GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dwight Smith Jr. envisions a moment during the 2022 season where he¡¯s playing at Wrigley Field and his dad is in attendance.

¡°Hopefully me and him can get a picture together,¡± Smith Jr. told MLB.com. ¡°Him in the Cubs jersey and me in the White Sox jersey.¡±

The elder Smith played for the Cubs from 1989-93, finishing second in the ¡¯89 National League Rookie of the Year voting to teammate Jerome Walton. He also contributed greatly to the Cubs¡¯ National League East title that season.

Although rookie status has passed for Smith Jr., he would like to be part of a third straight playoff appearance for the White Sox. The left-handed-hitting outfielder is taking part in Minor League camp as a non-roster invitee to big league Spring Training, but he's not a member of the team¡¯s 40-man roster. He's excited by the potential of being part of a winning team, a goal that eluded Smith Jr. during 47 games with the Blue Jays from 2017-18 after being a first-round selection of Toronto in the 2011 MLB Draft, and over 122 games with the Orioles from 2019-20.

¡°Yeah, definitely. I¡¯ve never been in that situation,¡± Smith Jr. said. ¡°Playing with a team that¡¯s favored to be in the playoffs, in the World Series, in the hunt, I¡¯ve always been on rebuilding teams. That definitely helps your level of play, gets you more excited, going to the field knowing you are going to win.¡±

Smith Jr.¡¯s biggest production came in 2019 when he hit .241 with 13 home runs, three triples, 16 doubles, five stolen bases and 53 RBIs for the Orioles. His ¡¯20 campaign was hampered by testing positive for COVID-19, causing him to miss a significant part of summer camp before the season resumed amid the pandemic.

There are no issues now for Smith Jr., 29, who feels in good physical condition. But getting COVID-19 left him ¡°really just playing catchup¡± in a 2020 season that featured a home run off Gerrit Cole in Smith Jr.'s first start but also just 72 plate appearances.

¡°When I got it, I was in a hotel room for like 17 days,¡± Smith Jr. said. ¡°I knew my body and my swing and my arm and my legs, all that, were not ready to play every day. But I¡¯m a competitor. I was going to definitely go out there and compete every day.

¡°I lost my taste and smell, and then after I got some of that back and I tested negative, then I had heart trouble. My heart rate was slower than normal, so I had to wait to get cleared. That was another week before I could come back. But after all that because it was so new at the time before the vaccine, I feel pretty good and back to normal. My head is in a good place and my body feels good. I¡¯m just ready to go play whenever that happens.¡±

A post-lockout White Sox depth chart won¡¯t feature Smith Jr. near the top in right field. Not with Andrew Vaughn, Gavin Sheets, Adam Engel and Leury Garc¨ªa already on the roster. Not with the White Sox being a candidate to add at the position via trade or free agency, working to strengthen their championship pursuit. But contributions come across the entirety of a season.

¡°I¡¯m familiar with playing every day at the highest level, getting that experience in Baltimore and playing in Toronto,¡± Smith Jr. said. ¡°So just really playing my game and not trying to do too much, and I think that came with experience over time. Just playing the game how I know I can play and having fun, and everything takes care of itself.¡±

If that chance does come when Smith Jr. and his father are together at Wrigley Field or any other big league venue, he won¡¯t be singing the national anthem before the game. His father performed a stirring rendition on July 21, 1989, at Wrigley Field, and then played left field against the Giants.

¡°That¡¯s one thing I¡¯m not going to do,¡± said Smith Jr. with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not going to sing the national anthem any time soon. He can throw me a first pitch, but I¡¯m not going to sing.¡±