White Sox call up Sam Antonacci looking for jolt to stagnant offense

White Sox prospect Sam Antonacci got news of his promotion from Triple-A Charlotte about 20 hours before he took the field for his debut at Rate Field on Wednesday.

“Tired, but adrenaline high,” the Springfield native said inside his first big-league clubhouse after a whirlwind travel day. “Get a cup of coffee in you and you’re good to go.”

It worked for him while playing for Team Italy, whose run to the World Baseball Classic semifinal was famously fueled by a dugout espresso machine also enjoyed by another caffeine-cranked Sox player, Kyle Teel.

Now the Sox are looking for a shot in the arm offensively from Antonacci, a utility player whose hot bat to start the year made him the club’s second key prospect call-up in as many days, following the debut of prized left-hander Noah Schultz.

“Excited to add his energy and his skillset to the group,” manager Will Venable said. “He's gonna play extremely hard, control the zone, play solid defense and run the bases extremely well.”

The Sox’ No. 9-rated prospect wasted little time checking some of those boxes with his parents, sister and 10,192 of his newest fans in attendance. Antonacci vacuumed up a grounder to second base for his first big-league defensive assist to close the first inning, and then dropped a single into right field in his first career at-bat to open the Sox’ half of the second on Wednesday against the Rays.

Later in his 1-for-3 night, he made a diving stop on a hot grounder up the middle, and drew a ninth-inning walk that started the Sox' only offensive onslaught during an otherwise lifeless 8-3 loss that saw catcher Reese McGuire pitching in garbage time.

"It was a dream come true, to be honest. Obviously not the end result," Antonacci said. "As much as I like to be even-keeled and keep my head on straight with the job at task, I needed to take a step back and really take it all in, because I’m living out a dream I had when I was a little kid."

Though the 2024 fifth-round draft pick debuted at second, he got to the Sox three weeks into the season because he was learning left field on the job at Charlotte, fast-tracking his path in an organization lacking outfield depth. Antonacci mostly played second last year across three levels of the farm system.

Venable said he had him batting fifth and playing second in his debut only because it coincided with a previously scheduled day off for regular Chase Meidroth.

"It's really quality at-bats, where he's making good swing decisions, really grinding," Venable said of his newest rookie.

While Schultz joins a starting rotation that has been surprisingly sturdy, a stagnant Sox offense is desperate for a spark from Antonacci. He joined a team sitting dead last in baseball in batting average (.192), on-base percentage (.281), slugging percentage (.305), hits (107) and runs (54).

Antonacci’s call-up was hastened by his .313/.500/.479 (15-for-48) start with the Knights, with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and five stolen bases.

Megan Briggs/Getty

“You look at his surface-level numbers and underneath the hood, how productive he has been — his offensive process has always been really advanced,” said general manager Chris Getz, who’s not concerned about a position switch dogging Antonacci like it did for past prospects like Andrew Vaughn.

“He's made some really good plays and there have been some plays that are a little bit foreign to him. He’s getting more comfortable in the outfield,” Getz said.

Antonacci said he’s had fun with the switch, which has come with surprises.

“You get heckled a lot. I didn’t realize that. You don’t really get heckled in the infield,” he said, inviting constructive criticism. “If I’m ever seen as taking a play off, I would like the fans to let me know or have someone else let me know. I’ll get that fixed, but I don’t see that happening.”

Antonacci and Schultz are sure to be joined by more of their Triple-A teammates in a pivotal year for Getz’s rebuild, with debuts anticipated for infielder William Bergolla Jr. and pitchers Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal.

“It’s awesome to think about,” Antonacci said. “To wear this White Sox jersey, if it’s for a day or if it’s for the next 10 years, I’m going to go out there and give it all I’ve got. That’s kind of the motto here, and the young guys that we’ve got, we’re leaving it all out there each and every night.”