innings over three outings, allowing just three hits. It was a big deal for the 22-year-old, acquired not a full year prior in that crosstown trade with the Cubs. “I definitely would’ve said I was a little bit nervous,” Cease said. “But being able to get big league guys out and see that I can do it and then start those games, it made me feel that I was closer. “I think the most valuable thing about that was seeing that I could do it. It gives me that much more motivation to keep working on my craft and get up there and be consistent with it.” Cease is still pitching at the Class A level, so it might be a while before he’s pitching in the majors. But he seems to have as good a shot as anyone of competing for a spot in the White Sox crowded rotation of the future. He’s got stiff competition, obviously, with the likes of Michael Kopech, Alec Hansen, Dane Dunning, Carlos Rodon, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez all pitching at higher levels of the system, including the major leagues. But if Cease can keep pitching like he has been, he’ll keep his name in the discussion.

Danny Farquhar to throw out the first pitch before White Sox game on June 1 By Vinnie Duber / NBC Sports Chicago / May 24, 2018 In another example of how amazing Danny Farquhar’s recovery has been, the pitcher will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the White Sox game on June 1. Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage from a ruptured aneurysm during the sixth inning of the team’s April 20 game against the Houston Astros. But his recovery has been astounding, and he was discharged from the hospital on May 7. Farquhar’s neurosurgeon expects him to be able to pitch again in future seasons. Farquhar has been back to visit his teammates at Guaranteed Rate Field a couple times since leaving the hospital. June 1 will mark his return to a big league mound, even if it’s only for a ceremonial first pitch with his wife and three children. Doctors, nurses and staff from RUSH University Medical Center will be on hand for Farquhar’s pitch on June 1. The White Sox announced that in celebration of Farquhar’s recovery, they will donate proceeds from all fundraising efforts on June 1 to the Joe Niekro Foundation, an organization committed to supporting patients and families, research, treatment and awareness of brain aneurysms.

White Sox add Dustin Garneau to help thin catching corps in wake of Welington Castillo suspension By Vinnie Duber / NBC Sports Chicago / May 24, 2018 Is this the White Sox solution at catcher while Welington Castillo serves his 80-game suspension? The team announced it claimed Dustin Garneau off waivers from the Oakland Athletics just hours after Castillo’s suspension became official. The White Sox simultaneously placed Miguel Gonzalez on the 60-day disabled list, freeing up a spot on the 40-man roster for Garneau, who was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Garneau, 30, has 87 major league games under his belt thanks to stints with A’s and Colorado Rockies. He split time between those two clubs last season and slashed .188/.272/.313 with a pair of homers and nine RBIs in 126 plate appearances. The White Sox found themselves with few options Thursday morning, when Castillo was suspended for use of a performance-enhancing drug. Alfredo Gonzalez was summoned from Charlotte to take Castillo’s spot, though he wasn’t the team’s first choice. Kevan Smith, who played plenty at the big league level in 2017, is on the disabled list with an ankle injury. Seby Zavala, who is having a terrific offensive season at Double-A Birmingham, is also injured, though he likely wouldn't have been promoted as he continues to develop into a possible catcher of the future alongside Zack Collins. The lack of internal options sent the White Sox outside the organization, and while Garneau is heading to Charlotte, he could potentially be up soon to help new No. 1 Omar Narvaez behind the plate while Castillo sits out the next three months.

Column: White Sox's reaction to Welington Castillo's suspension? It's complicated By Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune / May 24, 2018 The White Sox’s reaction to Welington Castillo’s 80-game PED suspension Thursday was what you might have expected. They love him. They support him. They’ll keep the catcher’s spot warm for when Castillo returns in August, not to mention in 2019 when he’s owed $7.25 million in the last year of his two-year, $15 million deal. “Surprised, saddened, disappointed,” were the operative words general manager Rick Hahn used in a statement, and then in person during a pregame media briefing. An emotional “heartfelt” apology to the team from Castillo, along with a statement issued through the players’ union accepting responsibility for his actions, were all the Sox needed to suggest the story should be put to rest. “I would say that, more than anything, he let himself down,” manager Rick Renteria said. “Again, I think it’s disappointing, but anybody who has children knows children sometimes make mistakes. I've made plenty of mistakes, and my own children made plenty of mistakes. “You guys have heard me say, sometimes you might not like your children, but you'll always love them. I still love Welington Castillo. I still love everything he is. He made a mistake, and we have to move forward.” Castillo is 31, but OK. Even 31-year-olds make mistakes. You can still love him, and I don’t blame the Sox for lauding their teammate and friend.

