The injury bug continues to plague the White Sox this season. Just as veteran right-hander James Shields came off the 10-day disabled list to make his first start since April 16 on Sunday, the team was forced to shelve starter Miguel Gonzalez due to A/C joint inflammation to his right shoulder.
To compound the issue, the club placed Leury Garcia on the 10-day DL with a sprained finger on his left hand Monday morning. With the injuries adding up and a fluid roster in the next month or so, it's likely that the organization will look to dig into its elite farm system and bring more talent to the big league level.
So who has stood out in the Minors?
Dane Dunning, RHP, Class A Advanced Winston-Salem
Dunning threw his first pro shutout in his last outing Saturday, going seven innings in the first game of a doubleheader (twin bills go seven innings in Minor League games) while striking out seven and walking one. Dunning, the club's No. 11 prospect, has a 2.10 ERA across two levels of Minor League ball this season, and he moved to 3-2 with a 3.29 ERA since getting called up to Winston-Salem.
Aaron Bummer, LHP, Double-A Birmingham
Bummer was lights-out from the bullpen in a pair of appearances this week for the Barons, and he was included on Mike Rosenbaum's MLB Pipeline Team of the Week for his success. The White Sox No. 26 prospect struck out 10 of the 17 batters he faced in 5 2/3 innings, recording a save and walking none while allowing just one hit. Bummer has posted a 2.38 ERA in 11 appearances (one start) since being called up from Winston-Salem earlier this year.
Jordan Stephens, RHP, Double-A Birmingham
Stephens, the club's No. 14 prospect, has been dominant since making his season debut on June 3, going at least six innings and allowing two or fewer runs in each of his three outings. His season ERA sits at 0.98 after allowing a pair of runs in 6 1/3 innings on Thursday. Stephens, who started the season on the DL with tendinitis in his right forearm, led all White Sox Minor Leaguers last season with 155 strikeouts in 141 innings.
Worth noting
• Class A Kannapolis has been loaded with talent this season, and it's showing in its production. Kannapolis clinched a first-half title in the South Atlantic League Northern division with a win on Sunday, and it had won eight of its past 10 games entering Monday.
• White Sox No. 5 prospect and Triple-A Charlotte right-hander Reynaldo Lopez returned to the mound after being scratched from his last start due to personal reasons, tossing 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs in a no-decision.
• Yoan Moncada, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, is starting to come out of his slump. He went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and a homer on Friday, and he has three multihit games over his past 10 appearances. He's hitting .287/.386/.444 with eight homers and 24 RBIs for Charlotte this season.