It's been really cool to be able to live my dream here every day.
I enjoy coming in and hanging out with my teammates. It's fun to be around this group of guys. To be able to go out and play a game with them, that's the most enjoyable part for me.
:: Chicago White Sox: In My Words ::
I'm getting a lot of questions about my good start in the big leagues. I'm just trying to keep things simple at the plate. I try to get a good pitch, and not do too much with it. As a hitter, that's how I've had success. I'm a gap-to-gap-type hitter. If I stay that way, I'll run into some balls that eventually will go out.
I'm trying to learn something new each day about baseball. Even when I'm done playing, I still feel like I'm going to learn something about the game. Up here, I'm learning how to flush away a game and come back the next day. I'm getting the mindset of no matter what happened yesterday, it's gone. You need to move on to the next game.
I'm just trying to enjoy the moment. I'm not worrying about things too much. I'm not worrying about the things I can't control.
That's the way I tried to play this year in Charlotte. When you're in Triple A, you know you're one phone call away from the next level. I can't control when that phone call comes. The only thing I can control is coming to the field every day with a great mindset.
I'll never forget when I got "the call" from my manager Mark Grudzielanek. It was around midnight, and I was watching a TV show with my roommate, Jake Peter. Normally, you don't get a late-night call like that unless you're getting called up. When he said it, I felt like I was dreaming. I got chills. The first thing that went through my mind is that I can't wait to call my family.
I called my mom. At first, she was worried that I was calling so late. When I told her, that was one of the special moments for me.
I'm doing a group message with my family. After every game, I usually have about 60 text messages. They're all excited for what I'm doing.
I've had some good things happen to me with the White Sox, but hitting that homer in Fenway Park with my brother Joey in the stands, that was the best. The last time I was there, in 2003, I was a little kid with Joey. To hit a homer in my first game there as a big leaguer, that was pretty cool. It was great to be able to share it with him.

A lot has been written about my story, and how I was ready to give up baseball in 2014 (after a 50-game suspension after testing positive for Adderall). After all that I've gone through, I definitely have more of an appreciation for the game. Simply coming to the field and being able to play, that puts a smile on my face every day.
There have been a few people who reached out to me and said I've helped them. If I can just help one person, that's good enough. I feel like everything happens for a reason. I went through what I went through for a reason. If I can touch a kid, or anybody my age, I feel like I would be doing a great service. If you're having problems, it's important to know as long as you change the mindset, work hard, you can achieve your goal.
I hope I have opened some eyes with the White Sox going into next year. But again, I can't control any of that stuff. The only thing I can control is playing hard each and every day. That's what I intend to do.
As told to Ed Sherman.