White Sox Minor League Update: July 26-Aug. 1

A couple of pitching notes:

*Erik Johnson's spot in the Charlotte Knights' rotation was shifted back to line up with Jeff Samardzija's, in the event that Smarch is traded. From what the beat writers' stories say, the official reason for the shift is preserving Johnson's innings, which is kinda funny since the Sox were loath to give him a start or two off during his major struggles last season.

One key quote:

"We think he has found something," Bell said. "We don't really ask what it is. We just let him go. He's actually better than when we called him up the first time (in 2013)."

*I watched Carson Fulmer's debut with the Winston-Salem Dash last week, and his fastball definitely has some jump. While there weren't any radar gun readings, Dash broadcaster said Fulmer worked in the mid-to-high 90s. He threw his curve with different tilts, though not entirely on purpose. The changeup didn't really come into play against a largely right-handed lineup.

My first impression: There's really no need to put him on the Chris Sale/Carlos Rodon path. He's the most unorthodox of the bunch, and it's hard to project how his velocity and curve will look to advanced hitters multiple times through a lineup.

Sunday's box scores will appear below shortly.