Struggling White Sox sign Justin Morneau
Canadian first baseman was 2006 AL MVP
The struggling Chicago White Sox shook up their roster Thursday, signing veteran Canadian first baseman Justin Morneau and designating veteran right-hander Mat Latos for assignment.
The club immediately placed Morneau on the 15-day disabled list Thursday after he agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract with incentives
Morneau is a four-time All-Star and former AL MVP, but remained unsigned after offseason surgery on his left elbow.
"We have been speaking with Justin, who is just a year and a half removed from winning a batting title with Colorado, for the last several months and moved forward with this deal once Justin was ready to ramp up his baseball activities," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "He is close to being ready to begin a rehab assignment, and we project him available in Chicago sometime in mid-to-late July."
The White Sox purchased the contract of right-hander Tyler Danish from Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday to fill Latos' roster spot.
Latos' fortunes mirrored his team's season. He was 4-0 with a 0.74 ERA after his first four starts as the White Sox raced to a 23-10 record. But Latos had a 7.25 ERA over his last seven starts as the White Sox had dropped 20 of 26 games.
Latos gave up six runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings in a 10-5 loss to Washington on Tuesday, a performance he called "pathetic." His future in the rotation was uncertain after the White Sox traded for James Shields.
Latos is 6-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 11 starts. He's the second starting pitcher to be cut this season after the club released John Danks last month.
The White Sox hope Morneau provides them with a needed left-handed bat. He was the MVP in 2006 with Minnesota and won the NL batting title in 2014 when he hit .319 with Colorado. Morneau played in only 49 games with the Rockies last season. He's had concussion issues and has been slow to recover from surgery to repair the primary flexor in his elbow.