CHICAGO -- White Sox reliever Zach Putnam listed himself as the definition of day to day due to right elbow inflammation when talking to the media on Monday. But with the right-hander unavailable on Tuesday, the club decided to place him on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to Saturday).
Right-handed reliever Chris Beck was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
"We needed to make a determination today," manager Rick Renteria said. "[Putnam] had started on the medication and we were very hopeful he would feel enough difference when he came to the ballpark. It was just minimal. For us, we needed a guy in the 'pen so it makes more sense to put him on the DL and have Beck take over."
"Again, unfortunate news for Zach," Beck said. "It's always bittersweet when you get a moment like this, but you have to take advantage of opportunities. I'm just hoping the best case scenario for him."
Beck, 26, is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and six strikeouts over five relief appearances with Charlotte this season. Beck has pitched in 26 games (one start) with the White Sox from 2015-16, going 2-3 with a 6.32 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings.
Once he was sent to Charlotte from Spring Training, Beck worked on fastball command with pitching coach Steve McCatty. Beck also raised his leg kick a little higher to be able to deliver the ball downhill a bit.
"It's just as basic as that. Go pound strikes," Beck said. "Trust your stuff, you are good enough, you are there, you have been here. You have to believe in everything you do. Stuck with that and had a good mindset. Luckily, I got another opportunity here."
Putnam, 29, has a 1.04 ERA, two hits allowed, nine strikeouts and a 0.35 WHIP over seven appearances covering 8 2/3 innings this season. He was a valuable late-inning setup piece, a role potentially filled by Anthony Swarzak or Tommy Kahnle in the short term.
"The decision was just simply made on making sure we didn't put him in a compromising position for his health, regardless of how the other guys would have been performing," Renteria said. "It was more based on us making sure we take care of him."