DETROIT -- Alec Hansen topped the Minor Leagues with 191 strikeouts in 2017 during stops at Class A Kannapolis, Class A Advanced Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. There's no doubt the talent is there for the team's second-round selection in the 2016 MLB Draft.
The 23-year-old right-hander has hit a developmental blip in 2018, starting with a right forearm injury he sustained during Spring Training that kept him out of action until June 16. Hansen walked 42 over 35 2/3 innings with Birmingham before being sent to Winston-Salem to get back on track.
"No one is viewing this as a demotion. He wasn't viewing it as a demotion," said White Sox director of player development Chris Getz. "He just really hasn't been able to get his rhythm. He didn't get a normal Spring Training, and then we went into [extended spring training] and finally built him back up.
"By the time he was good to go, by the time we got him to Birmingham, he just hasn't been able to be the Alec Hansen we've seen in the past. We put him back in Winston-Salem.
"He has a great relationship with [Winston-Salem pitching coach] Matt Zaleski," Getz said. "He's one of the first coaches Alec had when he came with the White Sox and so we just kind of tried to simplify some things, get him back there and get him back into the best environment for Alec."

Hansen, the No. 10 White Sox prospect per MLB Pipeline, threw two scoreless innings during his first start in his return with the Dash on Saturday.
"We've seen good signs," Getz said. "He had good side sessions, positive things happening in game and now we are just going to build off of it. He was actually excited to get back there and meet with Matt and see if we can finish the season with some positives.
"Obviously things have been fairly smooth since he's been with the White Sox. Certainly this is a small setback. We've seen what he's capable of doing and trying to get him back on track, and I think we've taken the right steps in doing that."
Leury getting close
Leury Garcia, who was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 6 with a left hamstring strain, will be activated when the White Sox return home Friday to face Kansas City.
Outfielder Ryan LaMarre, who played three years for the University of Michigan and hit his first career home run Tuesday, was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte following Wednesday's 6-5 victory. A corresponding move will come Friday with Garcia's activation not yet official.
"It's feeling good," Garcia said. "I've been working. In the last three days, I've been running, shagging, taking ground balls and everything is good.
"I'm pretty close. I don't think that I need to go down and take at-bats. I think I'll be OK."

White Sox manager Rick Renteria seemed to support Garcia's desire to avoid a Minor League rehab assignment.
"He has gone through everything we needed him to go through," Renteria said. "He's been really pushing himself and his BPs look normal."
Third to first
• Shortstop Tim Anderson had a regularly scheduled day off on Wednesday. With the team off Thursday, Renteria had the chance to rest Anderson for back-to-back days.
• Left-hander Bernardo Flores, the No. 25 prospect per MLB Pipeline, left Sunday's start for Birmingham with what was described as a cramp by Getz.
"It's very, very hot down in Birmingham," Getz said. "It was just a cramp, tightened up in his biceps. They had the day off Monday, showed up good [Tuesday]. He played catch. No signs we need to make any adjustments for Bernardo."
Flores, 22, has a 2.72 ERA over 22 starts and 139 innings pitched between Birmingham and Winston-Salem this season.
• Yoan Moncada, who returned to the lineup Wednesday, has the most called strikeouts taken in 2018 at 62. He's followed by Chris Taylor at 44 and Aaron Judge at 43, per Statcast™. Moncada also has the highest called-strike rate in two-strike counts, with a minimum of 300 total two-strike pitches seen (239 batters), at 10 percent. Ronald Acuna (9 percent) and Judge (8.2 percent) are next on the list.