The White Sox introduced Wednesday that outfielder Corey Julks handed by way of waivers unclaimed and was assigned outright to Triple-A Charlotte. He’ll stay with the group as non-roster depth and be invited to large league camp this spring.
An eighth-round choose of the Astros in 2018, Julks got here to the White Sox final Might after he’d additionally been designated for project in Houston. Chicago despatched proper Luis Rodriguez, a 20-year-old reliever in Rookie ball, to the ’Stros in that swap. Julks wound up logging 66 video games and 189 plate appearances for the South Siders however hit simply .214/.275/.306 with poor batted-ball metrics throughout that point (84.9 mph common exit velocity, 28.2% hard-hit price). He fared fairly a bit higher in Triple-A final yr, slashing .278/.372/.470 between the 2 organizations.
Julks has all the time hit effectively within the higher minors. He’s a .267/.360/.491 hitter in components of three Triple-A seasons and sports activities a .275/.339/.459 slash in a pair of Double-A campaigns. He’s a very good runner (eightieth percentile dash pace) with above-average arm power who’s finest suited to nook outfield work however does have the expertise to deal with middle in a pinch.
Given the state of the White Sox’ outfield, Julks may play his means again onto the massive league roster. Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr. and Mike Tauchman are slated to begin for rookie skipper Will Venable in 2025, however Benintendi is coming off a pair of down seasons, whereas each Robert and Tauchman can be commerce candidates this summer season in the event that they’re wholesome and taking part in effectively. Others within the outfield combine embody Dominic Fletcher, Zach DeLoach and Oscar Colas, however none of that trio has established himself as a reputable large leaguer but.
