The Chicago White Sox left fielder said missing time because of his recent stint on the injured list was “terrible.”

“I was bored just watching the games and wanting to be out there,” Benintendi said Wednesday. “Excited to be back right now.”

The Sox reinstated Benintendi from the 10-day injured list, one of four roster moves announced Wednesday.

Benintendi went on the IL on June 2 with left Achilles tendinitis.  He is hitting .195 with five doubles, four home runs and 18 RBIs in 51 games. Benintendi returns after appearing in two rehab games with the Arizona Complex League White Sox.

“It just needs a lot more time to be completely gone but I feel confident being in there now,” he said of the injury.

He was not in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

“He flew today, he played last night (for the ACL White Sox),” manager Pedro Grifol said. “We’re just going to let him go about his business here, get his work done and be ready to go tomorrow.”

The Sox also reinstated reliever Steven Wilson from the 15-day injured list. The right-hander went on the IL on May 20 with a back strain. He is 1-2 with a 2.84 ERA, six holds and 19 strikeouts in 21 relief outings. Wilson made two rehab appearances for Triple-A Charlotte before returning.

“I was kind of frustrated with it because I felt I was starting to get into a rhythm and feeling good on the mound,” Wilson said. “I had a couple good outings in New York (May 17 and 19) so that was frustrating. You never want to get on the IL.

“Thinking back, it happened when I kind of slipped on the mound in New York, that second outing the right side was kind of tight and when I worked out after that, my whole right side locked up when I was lifting. Kind of a bummer, freak thing but it is what it is.”

The Sox also optioned outfielder Duke Ellis to Charlotte and designated reliever Tim Hill for assignment.

Hill is 1-0 with a 5.87 ERA, one hold and 13 strikeouts in 22 relief appearances. He signed a one-year, $1.8 million deal with the Sox in the offseason.

“It was unfortunate that we had to make a decision like that,” Grifol said. “We like what (reliever Justin) Anderson’s doing, we like what (reliever Jared) Shuster’s doing. So it’s not so much what he’s done, but it’s what he brought to us and also what these guys have been doing back there.

“We like Anderson. We like Shuster. These guys have done well up here and we can only keep eight back there (in the bullpen).”

Ellis went 0-for-4 with a run and four stolen bases in his first eight major-league games with the Sox.

“I saw a guy that can impact the game quickly with his legs,” Grifol said. “He’s going to continue to refine those skills and he’s going to be a big part of this when this is going really good.”

Getz described Thorpe as a pitcher who was “knocking on the door.”

That door opened Tuesday at T-Mobile Park. And Thorpe made quite the impression, allowing one earned run in five innings in his major-league debut against the Seattle Mariners. He left with the lead but did not factor in the decision in the 4-3 loss.

“I can’t really put it into words,” Thorpe said of the day. “Working for this my whole life and dream come true.”

Thorpe allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits. He struck out four and walked two in the 98-pitch outing.

“This is a tough team to pitch against because they don’t chase much and they did a good job controlling the strike zone,” manager Pedro Grifol said of the Mariners. “And he did a good job pounding the strike zone.

“He looked under control out there. He looked like he had done it before.”

Catcher Martín Maldonado said Thorpe’s “ability to throw his secondary pitches for strikes,” stood out.

“First start, I liked what I saw,” Maldonado said. “He worked hard to be here and he didn’t show any emotions. The only emotion was he threw the ball to the backstop (while warming up before the first).

“His bullpen coming into the game was really good and the same thing in between innings, he made good adjustments. That’s always good to see.”

Shortstop Paul DeJong called Thorpe a “Cool, calm and collected type guy.”

“I liked his composure, I liked his poise out there,” DeJong said. “I was glad to see him go out there and do his thing.”

The Sox acquired Thorpe, along with reliever Steven Wilson, minor-league pitcher Jairo Iriarte and minor-league outfielder Samuel Zavala from the San Diego Padres for Cease on March 13. It was the second major trade involving Thorpe in four months. He was dealt to the Padres from the New York Yankees as part of the Juan Soto trade in December.

