White Sox activate Burr, call up Tilson

CLEVELAND -- The White Sox purchased the contract of outfielder Charlie Tilson from Triple-A Charlotte, transferred right-handed reliever Nate Jones to the 60-day injured list with a flexor pronator strain in his right forearm and reinstated right-handed reliever Ryan Burr from the 10-day injured list on Monday.

Both Tilson and Burr were put into action immediately during the White Sox 9-1 victory over Cleveland. Tilson went 2-for-4 with a single and a double and two runs scored, while Burr pitched one scoreless inning of relief.

Burr and Tilson take the roster spots of left-handed reliever Caleb Frare and outfielder Adam Engel, who were both optioned to Charlotte following Sunday’s 9-2 loss to Boston. Frare faced one batter and walked Andrew Benintendi on four pitches to force in a run. White Sox manager Rick Renteria wants Engel to get regular at-bats and push his inconsistent offense near the level of his Gold Glove-caliber defense.

With the White Sox facing four right-handed starters in the Cleveland series, the left-handed-hitting Tilson, 26, should get pretty regular at-bats.

“I just got back to where I was,” said Tilson, who hit .333 with 10 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs and an .871 OPS in 25 games with Charlotte. “I got the right direction at the right time and a lot of it had to do with continuing to build strength. The more games you get under your belt after a long hiatus like that, [the] more confidence [you get] and [the more you start] feeling comfortable again.”

Tilson tore his left hamstring in his first game with the White Sox in 2016, missing the rest of the campaign. He missed the entire 2017 campaign due to right foot and right ankle injuries, so it’s easy to understand how it took him time to get back to top form.

“The ability to stay on the fastball has been a big difference maker for me,” Tilson said. “That’s where I really struggled last year. I was late on the heater and falling back in counts and not being able to take advantage in hitter’s counts.”

Herrera remains day to day

Right-handed reliever Kelvin Herrera played catch on Monday and felt better, according to Renteria. But the veteran hurler remains day to day after leaving in the eighth inning of Sunday’s loss with lower back stiffness.

“His back was spasmy. So we’re going to treat it and see how the day goes,” Renteria said. “You manage it. As he continues to get back out there, he’s going to have days where he feels as good as he wants to and some days he doesn’t feel as good. He’s still going to do the best he can when he’s available.”

Anderson, Bauer getting social

Prior to Monday’s series opener in Cleveland, Indians starter Trevor Bauer had a message for White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson via Twitter.

“Hey @TimAnderson7 I’m all in on the bat flips man but if you could skip a day today that would be great. Even the lord took a day of rest. thanks my dude,” Bauer tweeted.

“My numbers against you are ugly...so if i get you i gotta flip it homie,” countered Anderson, who is 4-for-20 lifetime against Bauer with six strikeouts.

“That’s fair enough. I’ll see you soon,” Bauer concluded.

Anderson appreciated the light-hearted exchange, even though he was facing Bauer that same evening.

“We're real people. It's real life. I think it's OK to have a conversation like what he did. It's cool,” Anderson said. “It's different. It's a different approach and it gets the fans to see that it's all fun and not just we're trying to take each other’s heads off.

“It's good stuff on social media and it's the outlet to the fans, bringing some personality, a little fun. Let the fans see it's not as serious as it is. It's good coming from him because he gets it. It was all fun, all fun stuff.”

He said it

“I feel as dangerous as I really ever have in my career at the plate right now.” -- Tilson