Tommy Pham did all he could to remain fresh while waiting to join a team.
A friend fed baseballs into a pitching machine that Pham would track down for outfield drills. And he kept up his hitting routine.
“The only thing I really didn’t have was live at-bats every day,” Pham said. “But I was flying down to Florida, trying to catch some live at-bats at the end of every week the past three weeks.
“Nothing can really mimic the game, that’s the only thing.”
Pham got a few games under his belt at Triple-A Charlotte before the Chicago White Sox called him up Friday.
“At the same time, I’m still playing catch-up,” Pham said. “I’m at a disadvantage, but I can’t use that as an excuse. So, it is what it is, ultimately, and I know what I’m up against.”
Pham will try to aid an offense desperately in need of some juice. His addition was one of five roster moves the Sox announced Friday before the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Sox also added outfielder Rafael Ortega from Charlotte, optioned outfielder Dominic Fletcher to Charlotte and designated outfielder Kevin Pillar and pitcher Bailey Horn for assignment.
“We’re at a point where we’re looking to shake some things up a little bit offensively,” general manager Chris Getz said.
The Sox entered the series ranked last in the majors in several team offensive categories, including batting average (.192), runs (56) and home runs (14). The collective funk is one of the big reasons the Sox are off to the worst 25-game start in franchise history at 3-22.
Playing center field and hitting second in the lineup, Pham singled in his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning. Pham said before the game he was told to “just be me.”
The 36-year-old has a career .259/.351/.435 slash line with 130 home runs and 431 RBIs during 10 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (2014-18), Rays (2018-19), San Diego Padres (2020-21), Cincinnati Reds (2022), Boston Red Sox (2022), New York Mets (2023) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2023).
“He’s a guy who was on a playoff team last year,” Getz said. “He’s had a lot of success in the big leagues. He can hit the ball out of the ballpark, he can put together a quality at-bat. From what I’ve gathered, he’s got such an obsessiveness to win and show up every day.”
Pham said ultimately the options came down to the Sox and Padres.
“Just came down to, one, the economics,” Pham said. “I wouldn’t say opportunity, because the opportunity would have been there with both teams, just in terms of money. You factor in California’s taxes, which I’ve already played there and I know how it is there. San Diego is going to have to match it in other ways.”
He picked the Sox, initially signing a minor-league contract in a deal announced April 16.
Pham went 5-for-17 (.294) with one RBI and three runs in four games with Charlotte. He’ll likely handle a bulk of the center-field duties until Luis Robert Jr. returns from the injured list.
Ortega, 32, gives the Sox another option at all three outfield spots. He slashed .241/.378/.431 with three home runs, 14 RBIs, 11 runs and 14 walks in 18 games with the Knights.
“You go to Triple-A, you always expect that day to come up, to get that call,” said Ortega, who has seven seasons of big-league experience. “Every day I showed up in the system down there in Triple A. I was just waiting for the call.
“Every opportunity for me is big to stay in the big leagues, to continue to prove that I can be here. And then, I appreciated it and then I’m going to try to do my best, not to only stay here, but to help this team win.”
To make room for Pham and Ortega on the 40-man roster, the Sox designated Pillar and Horn for assignment. Pillar initially signed a minor-league contract in the offseason, then was released in spring training and returned a couple of days later on a major-league deal. He hit .160 (4-for-24) with one home run and four RBIs in 17 games.
The Sox thought it was a good time for Fletcher to catch his breath, optioning him to Charlotte. He is slashing .203/.277/.271 with six RBI in 20 games.
“You look at the decision-making that he made in his at-bats, it was actually pretty strong,” Getz said. “Now getting the hits and getting the results, when those didn’t start to fall I think he started getting outside of himself.
“Really I just want to get him down to Triple-A, slow his world down and gain confidence so that when he gets another opportunity, he comes up here with hopefully a clean slate and just gets rolling.”