The problem with stereotyping players who get caught taking PEDs is some are actually nice guys, like Castillo, whom I’ve known since he was a prospect with the Cubs. It’s hard to lump him in with egomaniacs like Barry Bonds, who had a TV and VCR at his locker in San Francisco so he wouldn’t have to talk to his teammates, or Roger Clemens, who had a contract with the Astros that allowed him to miss road trips when he wasn’t pitching. Unlike those two, Castillo is a good teammate. Yet the fact remains he also is a cheat, like Bonds, Clemens, Robinson Cano and numerous others who have tried to circumvent the rules. You can’t dismiss that just because he’s a friendly guy, though no one with the Sox said they were angry over his actions. “I’ve gone through a lot of emotions over the last several hours,” Hahn said before Thursday’s 9-3 loss to the Orioles. “We had ourselves perhaps the most entertaining game of our season (Wednesday night) with a lot of positive things happening from Dylan Covey to the way Adam Engel swung the bat, (Daniel) Palka, (Jose) Rondon. And quite frankly I didn’t really enjoy much of it. “I look forward to hopefully picking up where we left off last night on the field and continuing to build on some positives.” Oops. Lucas Giolito soon came into Thursday’s start to the musical accompaniment of Kanye West’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” If there was anything we could tell Giolito on Thursday, it was that he had nothing. He allowed seven runs in 1 1/3 innings, walking three, hitting a batter and giving up six hits, including back-to-back home runs to Trey Mancini and Adam Jones in the second. Giolito’s ERA rose to 7.53, overtaking the Royals’ Danny Duffy (6.88) for the highest in baseball. The Orioles escaped town with a split in the four-game series between tankers and accidental tankers, spoiling what otherwise would have been considered a decent homestand for the Sox. Now Hahn and the Sox honchos will try to figure out how to deal with the absence of their starting catcher for 80 games. Surprisingly, Hahn mentioned Double-A catcher Seby Zavala as a possible call-up when he returns from his wrist injury in a week or two. Zavala has 10 home runs and an .877 OPS and seemingly has passed Zack Collins, their 2016 first-round draft pick, on the Sox’s radar. “Zack’s part of the catching mix as well,” Hahn said. “It’s important for Zack to continue doing what he’s doing in Birmingham right now and keep playing.” If Zavala comes up, he immediately should be the primary catcher, with Omar Narvaez as backup. The Sox are so far out of contention they owe it to their fans to show them a glimpse of the future, even if it’s not Eloy Jimenez, the hitter everyone wants to see. And if Zavala succeeds in the majors, it should be his job to lose in 2019. Whether or not Castillo is lovable to his teammates, the Sox don’t owe him anything, except of course the remainder of his contract. He was brought here to be a mentor to the young pitchers, but he failed the Sox with his actions. Nice guy, but he blew it.

Time to move on.

Lucas Giolito bombarded in White Sox’s 9-3 loss to Orioles By Teddy Greenstein / Chicago Tribune / May 24, 2018 One can ignore a bevy of issues that have contributed to the White Sox’s rancid 15-32 start. No offense, but it doesn’t really matter in the big picture if Nate Jones struggles to command his fastball or Trayce Thompson can’t catch up to high heat. They’re not pillars in what the Sox are trying to build. You know what does matter? Whatever is afflicting Lucas Giolito, the gifted right-hander who pitched like Nuke LaLoosh in the first inning of the Sox’s 9-3 loss to the Orioles on Thursday. Giolito reclaimed the American League lead in walks by offering three consecutive free passes — two with the bases loaded. “Unacceptable,” he said. Giolito also gave up homers to Trey Mancini and Adam Jones. Sox center fielder Adam Engel crashed so hard into the wall trying to grab Jones’ shot that his glove ended up on the wrong side of the fence. That’s an area of the ballpark with no fans, so a clubbie had to retrieve a backup glove from Engel’s locker and run it out to the field. “That’s a first,” Engel said. Unfortunately for Giolito, this is hardly his first miserable outing of the season. He survived an oil spill of a first inning at Wrigley Field, one that featured three walks, two wild pitches and four stolen bases. This natural disaster put the Sox in a 7-0 hole, raised Giolito’s ERA to 7.53 and prompted the question: What can be done to fix him? “Back to the drawing board,” manager Rick Renteria said. “He’s a young man who has to continue to minimize the emotional aspect and stay focused, stay relaxed and hammer the zone with strikes.” Renteria said that Giolito is not a candidate to be demoted to Triple-A Charlotte “at this particular time,” drawing a distinction between Giolito and fellow right-hander Carson Fulmer, who was farmed out with an 8.07 ERA. “It’s two different guys,” Renteria said. The 6-foot-6 Giolito did have a terrific late-season stretch in 2017, posting a 2.38 ERA in seven starts. He and his manager seem to think his main issue is mental, not mechanical. “My arm feels good, my body feels good,” Giolito said. “I’ve been doing a lot of stuff in the gym to get some movement squared away. I’m just letting the game speed up and letting it get out of control.” Just 27 of Giolito’s 54 pitches were strikes. One was wild, and another hit first baseman Chris Davis in the foot. That was Giolito’s final offering. “(He’s a) nice kid but high intensity when he gets on the mound,” Renteria said. “He’s going 100 mph. So I think it goes more to just trusting himself and taking it one pitch at a time. Don’t worry about the results or outcomes, just execute.”

