CHICAGO -- The White Sox are going with eight relievers for the time being, after adding right-hander Tommy Kahnle as the 26th man for Monday's doubleheader against Cleveland.
Infielder Carlos Sanchez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte in between games to make room for second-game starter Erik Johnson, and Johnson was sent back to Charlotte after the loss. The team had Dioner Navarro, Jerry Sands and Jimmy Rollins on the bench Tuesday night.
"Going into the doubleheader, we wanted to make sure we were covered down there," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said before Tuesday's 6-2 loss. "You never know how that's going to go. It just seemed going into the second game we would do that."
Ventura seemed to indicate that the White Sox could go back to an extra position player for an Interleague series against the Mets beginning Monday. But they will have Avisail Garcia as the fourth man on the bench with no designated hitter in use.
"I don't know if we'll end up with five at that point being on the bench," Ventura said.
Kahnle and Matt Purke are the newest additions to the bullpen, which ranked fourth in the Majors with an opponents' average of .214 and fifth with a 2.65 ERA entering Tuesday. Purke could be a long-relief option, as could Kahnle, but Kahnle also gives the White Sox a high octane option if they need a strikeout or two.
"Whatever they need, I'll give them," Kahnle said. "It's a pleasure to be back. It's nice, especially to be on a winning team. It's fun."
"They start moving around now that we have three lefties down there," said Ventura, referring to Purke, Zach Duke and Dan Jennings. "Matty can be somewhat of a long guy. I'm not going to label anybody as that's the guy you're definitely going to use, but he has been a starter in the Minor Leagues. We're a little different now. With Tommy down there he has a little bigger arm than [Scott] Carroll. It mixes around a little."
Duke, Matt Albers and Nate Jones all have made at least 20 appearances, with Duke leading the Majors at 25.