White Sox announce seven roster moves

November 20, 2014

The Chicago White Sox announced the following seven roster moves:

Purchased the contracts of right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas, infielders Rangel Ravelo and Tyler Saladino and catcher Kevan Smith;
Outrighted outfielder Jared Mitchell to Class AAA Charlotte;
Claimed left-handed pitcher Onelki Garcia off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers;
Designated right-handed pitcher Ronald Belisario for assignment.

Montas, 21, went a combined 5-0 with a 1.44 ERA (13 ER/81.0 IP), 80 strikeouts and a .182 opponents average (52-286) over 15 starts between the Arizona League White Sox, Class A Winston-Salem and Class AA Birmingham. He began 2014 with Winston-Salem, going 4-0 with a 1.60 ERA (11 ER/62.0 IP), 56 strikeouts and one complete game over 10 starts. Montas also appeared in six games with the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League.

Montas, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, finished the season as the fifth-best prospect in the organization and possessing the Best Fastball in the Carolina League according to Baseball America. He was acquired by the White Sox from Boston on July 30, 2013 in a three-team trade with Detroit that also involved outfielder Avisail Garcia and right-hander Jake Peavy. Montas originally was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent on December 19, 2009.Ravelo, 22, hit .309 (147-476) with 37 doubles, 11 home runs, 66 RBI and 72 runs scored over 133 games with Birmingham. Ravelo, 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, was named a Southern League All-Star, the Barons Player of the Year and ranked among the White Sox organizational leaders in hits (1st), average (2nd), on-base percentage (2nd, .386), doubles (3rd), total bases (3rd, 225), runs scored (4th), extra-base hits (5th, 52) and RBI (7th).Ravelo finished 2014 ranked as the No. 10 Prospect in the Sox system by Baseball America. His 26-game hitting streak from June 9-July 10 was the third-longest in Birmingham history. Ravelo originally was selected by Chicago in the sixth round of the 2010 draft.

Saladino, 25, appeared in 82 games with Charlotte in 2014, batting .310 (91-294) with 16 doubles, four triples, nine homers, 43 RBI and 41 runs scored. He was placed on the disabled list on July 13 and missed the remainder of the season after undergoing ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow. Saladino, an International League midseason All-Star this season, originally was selected by the White Sox in the seventh round of the 2010 draft.

Smith, 26, spent the entire 2014 season with the Barons, hitting .290 (113-389) with 21 doubles, 10 homers and 48 RBI over 106 games and threw out 33.0 percent (35-105) of attempted basestealers. Smith ranked among the organizational leaders in on-base percentage (6th, .376) and average (7th).

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Smith was named to the Southern League midseason All-Star team and appeared in 12 games with Glendale in the AFL in 2014. Smith originally was selected by Chicago in the seventh round of the 2011 draft.

Garcia, 25, appeared in just one game with Class A Rancho Cucamonga in 2014 following his recovery from arthroscopic left elbow surgery on November 8, 2013. He entered the 2014 season rated by Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect in the Dodgers organization.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Garcia spent most of the 2013 season in the Dodgers minor-league system, going 2-4 with a 2.90 ERA (20 ER/62.0 IP), one save, 67 strikeouts and a .209 opponents average over 35 games (six starts) between Class AA Chattanooga and Class AAA Albuquerque. He appeared in three games with the Dodgers in September 2013.

Garcia, a native of Guantanamo, Cuba, made his major-league debut in 2013 after appearing in just 36 minor-league games. Garcia originally was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2012 draft.

Belisario, 31, went 4-8 with a 5.56 ERA (41 ER/66.1 IP), eight saves and 47 strikeouts over 62 relief appearances last season with the White Sox, his first with the organization after signing as a free agent on December 19, 2013.

Mitchell, 26, hit .256 (109-426) with 13 doubles, five triples, 19 home runs, 50 RBI and 73 runs scored over 120 games between Birmingham and Charlotte in 2014. He was selected by Chicago with the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Following the moves, the White Sox 40-man roster is at 40.