CLEVELAND -- Greg Jones was in the on-deck circle for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on Tuesday when he found out he was getting called up to the White Sox.
A day later, Joshua Palacios was at the Knights¡¯ team hotel when manager Sergio Santos called him to the lobby to let him know he had been called up.
Some 460 miles away, Omar Narváez also found out he was heading to the White Sox in calls from his agent and White Sox general manager Chris Getz.
All three players arrived in the visitors' clubhouse at Progressive Field in a span of 18 hours across Tuesday and Wednesday, in various stages of jet lag.
But as White Sox manager Will Venable said Thursday ahead of Chicago¡¯s 6-1 loss, they¡¯re all here with plans to contribute.
¡°Something we¡¯ve talked about from Day 1 in Spring Training is the opportunity we have here,¡± Venable said. ¡°To watch these guys get that opportunity and take advantage of it is awesome.¡±
The good news for Venable is that he¡¯s going to get plenty of chances to mix and match the three of them throughout his lineup over the next couple of weeks. The bad news is that it¡¯s coming at the expense of three key contributors.
On Wednesday, the White Sox placed Andrew Benintendi (left adductor) on the injured list pregame before losing Korey Lee (left ankle) and Mike Tauchman (right hamstring) to injuries during the game.
Jones was called up Wednesday for Benintendi (he arrived during Wednesday¡¯s game and nearly entered as a pinch-runner), while Palacios and Narv¨¢ez traveled in the wee hours of Thursday morning to make it in time.
Palacios found out about his promotion from Santos around 10 p.m., then he headed to the ballpark to get his stuff. By the time he got back to the hotel, he had only about an hour and a half to rest ahead of his 2:30 a.m. Uber to the airport.
¡°We¡¯re running on fumes right now,¡± Palacios said with a huge grin. ¡°My energy is keeping me going.¡±
The 29-year-old has played in 156 MLB games with the Blue Jays, Nationals and Pirates, and he has a career OPS+ of 77. The highlight of his MLB career so far was a walk-off home run against the Phillies in 2023.
Palacios signed a Minor League deal with the White Sox on Friday after being outrighted by the Pirates on March 29.
¡°This is the dream right here,¡± Palacios said. ¡°Chicago¡¯s a beautiful city and I grew up watching the White Sox as a kid. ¡ I want to win everywhere I go and know this club wants to win.¡±
While Palacios is new to the White Sox, Narv¨¢ez is not.
He first joined the White Sox in 2014 when the team selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, and he ended up playing parts of three seasons with Chicago before being traded to the Mariners.
Now he¡¯s back.
¡°It¡¯s awesome,¡± Narv¨¢ez said. ¡°It feels good to come back to a place that feels like home.¡±
Narv¨¢ez spent Spring Training with the White Sox and appeared in 11 games, which he said should help him pick things up quicker with the pitching staff.
¡°It¡¯s way easier to trust everyone after being in Spring Training with them,¡± he said.
Jones is another new face to the organization, as the White Sox selected him off waivers from the Rockies on March 26.
Jones was a 2019 first-round pick by the Rays, and he made his MLB debut last season with Colorado, where he hit his first career home run.
¡°Being able to get back here after being there last year because you kind of know how it operates and how to go about your ways,¡± he said. ¡°I think it will help me a lot.¡±
Jones has 70-grade speed and can play all three outfield positions, so he should be a dangerous tool in Venable¡¯s belt.
¡°You know what I can bring,¡± Jones said. ¡°A lot of speed and I¡¯m always ready.¡±
The three of them will look to help jump-start an offense that¡¯s stuck in neutral. The Sox only recorded two extra-base hits in their three games against Cleveland and haven't hit a home run in six games.
Thursday¡¯s loss was Chicago¡¯s eighth straight.
¡°We¡¯ve just got to continue to fight and grind to find ways to score runs,¡± Venable said. ¡°We¡¯re going to continue to go to work.¡±