The No. 3 rated prospect in the Sox organization according to MLB.com, Thorpe found out he was making the jump from Double-A Birmingham to the majors on Sunday morning.

“It was super exciting,” he said. “It was a long game day on Sunday, for sure.”

The 23-year-old was brilliant with the Barons, going 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 11 starts. And he began his major-league career with a 1-2-3 first inning, finishing it by fanning Julio Rodríguez for his first MLB strikeout.

Thorpe began the matchup against Rodríguez with a 92.5 mph fastball for a called strike. He threw another fastball, clocked again at 92.5 mph according to MLB Statcast, which was fouled off.

With the All-Star in an 0-2 hole, Thorpe went to his top pitch — a changeup. Rodríguez swung and missed the 84.5 mph pitch.

“I threw a good one and he swung over it,” Thorpe said. “It was pretty surreal. Grew up watching him over the last couple of years and a really good player. Super cool.”

Thorpe’s changeup was on display throughout the night. He threw 38 changeups (39%) in the outing and got seven swings-and-misses.

“That helps me out quite a bit,” Thorpe said. “Knowing it’s my bread and butter, it’s what I’m going to throw and throw a lot. It’s helpful that it does play up here.”

Thorpe ran into a little trouble in the second. He retired the first two hitters before surrendering a double to Luke Raley. Mitch Garver followed with another double, driving in Raley to tie the score at 1. Thorpe walked Dominic Canzone but limited the damage to just one run by striking out Ryan Bliss.

He returned to the mound in the third with a 3-1 lead thanks to back-to-back home runs by Andrew Vaughn and DeJong.

An error hurt the Sox that inning, as Nicky Lopez couldn’t cleanly field Josh Rojas’ grounder to second. Lopez immediately got another opportunity when Rodríguez bounced one his way. The Sox got the force out at second, but couldn’t complete the double play.

With two outs, Rodríguez stole second and scored on a double by Cal Raleigh, cutting the Sox lead to 3-2.

Thorpe had an important shutdown inning in the fourth, striking out two in the scoreless frame.

“Your team scores runs for you, your job is to go put a zero on the board,” Thorpe said. “That’s all I was trying to do.”

Thorpe fielded his position well in the fifth, hopping off the mound to get to a ball hit by Raleigh and making the throw to first for the final out of the inning — and his outing.

“That looked like a shortstop out there,” DeJong said of the final out.

The Sox stumbled late, as Raleigh drove in two with a two-out double against reliever John Brebbia in the seventh. But the team got a positive look at the future with Thorpe.

He was already thinking ahead.

“Good to get the first one out of the way and hopefully build on that and get better for the next one,” Thorpe said.

After Tuesday’s game, he soaked in the experience with family members who made the trip.

“Pretty close to home so it was an easy flight for them, which is nice,” said Thorpe, who was born in Utah. “They’ve been there for me my whole life. Being able to have them here supporting me, unbelievable.”

“It sucks,” the starting pitcher said Monday at T-Mobile Park. “I don’t have much more for you than that.”

The Sox saw a four-run lead slip away in the last two innings of an 8-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners, ending with a walk-off grand slam by Cal Raleigh in the ninth against reliever Jordan Leasure.

“We let that one get away,” manager Pedro Grifol said.

In the process, the Sox (17-50) became the first team in the majors to lose 50 games this season. Entering Tuesday, the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies were tied for the second-most defeats with 43.

The Sox are on pace to lose 120 games, which would tie the modern major-league record set by the expansion 1962 New York Mets.

Here’s a closer look at some of the bumps along the road to 50 losses for the Sox.

No. 10 (2-10)

When: April 10 at Progressive Field in Cleveland

Score: Guardians 7, Sox 6 (10 innings)

Oddity: Brothers Josh and Bo Naylor homered in the same inning as the Guardians rallied from a five-run deficit. Josh Naylor hit a solo home run with one out in the fourth. And with two outs, Bo Naylor hit a two-run homer, cutting the Sox lead to 5-3. Josh Naylor drove in a run with a double in the 10th to tie the score at 6 before Bo Naylor won it with a walk-off single. Gavin Sheets had five RBIs for the Sox, including a three-run homer.

