White Sox call up top prospect Fulmer, activate Morneau
Right-hander will get his feet wet in big leagues working out of bullpen
ANAHEIM -- The White Sox purchased the contract of right-handed pitcher Carson Fulmer, their top-rated prospect, from Double-A Birmingham, among three moves made on Friday.
Justin Morneau was returned from his injury rehab assignment with Double-A Birmingham and reinstated, and outfielder Jason Coats was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.
• Fulmer has stuff to follow Sale's path to rotation
Fulmer, 22, stands as Chicago's No. 1 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com, and has been working in Birmingham's starting rotation. After a somewhat wild start, brought about in his opinion by slowing down his delivery too much, Fulmer struck out 54 and walked 17 in his last 41 innings.
"When it's all said and done, I faced the adversities I needed to face," Fulmer told MLB.com last week. "I felt the reason why I'm in the process in pro ball is because you want to be able to figure out these things before you experience them in the big leagues.
"Then you know how to handle them. I've put out some really good numbers now. I've learned from the adversities that I faced and I definitely feel like I'm ready. I know how to handle it this time. So it's all a learning curve. That's why I was put in this position. I'm glad I overcame that and pitched well now."
Although the White Sox need a starter for Sunday's game against the Angels, Fulmer -- who is also ranked No. 33 on MLBPipeline.com's list of baseball's top prospects -- will be used out of the bullpen, as talked about recently by manager Robin Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper.
Morneau, 35, agreed to terms with the White Sox on a one-year contract on June 9. and he was placed on the disabled list to continue his recovery from offseason surgery to repair the primary flexor in his left elbow. He appeared in eight games with Charlotte and Birmingham on his rehab assignment, during which he went 4-for-23 with three walks, four strikeouts and two RBIs.
Morneau is a career .282 hitter with 335 doubles, 241 home runs, 960 RBIs and 756 runs scored in 1,487 games over 13 Major League seasons with Minnesota (2003-13), Pittsburgh (2013) and Colorado (2014-15). From 2005-15, he ranked seventh in the Majors among left-handed hitters in doubles (314) and RBIs (886) and 13th with 218 homers. Morneau led the National League with a .319 batting average in 2014.
The moves leave the White Sox 40-man roster at 40.
Scott Merkin has covered the White Sox for MLB.com since 2003. Read his blog, Merk's Works, follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin, on Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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