White Sox turn to Johnson as starting second baseman
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Micah Johnson's name has been on the White Sox' radar since 2013, when he led professional baseball with a combined 84 stolen bases at Class A Kannapolis, A Winston-Salem and AA Birmingham.
On Monday, the second baseman will get his first chance to fly.
Johnson is going to make his major-league debut against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The Indianapolis native beat out Carlos Sanchez in spring training while batting .339 in the Cactus League.
"He had a good spring," manager Robin Ventura said of Johnson. "Going into it, I hadn't seen a ton of him. You hear the reports. In person, you see the scrappy kind of player that he is and tough at-bats. As fast as he is, he just has a different element in being able to stretch the defense and make them aware of him."
Johnson, who was hampered by hamstring injuries much of last season at Birmingham and AAA Charlotte, will bat ninth for the Sox.
"It's exciting," he said. "It's a true blessing. It was definitely a huge off-season for me strength wise, speed wise and definitely health wise. I want to stay on the field for every game. But I'm excited just to get ready for another season. It's baseball season and I think everyone is excited."
Roster wrap:
The Sox finalized their 25-man roster Sunday, placing pitcher Chris Sale (fractured foot), Jake Petricka (forearm strain) and Eric Surkamp (upper back strain) on the 15-day disabled list, all retroactive to March 27.
The White Sox purchased the contracts of second baseman Micah Johnson, catcher Geovany Soto and relief pitcher Matt Albers.
Sale is eligible to come off the DL on Saturday. The White Sox' ace is scheduled to pitch in another minor-league game Monday.
"We'll get another report on him, but things have been going well," manager Robin Ventura said. "He's looked great from what I've seen. Hopefully there's nothing that sets him back. It's not his arm."
Back off?
Adam LaRoche had some back discomfort late last season with the Washington Nationals, and the White Sox' new designated hitter/first baseman dealt with more soreness in spring training.
LaRoche will be in the starting lineup Monday as the cleanup hitter, and manager Robin Ventura isn't overly worried about LaRoche's back.
"He seems to be fine," Ventura said. "He had a few at-bats (Friday) in Charlotte. He seems to be moving pretty good. Everybody is going to have that kind of stuff, so you just pay attention to it. There's good communication where if there's something up he's going to let me know."
White Sox scouting report
White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium
TV: Comcast SportsNet today and Thursday; WGN Wednesday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The White Sox' Jeff Samardzija (7-13 in 2014) vs. Yordano Ventura (14-10) today at 3:10 p.m.; Jose Quintana (9-11) vs. Danny Duffy (9-12) Wednesday at 7:10 p.m.; John Danks (11-11) vs. Edinson Volquez (13-7) Thursday at 1:10 p.m.
At a glance: The White Sox were 6-13 against the Royals last season (4-5 at Kauffman) and are 28-46 vs. K.C. since 2011. In season openers, the Sox are 5-2 against the Royals. Samardzija was the Cubs' opening-day starter in each of the past two seasons, and the right-hander combined to pitch 15 scoreless innings. Samardzija faced Kansas City once in his career, with the Athletics last August. He took the loss after allowing 4 runs (3 earned) in 6⅓ innings. Ventura made 3 starts vs. the Sox last season and was 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA. Jose Abreu batted .508 (30-for-59) with 1 home run and 8 RBI in 19 Cactus League games.
Next: Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field, Friday-Sunday
- Scot Gregor