It was the team’s first game after third baseman Yoán Moncada suffered a left adductor strain. Injuries have been a major factor this season for the Sox, who have spent large amounts of time without Moncada, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and designated hitter Eloy Jiménez.

Quote: “In reality, this game’s on me. When they give us a 5-0 lead, I can’t let them back in the game. Got to finish strong, that’s expected. I expect that of myself.” — Fedde

No. 20 (3-20)

When: April 23 at Target Field in Minneapolis

Score: Twins 6, Sox 5

Oddity: Jiménez is known for his power, and he hit a three-run homer in the fourth. He later stole the first base of his career, helping the Sox build a 5-2 lead. But the Twins scored twice in the eighth and two more in the ninth.

Byron Buxton tied the game with a home run leading off the ninth against Steven Wilson. Alex Kirilloff drove in the game-winner later in the inning with a two-out single to right. It was the Sox’s fifth straight defeat during a seven-game slide.

Quote: “Every game when you lose is tough. It doesn’t matter if they win by one or by 10, every loss is tough. Every guy in this clubhouse, they want to go out there and do the best that they can do on a daily basis to win games. When you have the lead like that with two big boys (relievers Michael Kopech and Wilson) coming in, it’s even tougher.” — catcher Martín Maldonado

No. 30 (12-30)

When: May 14 at Guaranteed Rate Field

Score: Nationals 6, Sox 3

Oddity: A groundout to third base played a pivotal part in the first game of a doubleheader. Pinch runner Nasim Nuñez displayed aggressiveness on the bases, going from first to third on Luis García Jr.’s grounder to third. Nuñez scored on a single by Keibert Ruiz, giving the Nationals a 4-3 lead. Washington scored two more runs in the inning.

Quote: “That play, you can arm fake and try to get the guy out at second base. But any hesitation whatsoever, he would have been safe at first. He outran the baseball. Good job of baserunning.” — Grifol

No. 40 (15-40)

When: May 27 at Guaranteed Rate Field

Score: Blue Jays 5, Sox 1

Oddity: The loss came during the first winless homestand of at least seven games (0-7) in franchise history. It was also part of a single-season franchise-record 14-game skid. The Sox went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base while falling to 2-16 in series openers. They are now 2-20 after Monday’s loss to the Mariners.

Quote: “(The) biggest thing is scoring points. That’s how you win ballgames. We didn’t cash in.” — first baseman Andrew Vaughn

No. 50 (17-50)

When: Monday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle

Score: Mariners 8, Sox 4

Oddity: Robert (two-run) and Corey Julks (solo) homered to help the Sox build a 4-0 lead. But the momentum began to shift when Dominic Canzone led off the eighth with a homer against Fedde. Raleigh ended it an inning later with his slam. It’s the 24th time the Sox have lost after leading this season.

Quote: “Disappointing, to say the least.” — Kopech after allowing three of the four runs in the game-tying eighth

Even the swim coaches have trained themselves to be on high alert at the pool deck more than 450 feet away just in case the left-handed hitting Sasaki somehow sends one that far — and they believe he will do so soon enough.

His coach is counting on it.

“He might splash a few,” Stanford coach David Esquer said. “He’s pulling toward the pool for sure.”

Sasaki, who hit 140 high school home runs and then made waves by opting out of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league draft, has been immersing himself in classes and a new culture on Stanford’s Bay Area campus for two-plus months. He’s learning English in impressively speedy fashion and getting settled in a baseball routine that has included road trips with the team before he begins his collegiate career in earnest this fall.

The 19-year-old prospect will make his U.S. debut Tuesday in the MLB Draft League, playing for the Trenton Thunder of New Jersey along with others hoping to one day develop into major leaguers.

Before leaving town, the savvy Sasaki reminded Esquer his games will be streamed so the coach can watch. He has also requested help in finding another team once the Draft League season ends.

“He’s fired up for it,” said Esquer, the seventh-year Stanford coach who previously spent 18 seasons at rival California. “He wants to play.”

