After a year without a season, Minor League Baseball took the field Tuesday night for its first bit of action since September 2019. Three White Sox affiliates (Triple-A Charlotte, High-A Winston-Salem and Low-A Kannapolis) went winless on Opening Night, while Double-A Birmingham's first game of the season was postponed to Wednesday due to rain.

Manager Tony La Russa is still familiarizing himself with the teams, coaches and players, but he is keeping his eyes on top players who will potentially join the Major League club at some point this season, especially with injuries amassing to core players.

"You watch Double-A and Triple-A more closely,” La Russa said. “There's real talent there, and as I said several times, I was very, very impressed with our system.”

The White Sox farm system is ranked No. 16, per MLB Pipeline, though the club's top three prospects are already on the Major League roster. For many Minor League players, Tuesday was the first time they played in a competitive baseball game in over a year.

"We're one game in on the Minor League side, so we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves, but there were some positive indications,” assistant general manager of player development Chris Getz said. “And not only through Major League camp, but Minor League camp and the alternate site for some players, and some guys getting off to a good start."

Getz also provided an update on Jake Burger, Chicago’s No. 15-ranked prospect, who was removed from Triple-A Charlotte’s opener with a possible mild quad strain that he sustained as he rounded third base.

"He felt his quad kind of tighten up a little bit. I'm not overly concerned,” Getz said. “He saw the doc after, looks like a mild strain at this point, but I think today will be telling in regards to how he's recovering.”

Cease gets help from teammates
The one-hour weather delay leading up to Tuesday’s 9-0 win made Dylan Cease’s historic night well worth the wait.

Cease went 3-for-3 in his professional hitting debut as he became the second pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to record 10 strikeouts, allow no more than one hit and have three hits of his own, according to Stats Perform.

The last time the right-handed pitcher had stood in a batter’s box was during his senior year in high school. Given the seven years since then, Cease was in need of two things: hitting advice and hitting equipment.

Adam Engel provided the batting gloves and Carlos Rodón gave the 25-year-old a José Abreu bat for his hitting debut. The hitting advice came from fellow starting pitcher Lance Lynn, who has taken Cease under his wing.

“After my start against Texas, Lance kind of pulled me aside and asked me what my process was and he gave me some tips on what I could improve on, and ever since then, it's been good,” Cease said. “This guy's crafting me.”

Eaton rests
Adam Eaton has been one of Chicago’s most reliable players to start the season, but in the last week, the outfielder’s production at the plate has dipped.

Eaton is hitless in his last 16 at-bats with his last pair of hits coming against the Tigers on April 27. He's sporting a .127 batting average over his last seven games. With the White Sox playing a day game Wednesday ahead of Thursday's off-day, La Russa is giving the 32-year-old a chance to get off his feet.

"He has body aches. He bruised his knee running into that wall," La Russa said prior to Wednesday's game. "His [hamstring] started getting tight, so it's a good day for him to rest, and then he'll rest tomorrow. We need to keep him fresh. He's very important.”