Tristan

Peters

Peters gets the call to Philadelphia alongside teammate Munetaka Murakami for next week’s Midsummer Classic as a replacement for an injured Nick Kurtz (thumb). The unheralded 26-year-old hit for the cycle during Friday’s blowout win over the Athletics and has been an unexpected revelation for the upstart White Sox, slashing .303/.357/.484 with six homers and five steals in 89 games. This is his first career All-Star Game selection. It comes just a few years after Peters played for the Savannah Bananas back in 2021. He’ll add some much-needed flair to the All-Star Game for the American League.

It turns out hitting for the cycle wasn’t enough to get Peters back on the lineup card to face tough rookie southpaw Gage Jump on Saturday afternoon. The 26-year-old delivered an electrifying four-hit performance during Friday’s blowout win where he tripled and homered in the same inning to complete the cycle. It’ll be Junior Perez getting the nod in center field to open the contest.

Peters was at the heart of this White Sox blowout win over the Athletics. First, he contributed a run-scoring single during their four-run outburst against Aaron Civale. Then, he helped break it open with a two-run home run as they poured it on in the seventh inning. The White Sox managed to bat around in that inning and Peters came to the plate next needing a triple to complete the cycle. He yanked a ball down the first base line, got on his horse, and slid into third safely as the crowd roared. That was the first cycle by a White Sox player since José Abreu – yes, really – in 2017. This is a fantastic exclamation point on a stellar first half for Peters’ with a .303/.357/.484 slash-line to go along with six home runs and five stolen bases.

Peters got a middle-middle fastball on the second pitch of his third at-bat and yanked it 108.5-mph just fair down the right field line. It was only his third homer in 194 plate appearances, but he’s been a nice fit for the White Sox against right-handers while batting .299/.358/.460 to date.

The White Sox entered the seventh inning trailing 1-0 and with just two hits on the afternoon. Colson Montgomery tied the game with a solo shot off of Drew Anderson, then Chase Meidroth, Jacob Gonzalez and Peters followed with consecutive singles to push the go-ahead run across. Peters also doubled in the ballgame, finishing the day 2-for-3. For the season, he’s hitting .289/.353/.408 with two homers, 14 RBI and four stolen bases in 160 plate appearances.

Peters wasn’t going to start today, but the White Sox revamped their lineup after lefty Kendry Rojas was scratched and righty Simeon Woods Richardson was named the starter, and Peters wound up with his second three-hit game as a major leaguer. He’s batting .274/.342/.385 with two homers and four steals in 153 plate appearances, so it doesn’t look like he’ll be the choice to be sent down when Austin Hays comes off the IL.

Hays has gone 2-for-10 in his first three games at Triple-A, but both hits have been home runs. The 30-year-old has been sidelined since May 4th with a calf strain after also missing significant time with a hamstring strain. With Sam Antonacci playing well in left field, the White Sox will have a tough choice to make when Hays is ready to return. Likely one of Tristan Peters or Jarred Kelenic will head back to the minors, or the White Sox will choose to designate Randal Grichuk for assignment.

Peters’ blast put the White Sox up 7-4 before Michael Conforto launched a three-run blast of his own to tie it for the Cubs in the ninth. White Sox catcher Edgar Quero later hit a walk-off shot in the 10th. The homer for Peters was his first of the year. He’s been starting as the team’s primary center fielder lately, but he doesn’t have the skill set to be a factor in most fantasy formats.

Like fellow left-handed hitters Colson Montgomery and Tristan Peters, Antonacci will take a seat with left-handed Kris Bubic toeing the slab for the Royals. Randal Grichuk will start in his place in left field and bat cleanup for the White Sox on Thursday evening.

This is now Peters’ sixth straight start. He has switched between right field and center field, but has been a constant in the White Sox lineup. He’s 5-for-15 with one run scored, one steal, and a 6/2 K/BB ratio in those six starts. That’s not much value to bring to your fantasy team unless you’re in a deep, AL-only league.