White Sox acquire INF Gage Workman in a trade with the Cubs

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Chicago White Sox acquired infielder Gage Workman in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

The White Sox sent cash to the Cubs for Workman, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday. Infielder Nick Maton was designated for assignment by the South Siders to make room on their roster.

“Really excited about the athlete,” White Sox manager Will Venable said of Workman. “Some pop on the left side of the plate, and excited to see what he can do. Some defensive versatility. So you can see him against some right hand pitching. You can see him come off the bench and run, come off the bench and play defense. So, yeah, excited to see what he can do.”

The White Sox also traded outfielder Travis Jankowski to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash. The 33-year-old Jankowski hit .214 (3 for 14) in seven games with the White Sox.

Workman, 25, was a Rule 5 draft pick from Detroit in December. Under the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft, the players must stay on the big league roster all of next season or clear waivers and be offered back to their original organization for $50,000.

Workman appeared in nine games with the NL Central-leading Cubs, going 3 for 14 with two RBIs.

“He was in a tough spot,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I think Rule 5 picks are always in a tough spot, especially on this team, on kind of the expectations of this team. In a lot of ways you could say he did not get the appropriate opportunity. We couldn’t give him that opportunity.”

The White Sox were last in the AL Central with a 6-20 record heading into their game at the Athletics.

Workman was selected by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2020 amateur draft out of Arizona State. He hit .248 with 57 homers and 263 RBIs in the minor leagues.

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