Grifol’s message to pinch-runner Ellis is stay aggressive

Duke Ellis certainly had an unusual MLB debut.

Called up from Double A Birmingham to join the White Sox on Tuesday, Ellis pinch-ran in the ninth inning and immediately stole second base with ease. He clearly had his sights set on stealing third but was picked off by Cubs pitcher Hector Neris for the second out of the inning.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol remains a believer in Ellis' talent, which is mostly speed. He stole 34 of 35 bases in Birmingham.

“I want him to be aggressive,” Grifol said before Wednesday's game. “The fact that he got picked off doesn't bother me one bit. He came into the office yesterday, he felt bad about getting picked off. I'm like, 'I felt bad you didn't steal third base on the first pitch.' That's where my mind is.

“I've been on clubs with baserunners like him and they're game-changers. You get on base and you let them go. At times you're going to make mistakes.”

Ellis plays the outfield but is likely to focus on pinch-running for now. Grifol did have one piece of advice he plans to share.

“He doesn't need to be bouncing around that much (before a pitch),” Grifol said. “He's got elite speed. Just take a good lead. One thing I'm going to tell him here soon is I never saw Rickey Henderson bounce around. I'm not saying he's Rickey Henderson, but I am saying he's got that kind of speed.”

Ellis, who played in college at Texas, said he was surprised and excited to get the call. His father, Robert, was a pitcher and a White Sox draft pick in 1990, who spent parts of four seasons in the majors with four teams.

“Me and my dad kind of broke down and cried together,” Ellis said.

Grifol unconcerned:

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol was asked about a report he could be let go soon and brushed it off. Everyone knows a long losing streak is never good for the person in charge.

“I'm not going to address this every single day,” he said. “It's part of the job. We're not winning. When you're not winning, speculation gets higher and higher. I understand the stories. My concern is making sure this team is ready to play tonight, making adjustments from yesterday and trying to see if we can snap this losing streak.”

Schultz moves up:

Left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz, the White Sox' first-round draft pick in 2022 out of Oswego East High School, checked in as the No. 9 overall prospect in a new Top 100 list by Baseball America. … Birmingham first baseman Tim Elko and Winston-Salem first baseman Ryan Galanie were both named players of the month by their respective minor leagues.

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