CHICAGO -- Even if Daniel Palka didn¡¯t want a constant reminder of his disappointing individual offensive results during the 2019 season, the ballpark scoreboards can¡¯t lie.

¡°You have these [huge] scoreboards now. It¡¯s kind of hard to miss it,¡± Palka told MLB.com prior to logging an infield single for his second hit of the season in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Royals in the series finale at Guaranteed Rate Field. ¡°It¡¯s in the back of your mind.

¡°But realistically, every at-bat is a new start for me right now. That¡¯s really all you can do.¡±

Palka¡¯s offensive futility is an astonishing tale on a couple of levels. The left-handed slugger, who knocked out 27 home runs as a breakout, charismatic White Sox rookie in 2018, has gone 2-for-57 with six walks and 23 strikeouts this season -- resulting in a slash line of .035/.141/.035. He ended an 0-for-21 drought with that hit against the Royals, who have allowed both of Palka¡¯s hits in 2019.

During his time this season with Triple-A Charlotte, though, Palka hit .263/.374/.527 with 23 doubles, 27 home runs and 72 RBIs in 106 games. So the ability has not suddenly disappeared from the 27-year-old.

The way in which Palka has handled these tough times is even more amazing than the lack of results themselves. He¡¯s an exceedingly positive young man, even in the worst of tough times, and he won¡¯t allow a bad season on the field to define him.

As for his confidence, it¡¯s as strong as ever.

¡°One hundred percent. The highest,¡± Palka said. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe you are the best one out there, then you shouldn¡¯t be out there. You shouldn¡¯t be here. If you don¡¯t get [excited] to play, you shouldn¡¯t be here.

¡°It¡¯s a crazy bad stretch, but I sit there and look at it, and know what I can do, what I can contribute, and I mean, regardless, I¡¯m going to look back and be, like, '50 at-bats made me a better player than what I was before.' As corny as it sounds, it¡¯s 100 percent true. I like playing every day, but I also like the role I¡¯ve had here. I just enjoy being on the team.¡±

While Palka remains the picture of confidence sitting in front of his clubhouse locker, pressing at the plate becomes a natural reaction to these sorts of struggles. Pressing at the plate might come from an 0-for-15 stretch, let alone what Palka has endured.

That type of internal pressure becomes a main reason for the difference in Palka's results between Charlotte and the White Sox this season, per manager Rick Renteria.

¡°Probably wanting to do too much, trying to reassess and prove to everybody that he's what he was last year,¡± Renteria said. ¡°You have to take a deep breath, take a step back and just be yourself, try to get pitches in the zone. That's what he's tried to do since he's been here.

¡°He hasn't had the success that he's looking for. But those are the things that he's trying to do, and ultimately, bat to ball, when he gets it, he can get a pretty good swing on it, put a charge in it and hit it out of the ballpark. You still have to make contact, and it has more to do with approach than anything else.¡±

Palka recently said he feels ¡°better now than I have the whole season.¡± He has worked diligently with Charlotte hitting coach Frank Menechino, who Palka describes as a perfectionist, and he feels ready to prove his value all over again from opening day of Spring Training in 2020.

There¡¯s no certainty whether that spring stage will be with the White Sox, but Palka isn¡¯t trying to figure out the roster crunch. He has learned from this season, but he won¡¯t dwell on it at the conclusion.

¡°You just have to move on from it and that¡¯s it." Palka said. "I¡¯m not really one to sit there and look back. I like moving forward, good and bad. We are lucky enough to play this game.

¡°We are lucky enough to have enough talent to be here, and there¡¯s so many crazier things happening everywhere. You just have to remember this is a job. You have to enjoy it. As ironic as it is to say, because it does affect you, you just have to leave it here and keep working.¡±