On a beautiful afternoon before a better-than-normal paid crowd of 19,147, the Sox struck out 14 times against Dylan Bundy (3-6). Their only offensive glimmer came from infielder Jose Rondon. A day after hitting his first big-league homer, Rondon clobbered a 1-1 breaking ball for a three-run blast. Yolmer Sanchez provided the other highlights, all with his glove. He was sensational at third base the entire game and spoke up for Giolito afterward. “He is way better than that,” Sanchez said. “Just a bad day. I’m 100 percent sure the next one will be a good one for him.”

Danny Farquhar to throw out the first pitch at White Sox's June 1 game By Teddy Greenstein / Chicago Tribune / May 24, 2018 Danny Farquhar loves pitching. He jokes with his White Sox teammates about throwing live batting practice. Farquhar isn’t there yet, but he will take a significant step June 1 when he throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the Brewers-Sox game. “I’m very excited to hear that,” Lucas Giolito said. “I’ve been catching first pitches all year and hopefully I’ll have the chance to catch his.” The 31-year-old right-hander has made a remarkable recovery since collapsing in the Sox dugout April 20 after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm. Mere weeks after his life was in danger, Farquhar returned to Guaranteed Rate Field to tell teammates he’s eager to suit up in 2019. The Sox will salute Farquhar and his family members (wife Lexie and children Madison, Landon and Liam) June 1 and have invited the Rush University Medical Center team that helped care for him. Chicago White Sox Charities will donate proceeds from all fundraising efforts that evening to the Joe Niekro Foundation, named for the big-league pitcher who died in 2006 as the result of a brain aneurysm. Welcome back: Charlie Tilson never lost hope, not after he tore his left hamstring chasing a fly ball in his first major-league game in 2016 or when he suffered subsequent injuries to his right foot and ankle. “I always envisioned this opportunity,” the New Trier graduate said. “My strong suit was not losing hope.” Tilson, recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to replace the injured Leury Garcia, went hitless in three at-bats Thursday. He struck out on a nasty slider from Dylan Bundy in his final trip. “The breaks are a little tighter at this level,” Tilson said of Bundy’s pitch. “There’s a reason he’s up here.” Tilson, joined at the park Thursday by his parents and brother, hopes to show there’s also a reason he’s back in the bigs after a two-year gap. “Looking up in the stands, it brought back a lot of memories,” Tilson said. Backup backstop: The Sox claimed catcher Dustin Garneau off waivers from the A’s and optioned him to Charlotte. Garneau, 30, was hitting just .208 at Triple-A Nashville but did throw out 41.7 percent (10 of 24) of attempted base stealers. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Nellie Fox's card inspiration for Big League Chew: 'My dad used to say it was lightning in a pouch' By David Haugh / Chicago Tribune / May 24, 2018

