John

Shelby

Shelby, a 2006 fifth-round pick of the White Sox, batted .248/.287/.436 with 16 home runs, 52 RBI, seven stolen bases and a .723 OPS with Double-A Montgomery last season. The 26-year-old outfielder will hope to latch on elsewhere as organizational depth.

Shelby spent last year in the Independent League after being released by the Rays in the 2011 offseason. The 27-year-old outfielder is organizational depth.

Shelby was playing in his 10th game since coming off the disabled list. He’s hitting .286/.359/.543 with seven steals already. The White Sox haven’t decided whether Shelby is a second baseman or an outfielder, but he’s one of their better position prospects. They certainly have more reason than ever to develop him as a second baseman with what has happened so far this season.

Shelby stumbled in his first year in Double-A, hitting .243/.323/.402, so the White Sox have left him there to begin this season. He has good speed and he’s improved quite a bit in center field, but it’s doubtful he’ll make it as a regular and he’ll probably need to show he can still handle second base to have a career as a bench player.

Shelby posted a .705 OPS and 11 home runs last season at the Double-A level. He’s already 25 years old and hasn’t taken an at-bat in Triple-A, but the Rays can use him as overall organizational depth.