Antonacci went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Wednesday against the Rays.
Antonacci had his contract selected Wednesday and hit fifth in the White Sox's order while playing second base. He led off the second inning with a single to record his first big-league hit, and he similarly began the ninth inning with a walk to begin a rally. Antonacci should remain a consistent presence in lineup, though he'll primarily play in left field.
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White Sox's Sam Antonacci: Starting at second base in debut
Rotowire
Antonacci will start at second base and bat fifth Wednesday versus the Rays in his major-league debut.
After Antonacci received the call to the big leagues earlier Wednesday, manager Will Venable said that the 23-year-old will mostly play left field for the White Sox, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports. However, Antonacci will be making his debut at second base Wednesday while Chase Meidroth gets a day off. Antonacci slashed .313/.500/.479 at Charlotte to earn the promotion.
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White Sox's Sam Antonacci: Reaches 45 steals
Rotowire
Antonacci is slashing .294/.442/.366 with zero home runs, 18 steals, a 13.5 percent walk rate and a 14.5 percent strikeout rate in 45 games for Double-A Birmingham.
Antonacci, who will play in the Arizona Fall League this year, was selected by the White Sox in the fifth round last year and received a $572,500 bonus out of Coastal Carolina. Despite the fact Antonacci has hit four home runs in 135 career games, he has been at least 50 percent better than the average hitter in every league he has played in, thanks to superb swing decisions and bat-to-ball ability. He has a 5.9 percent swinging-strike rate this year as an age-appropriate hitter at Double-A and his contact rates have always been elite. Antonacci has 45 steals in 112 games this year and figures to get a good amount of work at Triple-A next year, with a big-league debut not out of the question. Similar production to Nico Hoerner would be a best-case scenario for Antonacci in fantasy, although the latter's defense at the keystone is merely average while Hoerner's is double-plus, and the White Sox have a handful of infielders set to compete for playing time in the coming years.
