Wise still good catch for White Sox
When the New York Yankees designated him for assignment July 23, outfielder Dewayne Wise knew he didn’t want to play in the minor leagues.
So he went home and sat by the phone.
“It’s kind of funny,” Wise said. “I was telling my brother sitting at home, ‘Man, what if the White Sox give me a call?’ I just said it out of the blue and a couple of days later my agent told me they called.”
The Sox didn’t have an immediate opening on the 25-man roster, so Wise agreed to a minor-league deal Aug. 3.
General manager Kenny Williams and director of player development Buddy Bell told Wise to report to Class AAA Charlotte and sit tight.
“I talked with Buddy and Kenny and I hadn’t had that many at-bats throughout the year, so they wanted me to go to Charlotte and get some at-bats,” Wise said. “They told me at some point I could come up and help. And I’m here.”
After Paul Konerko (concussion) was placed on the seven-day disabled list Friday, the White Sox decided to bring back Wise.
He batted .262 with 3 home runs and 8 RBI in 56 games for the Yankees before being cut loose after N.Y. acquired Ichiro Suzuki in a trade from Seattle.
Wise, who arrived Saturday, played with the Sox in 2008-09 and still is best remembered for making one of the greatest catches in major-league history while helping preserve Mark Buehrle’s perfect game against Tampa Bay on July 23, 2009.
“It’s something I hear just about every day of the year, especially once the baseball season starts,” Wise said of the catch. “There’s always a fan when I’m on-deck or in batting practice, somebody always talking about it.
“It’s a good thing to do something to help the team win.”
Konerko update:Paul Konerko was expected to check in with the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field Saturday and do the same Sunday.On the seven-day disabled list until Friday, Konerko will stay in Chicago when the Sox play at Toronto Monday-Thursday.If he feels good enough to come off the DL Friday, he can catch a flight to Kansas City and play against the Royals. Manager Robin Ventura said Konerko could miss more than seven days.#147;I think anything#146;s possible, but again we#146;re trying to figure it out as he#146;s coming in and talking to him,#148; Ventura said. #147;I guess it#146;s more how he sleeps.#147;I think he had problems sleeping the first night (Tuesday) and even going from there he#146;s going to have to start moving around and running again. There are going to be little steps he#146;s going to have to take to get cleared.#147;I don#146;t think it#146;s going to be as easy as picking seven days and thinking that#146;s going to be it.#148;Waiting game:When Paul Konerko landed on the disabled list with a concussion, Dan Johnson appeared to be the logical player to take his place.Johnson is having a big year at Class AAA Charlotte and leads the International League in home runs (26) and walks (88) while ranking second with 76 RBI.He should get a shot with the Sox in September.For now, manager Robin Ventura likes Dewayne Wise#146;s flexibility, and he also wants Adam Dunn playing first base every day while Konerko is on the shelf.#147;I think it#146;s better for (Dunn) to play than it is to DH,#148; Ventura said. #147;People think it#146;s easy to DH, but it#146;s not. The rhythm and the timing of playing, I think that helps him to get out there and play.#148;