May believes he will get another shot with Chicago White Sox
If the proper attitude counts for something - and it certainly should - Jacob May is going to be back with the Chicago White Sox later this season.
May was understandably elated when he overcame some long odds and exited spring training as the Sox's starting center fielder.
A solid defender, May hit his way on to the White Sox's 25-man roster, batting .319 in the Cactus League.
When the regular season began, May's bat disappeared.
There was the 0-for-26 start to the year, and May was 2-for-36 on, ugh, May 1 when he was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte.
Catching up with the 25-year-old outfielder when the Triple-A Knights were in Indianapolis last week, May was not at all down on himself. He wasn't down on the Sox for giving him only 15 games to prove himself before pulling the plug.
May put all of the blame on himself and vowed to turn the demotion into a positive.
"It's an intense game and you have to be really sharp," he said. "I'm here just trying to get better every day. It's still a learning curve. Every day, just try to get better, try to learn. Throughout my entire career that's all you can really do, no matter where you're at."
Before going 0-for-4 in Wednesday night's loss to Durham, May hit safely in his first 12 games with Charlotte, going 18-for-51 (.352) during the streak.
"I still feel good," he said. "It's just something, I know what I need to focus on and work on, physically and mentally. It's a learning curve and you've got to be confident and believe in yourself and trust the work that you've put in. I'm just trying to develop a routine, a consistent routine that's going to help put me in the best position to succeed."
Unfortunately for May, Leury Garcia is making the most of his opportunity as the White Sox's new starter in center.
A utility infielder by trade, Garcia was batting .366 with 2 home runs, 7 RBI and 8 runs scored over a 10-game stretch heading into Thursday night's series opener at Seattle.
May isn't worried about being stashed way in Charlotte for the rest of the season.
"If I didn't believe that, I shouldn't be wearing a uniform anymore," May said when asked if he expects to be back with the Sox this season. "I've got to get better, that's for sure, in all aspects of the game. You've got to continue to grow and improve, even up there. You've got to get better every day. I believe in myself. I believe I'll put in the work that it takes.
"If it's meant to be, I think it will be."