Jeff Keppinger activated from the DL; designated for assignment

The White Sox activated Jeff Keppinger from the DL today and, in an unexpected move, immediately designated him for assignment.

Last season, Keppinger put together a .253/.283/.317 while adding -1.5 fWAR to the team.  He struggled with right shoulder problems all of 2013 and ended his season early for surgery on that shoulder.  His rehab went slower than expected, and he was placed on the DL to start this season.  He has been rehabbing at AA Birmingham since May 2 where he's hit .256/.348/.359 while playing primarily third base with a game at second base.

Yesterday's move to promote Micah Johnson to AAA Charlotte confused a lot of people, especially the roster watchers here.  Clogging up the Charlotte middle infield when the departures of Marcus Semien and Leury Garcia from the White Sox seemed imminent didn't make a lot of sense.  Of course, the removal of Jeff Keppinger from the mix, allowing Marcus Semien to stay on the White Sox roster, makes this whole situation a lot easier to understand.

With this move, the Sox' 40-man roster goes back down to 39.