And Sasaki hardly seems fazed by the expectations that come with being a trendsetter of sorts given he is taking his own unique path. He comes across mature beyond his years when discussing the importance of finding something to fall back on after his baseball career is through. Most Japanese players — including Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani — first become professionals at home often with goals of coming to the United States already having years of experience.

Sasaki is determined to build a foundation for his life well into the future, long after his baseball days are done. His dad, Hiroshi, who coached Ohtani and Toronto pitcher Yusei Kikuchi in high school, instilled in him starting at a young age the need to “make a plan.” Sasaki notes he heard it so much, there’s no way it wouldn’t become ingrained in him.

Another key message from his father: “I have to earn it. Nothing comes free,” Sasaki shared during a recent interview at Sunken Diamond, Stanford’s ballpark.

There’s no precedent for an elite Japanese prospect such as Sasaki foregoing his country’s draft system. International players with nine years of professional service time can come to Major League Baseball as free agents, while pros with fewer than nine years can ask to be posted by their Japanese club — a system in which that team receives a fee depending on the size of the player’s contract.

Yet major league teams have agreed to strict spending limits on international players under 25 years old. That’s why Ohtani, who left Japan at 23, signed with the Los Angeles Angels for just more than $2.3 million in 2017.

By attending college in the U.S., Sasaki will be eligible for the draft in three years, expediting his potential path to the big leagues. Last year’s No. 1 overall pick, pitcher Paul Skenes of Pittsburgh, received a $9.2 million signing bonus.

While Sasaki is striving to play at the highest level one day, he insists for now the focus is on taking each necessary step to get there while enjoying his college career first.

Longtime family friend Junpei Tomonaga offers assistance as an interpreter when Sasaki needs it, but he is determined to do this on his own sooner than later.

Sasaki acknowledges that Ohtani’s stardom and success here along with that of Kikuchi greatly impacted him.

“They’re the ones who influenced my decision,” he said.

Away from home for the first time, Sasaki insists he is adjusting just fine thanks to all the support surrounding him.

“I never miss Japan,” he said. “I enjoy the challenge.”

And no question Sasaki is thrilled to be somewhere like Stanford.

Esquer considers this a perfect fit. He applauds Sasaki for his courage, saying, “it’s very brave to do what he’s doing, going to another country right after high school.”

When Sasaki made his official recruiting visit, members of the Stanford Japanese department and community made a point to come see him, make him feel welcome. Not that you will hear Sasaki say anything negative about the other two schools who were at the top of his list, California and Vanderbilt.

“Stanford is a leading school in America,” he said. “I still have big respect for the other schools I visited.”

He has embraced using Uber Eats to order food, like his favorite, Chipotle. Sasaki is studying English and physics — and making sure he can speak English well is his biggest anxiety at the moment.

He recently completed his first quarter of classes.

“He’s quietly charismatic despite speaking little English, very impressive,” Esquer said. “Everybody is impressed by him, his teammates. He brought energy to the field as if he was active and ready to play — and he can play.”

Despite that unease with the language barrier, Sasaki can speak near-perfect English for much of what he needs to say. He thanks everybody who has welcomed him here and made the adjustment so smooth and comfortable as he begins his new life.

“My teammates are so good, they are so kind,” he said in English, sporting a big smile. “I appreciate the teammates, they’re just so helpful all the time, also Coach Esquer and the other baseball coaches are good (people). I love Stanford baseball.”

And they did it in grand fashion.

Cal Raleigh hit a game-ending grand slam in the ninth inning Monday against reliever Jordan Leasure as the Seattle Mariners stormed back to beat the Sox 8-4 in front of 23,027 at T-Mobile Park.

The Sox had a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, only for the Mariners to pull even — with three of the four runs allowed by Michael Kopech.

The Mariners loaded the bases with two walks and a single in the ninth, setting the stage for Raleigh’s walk-off slam.

“Those two guys (Kopech and Leasure) have battled for us all year,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “They’ve taken the ball in tough situations. Every time those guys come in, they don’t have easy innings. Those guys are always pitching leverage. It’s feast or famine for those guys. And that’s the job when you’re pitching at the back end.”

