Tommy

Pham

With left-hander Parker Messick taking the ball for the Guardians, Antonacci will begin this one on the bench for the White Sox. Fellow left-handed hitters Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters will also take a seat for the Southsiders. Here’s how Will Venable’s club will line up as they look to punch their ticket to the ALCS on Thursday: Chase Meidroth (2B), Randal Grichuk (LF), Miguel Vargas (3B), Munetaka Murakami (1B), Tommy Pham (DH), Brenton Doyle (CF), Kyle Teel (C), Braden Montgomery (RF) and Colson Montgomery (SS).

What makes this interesting is that the Guardians are starting right-hander Daniel Espino as the opener for left-hander Foster Griffin. Antonacci usually doesn’t play against lefties, and his being the DH means that the White Sox have more flexibility to pinch-hit for him. There’s a chance that he gets his at-bat in the first inning and then, when his spot in the order comes up again, he could be replaced by Tommy Pham or Brenton Doyle, both of whom started in Game 1, to hit against the left-handed Griffin.

Benintendi will hit fifth and be the designated hitter, while Tristan Peters will bat sixth and play center field. Both of them were out for Game 1 against left-handed starter Parker Messick. While Benintendi never entered the game, Peters replaced Randal Grichuk when the Guardians went to the bullpen and went 1-for-2 with a single. Brenton Doyle and Tommy Pham will head to the bench for Game 2.

Pham was only in Wednesday’s lineup because he ran into GM Chris Getz in the elevator and made his case that he was ready to come off the IL. His three-run blast came off Parker Messick in the fifth inning and gave Chicago a 3-2 lead at the time. Before batting cleanup this afternoon, Pham had been 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts in the big leagues this season.

Pham was placed on the injured list just 10 days ago and was scheduled to return this weekend. However, he ran before the game on Tuesday and confirmed he was fully healthy. He’s right back to DHing and hitting cleanup for the White Sox against the Guardians on Wednesday.

No word yet from the White Sox on how long the veteran outfielder will be shelved for. Edgar Quero was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move on Sunday to add depth to the White Sox’ bench.

Pham was acquired from the Phillies on Monday. He was 0-for-13 in his brief stint with the Mets earlier this season and hit .245/.330/.370 in 120 plate appearances for the Pirates last year. He figures to be a pinch hitter against lefties off the bench.

Since Pham is not on the 40-man roster, he is eligible to be traded despite the fact that the trade deadline has passed. Pham is expected to join the White Sox when rosters expand on Tuesday. He was 0-for-13 in his brief stint with the Mets earlier this season, and hit .245/.330/.370 in 120 plate appearances for the Pirates last year.

The 38-year-old Pham went 0-for-13 with the Mets earlier this season. He then signed with the Orioles and hit .197/.286/.410 in 16 games in Triple-A before being set free again. It seems unlikely that he’ll help the Phillies, but they do need outfield depth with Adolis García and Johan Rojas out for the long haul.

The 38-year-old had requested his release. Pham was signed to a minor league deal on May 16 and hit .197/.286/.410 with four homers and 11 RBI in 70 plate appearances at Triple-A Norfolk. He’s now free to peddle his wares on the open market once again.