For Sox outfielder Thompson, it's always been baseball

Since joining the Chicago White Sox from Class AAA Charlotte on Aug. 3, Trayce Thompson has been inundated with questions about his famous basketball family.

Thompson has been asked about his father Mychal, who played 14 seasons in the NBA and won two titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He has been asked about his brother Mychel, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011-12.

He's really been asked about his other brother, Klay, who is a star guard for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

Instead of bristling over the nonstop questions about his dad and brothers, Trayce Thompson is gracious and humbled to come from such a well-known family.

He will even brag about his mother, Julie, who was track star in high school and a volleyball player at the University of San Francisco.

There is one question that never came up: Why didn't Thompson follow in his family's footsteps and play basketball?

"It was always baseball first," he said. "We played everything when we were kids. Basketball, baseball, even football. But ever since I was 5 years old, it was baseball first. Always."

Trayce Thompson was an accomplished basketball player and along with brother Klay was a member of the Santa Margarita High School team that reached the 2008 California state championship game.

"I was all right at basketball," Trayce said. "I can't shoot like Klay, but I can do just about everything else."

Had he stuck with basketball, odds are Trayce would have been more than all right.

"I could have played basketball in college," he said. "I don't know if I could have played past college, but I never even gave it any thought. When I was in eighth grade and we moved to California (from Oregon), I never even worked on basketball.

"I just played because it was the easiest sport to play. My brothers would go to this AAU coach and go train, but I never went. I played on some teams, but that was about it."

Trayce Thompson didn't choose baseball over basketball to carve out his own identity.

"Not really," he said. "I just always liked baseball more than basketball. It was my thing. Ever since I was a kid, playing baseball was the only sport I really wanted to play."

Thompson has played baseball very well since joining the White Sox. The 24-year-old outfielder is batting .366 (15-for-41) with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in 19 games.

Getting regular playing time has been Thompson's biggest challenge since making it to the major leagues last month.

He has strong defensive skills and can play all three outfield positions, but the Sox are set with Melky Cabrera in left, Adam Eaton in center and Avisail Garcia in right.

Cabrera, Eaton and Garcia have been used at designated hitter in place of the disappointing Adam LaRoche, and that has created limited playing time for Thompson.

Looking ahead, LaRoche is signed through next season and has a $13 million salary for 2016.

Unless the Sox are willing to absorb a big chunk of LaRoche's contract to clear a roster spot, Thompson is likely going to have to wait for a chance to get regular playing time.

"That's baseball," Thompson said. "I just try to control what I can control. You can only do so much in this game, even when you're playing. You can hit four balls perfect and still go 0-for-4. I'm just working hard every day trying to get better every day. If I'm not in the lineup, I'm not in the lineup."