Derek

Hill

Hill was likely going to be designated for assignment by the White Sox with Everson Pereira returning on Thursday, so they opted to flip him for anything they could get at this point. The 30-year-old outfielder has hit .213/.284/.375 with four homers, eight RBI and seven stolen bases in 90 plate appearances with the White Sox this season. He’ll add insurance for the Phillies in the event that Adolis Garcia (shoulder) requires a trip to the injured list.

Doesn’t sound like it’s great news for the Phillies on Adolis García’s shoulder injury. Hill was pushed out of a role with the White Sox by the promotion of Braden Montgomery and was a potential DFA candidate with Everson Pereira slated to come off the injured list soon, so it’s good work by the White Sox to get prospects for him.

Hill returns following a three-game absence due to a lingering back issue that surfaced last Friday. The 30-year-old is in center field and hitting sixth against Minnesota rookie lefty Connor Prielipp on Tuesday night at Target Field.

Hill hasn’t played since last Friday due to a lingering back issue. The fact that he hasn’t hit the injured list seems to signal that it’s not a significant concern. The 30-year-old backup outfielder is presumably available off the bench, if needed.

It’ll be rookie outfielder Rikuu Nishida taking over in center field and hitting ninth. It sounds like a precautionary move by the White Sox to prevent the issue from getting worse. Hill should be considered day-to-day heading into Sunday’s series finale.

Hill’s 417-foot homer to center was his longest batted ball since he hit 432- and 420-foot homers at Coors Field on Aug. 29, 2024. He’s gone 11-for-44 with three homers and four steals while starting strictly against lefties this season. He’s played in 31 games and taken 50 plate appearances.

Kelenic, once one of the most exciting prospects in baseball, will head back to the big leagues after having just 65 MLB plate appearances last season. The 26-year-old has not gotten off to a great start in Triple-A, slashing .202/.346/.464 with six home runs and seven steals in 104 plate appearances. The steals and home runs are nice, but he’s sporting a nearly 29 percent strikeout rate and 74 percent contact rate that could get exposed at the big league level. With a lefty on the mound on Wednesday, it will be Derek Hill starting in right field, not Kelenic.

Trailing 4-3, the White Sox were down to their last out when Hill attempted the surprise bunt with automatic runner Miguel Vargas on third in the 10th. Tyler Heineman pounced on it when it might have gone foul down the third base line and then threw the ball into right field, allowing Vargas to score and putting Hill on second. Hill didn’t get an RBI on the play, since Vargas couldn’t initially try to score because of where the bunt was placed. Tristan Peters then singled in Hill to win the game. Hill had previously entered the game as a pinch-runner and was getting his first at-bat in the 10th. He’s yet to start a game this season and is 1-for-3 off the bench.

This doesn’t seem like a sufficient return, but the White Sox obviously didn’t want to pay Robert $20 million this year. Acuña sort of held his own as a 23-year-old in the majors last season, hitting .234/.293/.274 in 193 plate appearances. He’s intriguing defensively at several key positions, he runs very well, he has decent plate discipline and he’s not entirely absent of power. It seems like a utility profile, but given that he’s just turning 24 in March, there’s some hope for him as a regular, perhaps in center field. He’ll probably battle Derek Hill, Tristan Peters and Everson Pereira for that spot in spring training. Pauley, a 2025 12th-rounder out of Harvard, allowed one run in four innings in his pro debut last season.

Hill was claimed off waivers at the end of the 2025 season, and the 29-year-old will be the fourth outfielder for Chicago to open the 2026 campaign; barring something unforeseeable.