When he was 11, Rob Nelson cherished the 1959 Bazooka baseball card of legendary White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox, which featured his hero gripping a thick-handled bat and packing a big wad of tobacco behind his left cheek. “I was called ‘Nellie’ too so I always wanted to stuff my mouth with bubble gum as a kid so I could look like the real Nellie,’’ said Nelson, 69, who grew up a Mets fan in Long Island, N.Y. That boyhood desire never left Nelson, the inventor of Big League Chew who hatched a plan one night sitting next to Jim Bouton in the bullpen of the Portland Mavericks. It was 1977, and Bouton was trying to make a comeback on the independent-league team after Major League Baseball blackballed the All-Star pitcher due to his tell-all book “Ball Four.’’ One of Bouton’s teammates was Nelson, a crafty left-hander whose circuitous path to Portland weaved through community college and Cornell University, where the Ivy Leaguer enjoyed one good season. As their Mavericks teammates spit tobacco, Bouton asked Nelson if he ever tried the stuff. Nelson did once, playing in South Africa, and became so sick he couldn’t pitch batting practice. Their discussion veered toward Nelson’s healthier alternative. Earlier that season, Nelson had noticed the Mavericks batboy reaching into a pouch and putting a wad of black stuff in his mouth. The boy explained it was licorice he had ripped into pieces to mimic the major-leaguers who chewed tobacco. A lightbulb went off. “So when I started talking to Bouton about it, I mentioned I had this idea to shred bubble gum so we could look like cool guys chewing but not be ill,’’ said Nelson, in Chicago for the Sweets and Snacks Expo. “Jim said, ‘I love that idea, Rob. I can sell that idea.’ His next question was, ‘What would you call it?’ I pulled the name out of the air. I said, ‘I don’t know, Big League Chew?’ ’’ Big League Chew is the stringy pink gum packed into a pouch that tastes like adolescence and smells like so many summers at the ballpark. It only takes a whiff of the sugary aroma fresh out of the package to kick off a nostalgia tour for every wannabe major-leaguer who grew up in the 1980s. Bouton put up the first $10,000 investment to get the business up and running. Nelson ordered a do-it-yourself gum-making kit, which he used to concoct an experimental batch of brownish maple- and root beer-flavored gum in his kitchen. “But I was a philosophy major and didn’t think that kids weren’t going to chew brown gum,’’ Nelson said. By the time Bouton flew to Chicago to meet with executives from Amurol Products in Naperville, a subsidiary of Wrigley Company, they had refined the product enough to test it. An Amurol official dropped off about 20 pouches at a 7-Eleven before a lunch meeting. They sold in 10 minutes. Big League Chew’s first year, 1980, generated $18 million in sales. Nearly four decades and more than 800 million pouches later, Nelson still marvels at the success of the product now produced by Ford Gum in upstate New York. “I remember my parents asked me after I opened the first pouch, ‘What does it smell like?’ ’’ Nelson said. “I said, ‘It smells like fun.’ My dad used to say it was lightning in a pouch. I’m a lucky guy.’’ Nelson’s charmed baseball life culminated last year when the Baseball Hall of Fame announced a three-year licensing partnership with Big League Chew. Baseball took Nelson, who pitched into his 50s in the British National League as his gum business grew, from Australia to South Africa but nothing topped Cooperstown, N.Y., for the married father of three.

Not even a trip to Chicago, where he met former White Sox owner Bill Veeck. Veeck shares a birthday — Feb. 9 — so Nelson wrote a letter around 1975 hoping to meet the innovator during a visit. Veeck’s return note included a number for Nelson to call when he arrived. “So I called and the voice says, ‘Hello, White Sox,’ ’’ Nelson said. “I asked for Bill Veeck. He says, ‘Speaking.’ Who does that? He took time to talk to me during a doubleheader. A man of the people.’’ The same term has been used to describe Nelson, most at ease interacting with the curious public at candy conventions in his self-described role as the “Willy Wonka of bubble gum.’’ “I think people like the fact this is an authentic baseball story,’’ Nelson said. To think his unlikely tale took a fortuitous turn in 1975 when Nelson saw an announcement in The Sporting News for a tryout with the Mavericks, owned by former actor Bing Russell — Kurt’s father. Nelson still chuckles recalling how he initially got cut but talked Russell into letting him stay to run a baseball day camp for youths. That persistence eventually led to a roster spot — and a fateful seat in the bullpen next to Bouton that eventually created one of the sport’s unique brands, a staple of a pastime. “Everybody has a Big League Chew story, whether it’s a bartender, the guy at Hertz or a waitress,’’ Nelson said. “Nobody ever has said I hit a home run with two outs in the ninth inning because of Big League Chew. But it produces these memories of an innocent time in people’s lives. It brings people back.’’ A wistful smile covered Nelson’s face. “I think the best part,’’ he said, “is it never changes.’’

Series preview: White Sox at Tigers By Teddy Greenstein / Chicago Tribune / May 24, 2018 All games on WGN-AM 720. Friday: 6:10 p.m., WGN-9. RH Reynaldo Lopez (1-3, 2.98) vs. RH Mike Fiers (4-3, 4.57). Saturday: 3:10 p.m., NBCSCH. LH Hector Santiago (0-2, 5.17) vs. LH Francisco Liriano (3-1, 3.42). Sunday: 12:10 p.m., NBCSCH. RH James Shields (1-4, 4.62) vs. Blaine Hardy (0-0, 3.46).