The Sox built a four-run lead on a two-run homer by Luis Robert Jr. in the sixth, an RBI single by Lenyn Sosa in the seventh and a solo homer by Corey Julks in the eighth.

Starter Erick Fedde was phenomenal, allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in seven-plus innings. He got out of a two-on, one-out jam without allowing a run in the seventh, inducing an inning-ending double play.

He returned for the eighth and allowed a home run to Dominic Canzone.

“He asked me how I was feeling. I said, ‘I feel good,’” Fedde said of his conversation with Grifol before the eighth. “At that point — for sure — strong.

“Trying to throw that cutter up in the zone and I yanked it down and in. Most lefties hit that pretty far. That was a bummer.”

Grifol said the plan was to maybe go “hitter to hitter” or “a couple of guys” with Fedde.

“Once he gave up that home run, I wanted to give Kopech basically a clean inning,” Grifol said.

Kopech surrendered a single, a walk and another single to load the bases. He struck out the next two hitters and had Mitch Haniger in an 0-2 hole before giving up a two-run single to right as the Mariners sliced the Sox lead to 4-3.

“The results of me overthrowing instead of pitching kind of gave them an opportunity to put some runs on the board,” Kopech said. “I could have thought more about execution to Haniger there on that bloop single instead of just trying to outpower him. He put the right swing on a pitch that was not well-executed.”

Luke Raley followed with a bunt single, bringing home Josh Rojas to tie the score.

“That’s probably the last guy in baseball I expected to bunt in that situation,” Kopech said. “For that, I guess I can tip my hat.”

Leasure entered with the bases loaded and got Canzone to ground out to end the eighth and keep the score tied.

“I could have handled that inning better and then given Leasure an opportunity to handle the ninth, but instead he had to come into a really difficult situation, did a great job of getting out of it,” Kopech said. “But one of the hardest things to do as a reliever is to have that high of a moment, sit down and come out and do it again the next inning.”

The Mariners got to Leasure in the ninth as the Sox began a seven-game trip with a heartbreaker. The Sox (17-50) have the worst record after 67 games in franchise history — the previous low was 21-46 in 1934. The Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies were tied for the second-most losses this season through Monday, each with 43.

“That one hurts, for multiple reasons,” Kopech said. “To be blunt, Fedde pitched his ass off and I kind of gave away a really well-played game by us.”

Tuesday will be Drew Thorpe’s turn. The Sox are expected to call up the right-hander, a key part of the March 13 trade that sent Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres, to make his major-league debut in the second game of a series against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

Thorpe, 23, is the third-ranked prospect in the Sox organization, according to MLB.com.

In the case of Thorpe, like Nastrini and Cannon before him, manager Pedro Grifol sees calling up the prospects as opportunities for them “to feel this, to compete.”

“It gives them an opportunity to experience this,” Grifol said Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field. “These guys that we brought up, they are really smart guys. Once they are up here for a little bit of time, they understand the difference between the major leagues and minor leagues. If they don’t quite understand it, that’s what you have coaches for, to make sure they understand it.

“There are things that all of them will have to do to be able to become legitimate major-leaguers. For them personally it’s a great opportunity. For us as an organization, it’s paramount for us to know exactly where these guys are.”

Grifol said that look doesn’t always reveal itself in true form during the traditional September call-up period.

“It’s really tough to evaluate an organization in the middle of September — because you are only allowed a limited amount of players to come up,” Grifol said. “It’s not like before where, if you weren’t contending, you could bring in 10 guys to get a chance.

“Even then, that was dangerous. Guys could have a great September and not be exactly who they are or what they would do on a consistent basis in the major leagues. For us it’s an opportunity to evaluate and see where these guys are, and it gives our front office a real clear view and understanding of how to approach an offseason and where we are as a team for 2025 and beyond.”

The 24-year-old Nastrini, the No. 9 prospect in the organization, is 0-5 with a 8.39 ERA in six starts during two stints with the Sox this season. He was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday.

“I was able to really take what I learned here initially and put into practice there,” Nastrini told reporters Saturday of the benefits of his first MLB experience. “I feel like there’s so much more I need to learn here, and I’m continuously doing that, talking to (pitchers) Garrett (Crochet), (Mike Clevinger), (Erick) Fedde, just trying to pick their brains. Be as present as I can and ask questions and talk to (pitching coach) Ethan (Katz). He’s been a great help for me. Just keep chipping away.”

