ST. LOUIS -- Bryan Ramos wasn¡¯t worried upon being pulled in the seventh inning of a 3-2 victory for Double-A Birmingham over the Rocket City Trash Pandas on Friday night.

But the No. 4 White Sox prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, also didn¡¯t completely expect a move to the Majors.

¡°When they take me out at the beginning I said, 'What is this?' was my first reaction. But you think about it and you know what was going on,¡± said Ramos in the visitors' clubhouse at Busch Stadium prior to Saturday afternoon¡¯s contest. ¡°It was kind of weird, but after that and thinking about it, you kind of know.

¡°You don¡¯t really know until after the game. They said it in front of everybody and it was pretty cool."

Ramos was recalled from Birmingham to take the spot of Danny Mendick, who was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 2) with lower back tightness. Mendick, 30, had been one of the team¡¯s bright spots on offense since his contract was selected from Triple-A Charlotte on April 22, slashing .256/.293/.410 with three doubles, one home run and three RBIs in 10 games.

Mendick¡¯s hope is that this particular malady will keep him sidelined no longer than the brief IL stint. Ramos didn¡¯t start Saturday, using the day to observe and take in the Major League surroundings, but the plan is for the 22-year-old third baseman to play regularly, according to manager Pedro Grifol.

¡°Extremely talented, extremely young. He¡¯s got, really, all the tools to play at this level,¡± Grifol said. ¡°This is a good opportunity for both parties: For him to experience it, and for us to see where he¡¯s at in his development, which is really important, too.¡±

¡°Great talent,¡± said Mendick of Ramos. ¡°Excited to see what he¡¯s going to do, for sure.¡±

Through 24 games with the first-place Barons (18-7), Ramos has a .182 average with five doubles, two homers, nine runs scored and 11 RBIs. He started very slowly but has put together an eight-game hitting streak, producing a .333 average with five doubles, two homers, seven RBIs and seven runs scored.

Nothing has really changed at the plate for Ramos. It¡¯s simply working through a cold stretch experienced by even the most accomplished of hitters.

¡°This sport is hard,¡± Ramos said. ¡°I started the season kind of slow, but now I'm getting my rhythm.

¡°I just came to the ballpark with the same mentality. Grow up and keep playing. At some point I know I'm going to get back to my rhythm. You've just got to keep playing and keep doing your thing and let's go.¡±

As a native of La Habana, Ramos became the 25th Cuban-born player to get into at least one game with the White Sox when he made his Major League debut, taking the field as a defensive replacement in Chicago's 6-5 win in 10 innings over the Cardinals. Thirty-four Cuban-born players in total have been part of this organization.

Very few of them received the Major League promotion news like Ramos. Not only did Ramos get this special opportunity, but the Barons walked off Friday¡¯s contest on Terrell Tatum¡¯s 10th-inning single.

¡°Everybody was fired up already and they jumped on me and gave congratulations. That was pretty fun,¡± Ramos said. ¡°What can I say about it? Every kid dreams of it when they are little. To be here now is kind of everything. I'm so happy.

¡°I worked for this. It's kind of surprising but I'll take it. I know I can play at this level."

The news was immediately shared with Ramos¡¯ parents, who were happier than Ramos and ¡°even crying,¡± according to the right-handed hitter. He joins right-handed pitchers Nick Nastrini (No. 8 White Sox prospect) and Jonathan Cannon (No. 11) in coming from the Minors to the White Sox during the 2024 season, with more prospects contending for callups as the season continues.

¡°We¡¯ve got to teach and we¡¯ve got to make sure we monitor every move, his positioning, his baserunning, his ABs,¡± Grifol said. ¡°Monitor all that stuff and make sure we don¡¯t overwhelm him with information and that we teach him on a daily basis and he¡¯ll absorb.

¡°He¡¯s a sponge. He¡¯s a very smart kid. We¡¯ll play that day by day. Just go out there, have some fun, enjoy the game, enjoy the big leagues and help us win ball games.¡±