Giolito KO’d early, Bundy goes distance as O’s topple White Sox By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / May 24, 2018 White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito struggled mightily with his control, getting only four outs in the Orioles’ 9-3 victory Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Giolito (3-5) saw his ERA climb to 7.53 after allowing seven runs, six hits and three walks. He struck out none, threw a wild pitch and hit a batter. Of his 54 pitches, 27 were strikes. Trey Mancini and Adam Jones

hit back-to-back homers against Giolito in the second inning, helping Baltimore build a 9-0 lead after three -innings. The Sox demoted Carson Fulmer, who, like Giolito, struggled to throw strikes and locate pitches, to Class AAA Charlotte last Friday, but “I don’t foresee that at this particular time’’ for Giolito, manager Rick Renteria said. “He’s just a young man who’s gotta continue to minimize the emotional aspect of crossing from preparation into the game and staying focused, relaxed, then hammer the zone with strikes,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘And, truthfully, it’s just first-pitch strike and get after the next one. “I don’t see [Fulmer and Giolito] anywhere near each other.’’ Fulmer (8.07 ERA) walked 24 in 32„ innings. Giolito has walked 37 batters in 49 innings. “Walking this many batters is unacceptable,’’ Giolito said. “I just need to find a way to compete and throw the ball over the plate more often.” Orioles righty Dylan Bundy (3-6) struck out 14 and walked one while allowing two hits, including a three-run homer to Jose Rondon — his second in two games. Roster moves With their catching depth in a state of despair after Welington Castillo’s 80-game suspension and a couple of injuries in the farm system, the White Sox called up Alfredo Gonzalez from Class AAA Charlotte and claimed catcher Dustin Garneau off waivers from the Athletics. Garneau, 30, was optioned to Charlotte. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. The left-handed-hitting Omar Narvaez, who was backing up Castillo, is holding Castillo’s spot as the No. 1 guy. The right-handed-hitting Kevan Smith, who split duty with Narvaez last season but was demoted this year after Castillo was signed as a free agent, is nursing a sore ankle on Charlotte’s disabled list. The Sox also promoted catcher Yermin Mercedes from high Class A Winston-Salem to Charlotte. The Sox’ top catching prospects — Zack Collins and Seby Zavala — are at Class AA Birmingham. Zavala (wrist) is on the DL. Hahn said Smith and Zavala could be options when healthy in the coming weeks, while Collins, the Sox’ No. 1 catching prospect, most likely will continue to get every-day work at Birmingham. Garcia to DL, Tilson promoted The Sox recalled outfielder Charlie Tilson from Charlotte and put outfielder-infielder Leury Garcia on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained knee. Garcia is batting .262/.308/.369. Tilson, who started in left field, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He struggled with a .288 on-base percentage and no home runs at Charlotte. It was his first MLB appearance since 2016, when he suffered a devastating hamstring injury that ended his season. Rodon leaves start early Carlos Rodon’s second minor-league rehab start was cut short after the left-hander, pitching for Charlotte against Norfolk, was struck in the head by a line drive.

Rodon wasn’t injured, but he was removed as a precaution. He threw 2⅔ innings, striking out six and allowing one hit and no walks. Rodon threw 40 pitches, 29 for strikes.

Welington Castillo is first active Cubs or White Sox player suspended for PEDs By Satchel Price / Sun-Times / May 24, 2018 MLB’s ongoing tangle with performance-enhancing drugs finally hit the roster of a Chicago baseball team Thursday with the 80-game suspension of Welington Castillo. The White Sox catcher tested positive for a Erythropoietin, a banned substance, becoming the first active big-league player from the Sox or Cubs to be punished for PEDs under the current system. It’s a little amazing that both teams had managed to skirt a PED suspension since MLB first implemented its drug policy in 2005. According to the Baseball-Almanac, the White Sox are the 27th team to have a big-league player suspended. The Cubs are one of three remaining holdouts with the Red Sox and Angels. Every other team has had at least one player off its MLB roster suspended. Some franchises have had several. For example, when Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano got an 80-game ban earlier this spring, he became that franchise’s sixth player to be suspended for PEDs, joining Jamal Strong (2005), Ryan Franklin (2005), Mike Morse (2005), Jesus Montero (2013) and David Rollins (2015). The Mets have also had a number of culprits, including Jennry Mejia, the only player ever to receive a lifetime ban. Big-league players from the Cubs and White Sox, on the other hand, had managed to go unscathed. Until Thursday, that is. That was unusual in baseball. Above is a look at the number of PED suspensions given to each MLB team for players on 40-man rosters, according to Baseball-Almanac. It’s important to note this does not include punishments for “drugs of abuse,” such as cocaine, only those designed to improve performance. This also counts players who drew multiple suspensions multiple times, so Mejia counts for three suspensions for the Mets, for example. That’s as many or more suspensions than 23 respective franchises have recorded. In total, there have been 74 big-league suspensions triggered by positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs in the last 13 years. Over 40 percent of them have involved seven teams: the Mets, Mariners, Phillies, Yankees, Rays, Padres and Royals. Before Thursday, the Cubs and White Sox accounted for zero of those suspensions. However, that’s only if we focus on the majors. But what about the minor leagues? Minor League Baseball suspends far more players than MLB, especially at lower levels where many prospects have little to lose by pushing the rules. Nobody from the White Sox or Cubs’ big-league rosters had been suspended for PEDs until Castillo, but there’s a long list of prospects to be busted, even if you go back just a few years. There’s no comprehensive list available of every suspension handed out by Minor League Baseball dating back 13 years, but here is everyone from the Cubs or Sox organization suspended by MiLB since 2012, sorted by organization, then chronologically. You can see suspensions for all organizations in 2018 here. CUBS RHP Ricard Esteves Date: April 10, 2012