The 23-year-old Cannon, the No. 11 prospect in the organization, is 0-1 with a 5.94 ERA and one save in four major-league outings (three starts). He’s scheduled to start Wednesday against the Mariners.

“The biggest thing for me to work on was really attacking lefties,” Cannon said Friday of his previous time in the majors. “Coming up with a better game plan and executing that game plan. That was sort of my biggest struggle up here was getting those lefties out. I was able to work on some pitch design stuff, iron some things out. I feel good where I’m at right now.”

Thorpe will join the Sox from Double-A Birmingham, where he was 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 11 starts.

One of his strengths is his changeup.

“I’ve seen a lot of pitchers without a Crochet fastball that have had Hall of Fame careers and big-time careers in the major leagues,” Grifol said. “Let’s not forget about the art of pitching and mixing pitches and understanding the game and game management.”

Grifol doesn’t have any reservations about calling up a player from Double A.

“Calling guys up from Double A, as opposed to Triple A, is not that big a deal,” he said. “We have a clear understanding and knowledge of the major leagues. There’s boxes you have to be able to check to get called up here, and he checks those boxes.

“He’s got good command, a plus-plus-plus pitch (in the changeup). He’s a calm personality, got good presence and is mature, so he checks some boxes. What is going to do when he gets here? Nobody knows, but that’s where I think this move is a really good move.”

Injury updates

The Sox sent outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Tommy Pham to the Arizona Complex League White Sox on injury rehab assignments. Benintendi went on the injured list on June 2 with left Achilles tendinitis. Pham went on the IL retroactive to June 3 with a left ankle sprain.

Catcher Max Stassi underwent a season-ending surfacing procedure on his left hip Friday in New York. Stassi, acquired in an offseason trade with the Atlanta Braves, initially went on the IL on March 25 with left hip inflammation.

The Cubs are in another swoon, with most of the same cast from 2023 and a new manager in Craig Counsell. A two-game mini-sweep of the White Sox did not provide the balm the Cubs hoped for, despite the entertainment value of the City Series.

The Sox, meanwhile, are in another free fall, with fans eagerly lampooning the team, the owner, the manager and the new announcer who dons blinders daily and pretends all is well. Even partner Steve Stone has often been rendered speechless.

As we head into the sweet spot of June, here’s what we know so far:

Wake-up call

The Cubs woke up Sunday in Cincinnati three games under .500 and tied for last place in the National League Central, 7½ games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. One year earlier, on June 9, 2023, they entered the day 10 games under .500 at 26-36 and 7½ games out of first.

Deja vu all over again?

Maybe. The 2023 Cubs went 50-28 over their next 78 games, aided by Cody Bellinger’s bat, moving into wild-card position before faltering down the stretch. Can another 2½-month summer run help the Cubs — who salvaged the finale of their four-game series in Cincinnati on Sunday — escape their blues?

“Definitely, I think so,” Bellinger recently told me. “A lot of the same guys and a few improvements on top of it. It’s been a little harder than we want it to be, but at the end of the day, there is so much baseball left. We’ve got to wake up, keep fighting and try to be the best version of ourselves every day.”

The operative words are “wake up.”

Channeling his inner Hawk

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Sox broadcaster John Schriffen did a solid for former Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson. Schriffen did his best Hawk impersonation Saturday on his call of Paul DeJong’s solo home run, bellowing: “Put it on the board, yeeeee-ess!”

Social media went wild, as it often does when Schriffen goes “Full Metal Schriff,” exaggerating a moment to compensate for the Sox remaining the worst team in baseball and the worst in franchise history. He has become a regular feature on the “Awful Announcing” blog and seems to enjoy his newfound notoriety.

Schriffen’s faux pas have been chronicled ad nauseam. During the Cubs-Sox game Tuesday he said: “And the Cubs retake the lead, their first lead of the game.”

