Greene debuts in Toronto at second base

TORONTO -- Tyler Greene, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Charlotte by the White Sox on Sunday, made his debut with Chicago on Monday at Rogers Centre for the start of a four-game set with the Blue Jays.

Greene got the start at second base -- a position he has played more than any other but shortstop at the Major League level -- and was slotted into the No. 9 spot in the batting order. He collected singles in his first two at-bats but was picked off first by Mark Buehrle in the second inning and finished 2-for-3 in the 4-3 White Sox loss.

An opportunity was created for Greene with the big club once the White Sox placed Angel Sanchez on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Wednesday, with a lower back strain.

"With Angel going down, we needed a middle infielder," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "[Greene] can play middle infield, run a little bit. It's one of those, you just see what he has. In an emergency, he can play the outfield.

"There is no better way than to get him out there and see what he can do."

The 29-year-old Greene had spent his entire four-year career in the National League with the Cardinals and Astros before signing a Minor League deal with the White Sox at the beginning of this month.

Greene, selected in the first round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft by the Cardinals, set career highs in 2012 with 116 games played, 11 homers, 30 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .674 OPS while splitting time between St. Louis and Houston.