Team: n/a Substance: Stanozolol, Nandrolone Suspension length: n/a RHP Juancito De La Cruz Date: July 18, 2012 Team: DSL Cubs Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 50 games RHP Antonio Encarnacion Date: July 18, 2012 Team: DSL Cubs Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 50 games LHP Andin Diaz Date: Aug. 8, 2012 Team: DSL Cubs Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 50 games RHP Pedro Silverio Date: April 10, 2013 Team: DSL Cubs Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 50 games RHP Assael Aquino Date: June 18, 2015 Team: DSL Cubs Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 72 games RHP Luiz Escanio Date: June 18, 2015 Team: DSL Cubs Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 72 games RHP Tanner Griggs Date: Nov. 25, 2015 Team: AZL Cubs Substance: Amphetamine Suspension length: 50 games RHP Luiz Escanio Date: Aug. 10, 2016 Team: DSL Cubs 2 Substance: Boldenone Suspension length: 144 games RHP Anyel Beato Date: Sept. 22, 2017 Team: DSL Cubs 2 Substance: Stanozolol

Suspension length: 72 games RHP Wilfre Delgado Date: Jan. 12, 2018 Team: DSL Cubs Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 72 games WHITE SOX RHP Andre Rienzo Date: April 26, 2012 Team: Advanced Class A Winston-Salem Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 50 games 2B Carlos Gonzalez Date: Aug. 24, 2012 Team: DSL White Sox Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 50 games RHP Pedro Rodriguez Date: Aug. 23, 2013 Team: DSL White Sox Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 50 games C Nick Parent Date: Aug. 29, 2013 Team: Rookie Sox (Bristol) Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 50 games RHP Nick Blount Date: Nov. 1, 2013 Team:Class A Advanced Winston-Salem Substance: Amphetamine Suspension length: 50 games OF Adam Heisler Date: June 25, 2014 Team: Class A Advanced Winston-Salem Substance: Amphetamine Suspension length: 50 games RHP Kameron Loe Date: March 29, 2016 Team: Class AAA Charlotte Substance: Testosterone, Methasterone Suspension length: 80 games RHP Joselo Pinales Date: July 20, 2016 Team: DSL White Sox Substance: Stanozolol Suspension length: 72 games

1B Telvin Nash Date: Aug. 19, 2016 Team: Class AA Winston-Salem Substance: Amphetamine Suspension length: 50 games LHP Yogensy Arias Date: Sept. 22, 2016 Team: DSL White Sox Substance: Hydrochlorothiazide Suspension length: 72 games That’s 11 suspensions for Cubs prospects and 10 suspensions for White Sox prospects. However, Castillo goes into history as the first MLB player from either team to earn the league’s wrath for PEDs. We’ll have to see whom among the Cubs, Angels and Red Sox holds out the longest without a suspension.

White Sox claim Garneau off waivers, move Gonzalez to 60-day DL By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / May 24, 2018 The White Sox claimed catcher Dustin Garneau off waivers from the Oakland Athletics Thursday and optioned him to Class AAA Charlotte. The club also transferred right-hander pitcher Miguel González (shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list. The addition of Garneau, 30, comes after catcher Welington Castillo received an 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s drug policy, prompting the Sox to call up catcher Alfredo Gonzalez from Charlotte to back up new starter Omar Narvaez. Garneau hit .208 with two home runs and nine RBI with Class AAA Nashville this season. He has thrown out 10-of-24 of bases stealers. Garneau hit .188 with two homers over 41 games between the Rockies and A’s last season. He has appeared in 87 major league games, hitting .192 and throwing out 38.5 percent of base stealers. The Sox also promoted catcher Yermin Mercedes from high Class A Winston-Salem to Charlotte. Charlotte catcher Kevan Smith, who shared time with Sox catcher Omar Narvaez last season, is currently out with a sore ankle. The Sox’ top catching prospects, Zack Collins and Seby Zavala, are at AA Birmingham. Zavala (wrist) is on the DL. Hahn said Smith and Zavala could be options in the coming weeks. González, 33, has been on the disabled list since April 23 (retroactive to April 19) with right rotator cuff inflammation. He is 0-3 with a 12.41 ERA (17 ER/12.1 IP) over three starts. The Sox 40-man roster remains at 40.

