Back where it all started: Thompson gets new shot with White Sox (who lose 5th straight)

The trade deadline was late Tuesday afternoon, but the White Sox made another deal Friday.

It was a minor-league move, with right-handed pitchers Aldrin Batista and Maximo Martinez joining the Sox from the Dodgers in exchange for international slot money.

He's only 20, but the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Batista was impressive for the Arizona Complex League Dodgers this season, going 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA. The Dominican Republic native led the ACL with 54 strikeouts (in 39 innings).

Over the last 10 days, the White Sox traded seven veteran players - pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Kendall Graveman, Keynan Middleton and infielder Jake Burger - for eight prospects.

In a curious move, they also acquired veteran outfielder Trayce Thompson in the deal that sent Lynn and Kelly to the Dodgers for minor-league pitchers Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure.

Drafted by the Sox on the second round in 2009 out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California, Thompson has had some limited success over a seven-year career with the White Sox, Dodgers, Athletics and Padres.

A string of injuries has been the 32-year-old outfielder's main nemesis, and Thompson missed the past two months with an oblique strain.

He was activated Thursday and was in the starting lineup for the second straight game Friday night in the Sox's 4-2 loss at Cleveland.

After going 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts in a 5-3 loss to Texas Thursday, Thompson was 1-for-3 with a walk against the Guardians.

Mike Clevinger started for the White Sox and took the loss after giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits and a walk over 5 innings.

The White Sox (43-68) have dropped five in a row and 11 of their last 13.

Now would be a good time to give younger outfielders a long look with an eye toward 2024, but Oscar Colas is already on the roster and there's not much left at the higher levels of the Sox's farm system.

Thompson, the younger brother of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, doesn't appear to be a future fit with the White Sox.

With nothing to play for over the final two months this year, the Sox are apparently going to give him regular playing time. Thompson is likely to make more of an impact in the clubhouse.

"Character always matters - makeup, fight, energy, desire," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "Trayce helps with that, absolutely. He's a pro. How you treat each other, teammates, how you accept differences within the different cultures that you deal with in the clubhouse matters. So it's always part of our analysis."

Thompson, who made his major-league debut with the Sox in 2015, is just happy to be healthy and back with the organization that drafted him.

"Never could have envisioned this," he said. "Still feels surreal to me. I felt the writing was on the wall personally with that team in L.A. but never thought it would have been here. I'm happy to join this group and this new staff and see a lot of familiar faces as well."

In 38 games with the Dodgers and White Sox this year, Thompson is hitting .154/.305/.346 with 5 home runs and 14 RBI.