KANSAS CITY -- Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez soon might force the White Sox hand on a promotion to the Major League club just as second baseman Yoan Moncada did before him with Triple-A Charlotte.
Factoring in the one run allowed on two hits over six hits on Friday, Lopez has posted a 1.71 ERA with 39 strikeouts over his last 31 2/3 innings for the Knights. The 35th-ranked prospect overall by MLBPipeline.com, acquired as part of the Adam Eaton deal with the Nationals, has a 1.80 ERA with 25 strikeouts and five walks over four July starts.
"Lopey had another nice outing last night, actually threw pretty well," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "They're moving along, coming along. As an organization, from top to bottom, we are very aware of what our men are doing down there.
"From top to bottom, we're all going to try to make the best decision possible as to when any move is made with them. Right now, I'm not prepared to speak to you about where I think they're at in terms of joining us.
"As we continue to move forward, time will take care of those things," Renteria said. "I'm sure [general manager] Rick [Hahn] and everybody in the front office and player development as we come together moving forward, we'll draw a good consensus and conclusion as to when we should start making the moves, if and when we make the moves."
Lopez would be on target to start Wednesday's contest against the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field, but the White Sox might not want to put that kind of pressure upon the 23-year-old. Lopez had a 4.10 ERA in April and it jumped to 5.32 in June, but Moncada knows his former teammate can help his present team in his current state.
"He's probably one of the best starters we have in the system," Moncada said through interpreter Billy Russo. "I'm just waiting for him to come here to receive that call because I'm sure he's going to be great for us. Probably that can be in a week or in a month. He should be here with us soon."
Injury update
Eloy Jimenez, ranked as the club's No. 8 prospect by MLBPipeline.com and the centerpiece of the Jose Quintana trade, is day to day with a bruised left foot. He left Friday's game after fouling a ball off his foot, but precautionary X-rays were negative.
Jake Petricka began an injury rehab assignment for Charlotte on Saturday. He has been out since June 29 with a right elbow strain. Outfielder Leury Garcia, sidelined by a sprained finger, is still hitting in a controlled environment in Arizona, but he is not ready for a rehab assignment.