White Sox react to Welington Castillo’s 80-game suspension By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / May 24, 2018

Catcher Welington Castillo’s 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance was met by his bosses and teammates with disappointment and surprise. There’s also a strong sense of being let down, if not anger. Castillo, 31, was signed as a free agent last offseason to provide veteran leadership for a young team and pitching staff as well as a run-producing bat in the middle of the lineup. And now he’s gone until late August, leaving a team with one of the worst records in baseball to scramble at a key position. Just when the Sox were putting a little something together, winning five of seven games, including Castillo’s last one Wednesday night, they have to endure a low blow, from one of their own, no less. “As a teammate, you definitely feel like he let you down,’’ right-hander James Shields said. “I mean, the guy’s not going to be here for 80 of our games. He made the choice, and he’s going to face the consequences for it. We have to move on as a team and try to win some ballgames.’’ Castillo owned up to a mistake that will cost him about half of his $7.25 million salary. He tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), a performance-enhancer in violation of Major League Baseball’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He apologized to teammates Thursday morning at Guaranteed Rate Field and released this statement: “The positive test resulted from an extremely poor decision that I, and I alone, made. I take full responsibility for my conduct. I have let many people down, including my family, my teammates, the White Sox organization and its fans, and from my heart, I apologize. Following my suspension, I look forward to rejoining my teammates and doing whatever I can to help the White Sox win.’’ General manager Rick Hahn said the club is “saddened and disappointed” by Castillo’s actions. “He understands that he has negatively affected the team and has fallen short of the expectations we have of our players,’’ Hahn said. “The White Sox fully support Major League Baseball’s policy and its efforts to eliminate performance-enhancing substances from our game.” Sox players generally supported their teammate, as players usually do. But for a struggling team that fell to 15-32 after a 9-3 loss to the Orioles, this was hard to swallow. “Surprised,’’ catcher Omar Narvaez said. “He’s a grown man, and he makes his own decisions. It’s a thing that happened, and I can’t say anything about it. “He’s a human being. We all make mistakes, and I’m just going to support him as family.” In some ways, Tim Anderson said, he feels sympathetic to Castillo’s plight. But “in some ways, yeah,” he did let the team down. Jose Abreu said he supports his teammate, who appeared to him to be “apologetic and hurt.” “It’s a really difficult moment for all of us, for our organization and for [Castillo],’’ Abreu said.

Hahn appreciated Castillo owning up, but that didn’t diminish his disappointment. All sorts of emotions ran through Hahn since he learned of the violation Wednesday night, many of which were not pretty. “You have to remain diligent about where you are seeking advice and what you are putting in your body,’’ Hahn said. “Players bear full responsibility for what they do regardless of intent or understanding of exactly what they are doing, which makes it a very strong and effective program we support. But it’s a reminder to everyone in that clubhouse and throughout the league to be diligent about what you are doing.’’ Castillo remains in the Sox’ plans for 2019. He’s under contract for $7.25 million next season, and the club holds an option on him for 2020. “It is surprising, and it’s unfortunate,’’ manager Rick Renteria said. “But we all know that we live by the choices that we make and the consequences that come from those choices. I would say that more than anything, he let himself down.”

Danny Farquhar will take mound to throw first pitch at White Sox game By Satchel Price / Sun-Times / May 24, 2018 White Sox reliever Danny Farquhar will return to the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field to throw the ceremonial first pitch before the team hosts the Brewers on June 1. It will be the first time Farquhar, 31, steps back on the field since suffering a brain hemorrhage from a ruptured aneurysm during a game on April 20. The pitcher is sitting out the remainder of the 2018 season after he collapsed in the dugout during a game against the Astros last month. He spent over two weeks in the hospital before being released May 7. Farquhar will be joined for the first pitch by his wife Lexie and his children, Madison, Landon and Liam, along with the team of medical staff from RUSH Medical Center who treated him and helped him during his recovery. There will also surely be many cheering fans in the stands, even if attendance has been soft this season. The White Sox will also be holding fundraising efforts during the game against the Brewers with proceeds going to Joe Niekro Foundation, an organization “committed to supporting patients and families, research, treatment and awareness of brain aneurysms.” The charity was started by Natalie Niekro, the daughter of the 21-year MLB veteran who died suddenly from a brain aneurysm in 2005. The game between the Sox and Brewers on June 1 starts at 7:10 p.m.

