Chicago White Sox patiently waiting for Davidson

All things considered, Conor Gillaspie is doing a good job for the Chicago White Sox.

Consider this:

•Gillaspie was acquired in a trade from the Giants on Feb. 23, 2013. The Sox didn't have to give up much, sending minor-leaguer Jeff Soptic to San Francisco.

Soptic is still pitching at the Class A level.

•Jeff Keppinger was the White Sox' starting third baseman when Gillaspie was acquired, but he was a huge flop and was released in May of 2014.

•Expected to give the Sox a left-handed bat off the bench, Gillaspie had to step in for Keppinger and he's played nearly full-time at third base the past three seasons.

It's not really fair to criticize Gillaspie for failing to hit left-handed pitches, for failing to hit for power and for being a below average defender, because at best, he is a prototypical bench guy.

The White Sox have not had a reliable third baseman since Joe Crede was fully healthy in 2006, but they are still holding out hope.

On Dec. 16, 2013, Sox general manager Rick Hahn landed Matt Davidson in a trade from the Diamondbacks.

Hahn had to send closer Addison Reed to Arizona to complete the deal, but Davidson was young (22) at the time and had a very bright future.

"We feel he has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order run producer for a long time, whether that starts on Opening Day 2014 or soon thereafter," Hahn said after getting Davidson from the Diamondbacks.

Davidson didn't make it to the White Sox in '14, and he is still trying to put it all together at Class AAA Charlotte this season.

Now 24, Davidson definitely has the power the Sox are looking for at third base.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder leads the International League with 13 home runs, and Davidson ranks sixth with 41 RBI.

Last year, Davidson ranked fourth in the IL with 20 homers while driving in 55 runs.

Those are encouraging numbers, but Davidson is still playing at Triple-A because he has trouble making consistent contact.

Davidson leads the league with 99 strikeouts in 267 at-bats this season and also topped the IL last year with 164 strikeouts in 478 at-bats.

Clearly, Davidson needs to shorten up his big swing before he's ready to join the White Sox, but Hahn remains optimistic.

"He's having a better year," Hahn said on the Sox' last homestand. "He's improved and his defense is actually improved down there, too. It just doesn't show up in the boxscore. It has certainly been a better year for Matty."

Davidson batted .199 last season and his average is up to .232 this year.

If he can put more pitches in play and continue to climb, Davidson should get the chance to join the Sox later this season.

"We're not quite ready to put him out there here on a daily basis," Hahn said. "We'd like to, if in fact the time came to bring him to Chicago with consistent play time. He's improving. It's just not time for him here yet."