Antonacci vows to give his all on South Side (you can give him a nudge if he's not)

CHICAGO – After working 11 games in a new left field position for Triple-A Charlotte this season, Sam Antonacci made his Major League debut for the White Sox Wednesday and started … at second base.

Antonacci’s arrival coincided with a planned day off for starting second baseman Chase Meidroth, so he returned to a spot where he’s played a career-high 78 games in the Minors. But the 23-year-old, who also is the No. 9 White Sox prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is ready and willing to play anywhere.

“Yeah, I’m comfortable wherever they put me,” Antonacci said. “I take pride in that. Just being available in any which way I can.”

“Sam obviously has done a really good job throughout his Minor League career,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Very clear identity of how he goes about it. He's gonna play extremely hard, control the zone, plays solid defense and run the bases extremely well. So excited to add his energy and his skill set to the group.”

His 2025 stops at High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham developed into a breakout campaign for the left-handed hitter, who slashed .291/.433/.409 with 78 runs scored, 57 RBIs and 48 stolen bases. Let’s not forget a painfully incredible 39 hit-by-pitches, when including a brief stint with Glendale in the Arizona Fall League, a skill Antonacci’s mother would like to see less of, as he told MLB.com during this past Spring Training.

That trip to big league Spring Training resulted in home runs against Jameson Taillon and Tanner Bibee, followed by an impressive World Baseball Classic stint with Team Italy. Antonacci does what it takes to get on base. Antonacci also has high energy showing off whatever it takes to win.

“Just not taking a play off on everything no matter what the score dictates,” said Antonacci when asked to describe his on-field style. “If I’m ever seen as taking a play off, I would like the fans to let me know or have someone else let me know.

“I’ll get that fixed, but I don’t see that happening. I might not be Shohei Ohtani or a unicorn like that, but I use all the gifts and talents I have and give it all I got.”

There were social media rumblings of an earlier White Sox arrival for Antonacci by one day, coming on Tuesday with Noah Schultz, the No. 2 White Sox prospect and No. 44 overall, who fanned four over 4 1/3 innings. But the White Sox bypassed Antonacci against a tough lefty in Shane McClanahan and Charlotte manager Chad Pinder broke the news to him Tuesday night in Jacksonville.

So, Antonacci bussed from Charlotte to Jacksonville on Monday, played Tuesday morning in a kids game and flew to Chicago on Wednesday morning.

“Chad came and knocked on my door at like 10:30, 11 p.m. He asked me if I was ready,” Antonacci said. “I was like, ‘What do you mean? I’m about to go to bed.’ He was like, ‘You ready to go to the big leagues?’ And I said, ‘Heck yeah.’ And then, just got on a flight this morning and here I am.”

“There will be some days in which he's not in there, just like all these guys,” Venable said. “Still got to take care of these guys, give them their recovery days. There will be matchups in which he might not be in the lineup. But he'll be out there a lot.”

As his first big league media session began Wednesday, Antonacci asked the name of each reporter so he could get to know them. He’s ready for the challenge. He’s ready for second base. He’s ready for shortstop, and he’s ready for left field after learning some nuances about the spot at Charlotte.

“It’s been a few changes that I didn’t expect that have nothing to do with the athletic ability,” a smiling Antonacci said. “It’s a very far run out there. It adds up over nine innings. Can get pretty boring out there.

“You get heckled a lot, I didn’t realize that. You don’t really get heckled in the infield. But no, it’s been fun. I’ve had a lot of people in my corner helping me. Chad did a really good job. He’s been in my shoes, so he did a really good job of just helping me understand what I need to do out there and I don’t need to do anything too crazy out there, just be the player that I’m supposed to be.”