This afternoon, the White Sox have officially placed Chris Sale on the DL retroactive to April 18. To take his place, Charlie Leesman has been recalled from AAA Charlotte. Leesman will be making the start for the White Sox tonight.
Leesman was recalled for a start last August and then came back again in September for some time in the bullpen. While he had an ERA of 7.04, much of his earned runs came from his September 12th appearance where he gave up three hits, four walks, and seven earned runs without recording an out.
This spring Leesman put up a 1.69 ERA in 5⅓ innings. He has continued that success in Charlotte with a 1.59 ERA over 17 innings and three starts. He has also lowered his walks and hits per nine innings over last year.
At the beginning of the offseason, Leesman was initially in the mix for a LOOGY spot. With the addition of Scott Downs, this became a more difficult challenge because he and Donnie Veal was virtually a lock on the roster. Now with Veal gone, this may be his chance to audition for the second lefty spot in the bullpen.