White Sox make moves after Welington Castillo’s suspension By Satchel Price / Sun-Times / May 24, 2018 The White Sox made several roster moves following MLB’s announcement of Welington Castillo’s 80-game suspension Thursday. Infielder Leury Garcia was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left knee sprain, pitcher Miguel Gonzalez was transferred to the 60-day disabled list and pitcher Dustin Garneau was claimed off waivers from the Athletics and assigned him to Class AAA.

The team also recalled outfielder Charlie Tilson from Class AAA Charlotte and purchased the contract of Alfredo Gonzalez from Class AAA. That’s five moves as part of a busy day. Gonzalez, 25, effectively serves as the replacement to Castillo on the 25-man roster. The catcher joins a tandem with Omar Narvaez, who will step into the starting role after backing up Castillo for the first part of the season. Gonzalez was hitting .169/.279/.191 with two doubles and zero homers in 27 games with Charlotte before his promotion, so he probably won’t be known for his bat on the South Side. Garcia exited the Sox’ last game after injuring his knee while stealing a base. The versatile 27-year-old has a .262/.308/.369 batting line this season. His injury opens the spot for Tilson, a 25-year-old former top prospect who graduated from New Trier. However, Tilson has struggled at the Class AAA level with a .288 on-base percentage and zero home runs this season. He started in left field, his first MLB appearance since 2016 when he recorded just two at-bats before a devastating hamstring injury ended his season and derailed his career.

Welington Castillo suspended 80 games by MLB for violating drug policy By Satchel Price / Sun-Times / May 24, 2018 White Sox catcher Welington Castillo has been suspended 80 games by MLB for a violation of the league’s joint drug agreement. The punishment was officially announced Thursday after first being reported Wednesday night. Castillo released a statement taking responsibility for the positive test, the result of an “extremely poor decision,” through the MLBPA. Catcher Alfredo Gonzalez had his contract purchased from Class AAA Charlotte to replace Castillo on the 25-man roster. The team also announced that Leury Garcia has been placed on the 10-day disabled list and outfielder Charlie Tilson was recalled from Charlotte. Castillo is the first active member of the White Sox or Cubs to be suspended by MLB for performance-enhancing drugs. He tested positive for Erythropoietin, a PED that’s banned under the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. “The Chicago White Sox were saddened and disappointed to learn of the suspension of catcher Welington Castillo for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” GM Rick Hahn said in a statement. “Welington has apologized to the team and his teammates and has taken full responsibility for his actions. He understands that he has negatively affected the team and has fallen short of the expectations we have of our players. The White Sox fully support Major League Baseball’s policy and its efforts to eliminate performance enhancing substances from our game.” Based on MLB’s collective bargaining agreement, players receive an automatic 80-game suspension for their first violation of the drug agreement, a 162-game ban for their second violation and a lifetime ban for their third violation. Mets pitcher Jennry Mejia is the only player to ever receive a lifetime ban under the present system.

Castillo is the second MLB player to be suspended for a drug violation this month. Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano received an 80-game ban from the league earlier this month after testing positive for a diuretic that’s on MLB’s banned substances list. In March, Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco and Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio suspended for the same length. Castillo joined the White Sox during the offseason after spending 2017 with the Mets. He signed a two-year deal with a team option for 2020. His batting line so far this season was a very solid .267/.309/.466 with six home runs in 123 plate appearances.

White Sox’ Tim Anderson says he’s just scratching the surface By Daryl Van Schouwen / Sun-Times / May 24, 2018 Shortstop Tim Anderson doesn’t mince words when talking about how good he wants to be. And how good he can be. What you see now from Anderson, 24, is not what you’re going to get next year and beyond, he says. He has raised a high bar and believes the ceiling is far from being reached. “It’s way up there,” Anderson said. “I’m not even close, not even close. I still do things that I can’t even believe. I feel like I got a high ceiling. I’ll keep working and bust through.” The White Sox want this to happen, and they want it bad. They view Anderson and second baseman Yoan Moncada, 22, as their long-term middle infielders, smack dab in the middle of their rebuild. The development of the keystone combo in 2018 is arguably the most important thing going on position-player-wise for the Sox. For Anderson, his development has been a mixed bag. On the plus side, he has seven home runs, 11 stolen bases and already a career-high 15 walks. On the minus side, he was hitting .156 in his previous 19 games and had only three steals in his previous 29 games before the Sox beat the Orioles 11-1 Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Manager Rick Renteria gave him a full day off Tuesday for the first time this season. “To reset,” said Anderson, who has a .232/.296/.396 slash line and went