Some Sox fans were upset Schriffen used Harrelson’s patented call. But Schriffen has Hawk’s stamp of approval, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, so repeating “Hawkisms” is probably kosher. Like Harrelson, calling attention to himself is part of Schriffen’s shtick.

Mercy.

Welcome to Wrigley

NBC Sports Chicago analyst Ozzie Guillén was charged $60 to park in the Wrigley Field lot Wednesday, even though he is a full-fledged member of the media. Someone from the station neglected to put him on the media pass list.

Guillén was happy to pay the fee out of his pocket but later said: “For that kind of money I should be parking in the bullpen.”

As Sox manager, Guillén famously complained there were “20,000 rats” running around under the Wrigley bleachers. Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney, then the team chairman, politely listened to Guillén’s rant before a game in 2008 and replied: “But Ozzie, the rats are part of the Wrigley Field ambience.”

Kenney insists every revenue stream goes right back into the ballclub, so the Cubs can thank Guillén for helping to pay the players’ salaries.

MLB partners with White House

MLB is stepping up as part of the White House’s “Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose,” an initiative to increase access to overdose reversal medications.

MLB announced that naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication, will now be stored in multiple locations such as clubhouses, weight rooms, dugouts and umpires dressing rooms. All certified athletic trainers also will travel with naloxone on the road.

Players have been subject to testing for pain pills and other drugs of abuse since 2020 after the 2019 death of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died after ingesting fentanyl.

Wham! Pham! Thank you, ma’am!

Before Saturday’s Boston Red Sox-White Sox game, MLB Network was on in the visitors clubhouse with a segment listing five players you wouldn’t want to get into a fight with. One was White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham, who was shown shadow boxing after his incident last week with Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras. (Another classic Schriffren call, by the way).

Pham said afterward he works on his fighting in the offseason because “I’m prepared to f— somebody up.” Pham injured himself on the slide into Contreras and went on the IL two days later. The MLB Network list also included former Cubs pitcher Kyle Farnsworth, who slammed the Reds’ Paul Wilson to the field in an epic fight in 2003.

But the list somehow left off the late White Sox infielder Tony Phillips, who didn’t just talk tough. Phillips actually took himself out of a game in 1996 at County Stadium to confront a heckling Brewers fan in the bleachers and then knocked him out. Phillips was arrested, but charges were dropped and he received only a $5,000 fine from MLB and no suspension.

In a fight between Pham and Phillips, I’d bet on Phillips.

Epic fail

Kudos to former White Sox closer Liam Hendriks for pointing out the obvious in the downfall of the team in 2022 and ’23. Hendriks, currently with the Red Sox and rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, said the players “failed the city. We failed the front office. We failed everyone around that fan base. And it’s a tough pill to swallow.”

That’s true, of course, but it should be added that the owner and front office failed the team, the city and the fan base with decisions that greased the skids for the downfall. Yet we’re still waiting for an admission of guilt from Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, former executives Ken Willams and Rick Hahn or former manager-turned-adviser Tony La Russa.

Don’t hold your breath, Sox fans.

They had to settle for a series split.

The Red Sox pushed across a run in the ninth to force extra innings, then scored twice in the 10th and held on to beat the White Sox 6-4 on Sunday in front of 21,055 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“It’s definitely a bummer,” White Sox starter Chris Flexen said. “We split and we had a good chance to take one there. We continue to fight. Guys are still swinging the bat very well here, putting up runs. I thought we still threw the ball well, just had a couple of them get away and that’s the game.”

Paul DeJong hit a three-run homer in the fourth to give the White Sox a 3-1 lead. But Boston scored once in the fifth and sixth to tie the score.

Gavin Sheets put the White Sox ahead again with an RBI single in the seventh.

David Hamilton began the ninth with a double against reliever Tanner Banks. With one out, he stole third. Former White Sox catcher Reese McGuire followed with a sacrifice fly to left to make it 4-4.

Manager Pedro Grifol said closer Michael Kopech was “under the weather.”

“He grinded through that outing yesterday,” Grifol said. “He was not at all available today and neither was (Jordan) Leasure.”

Jamie Westbrook gave the Red Sox the lead with a sacrifice fly to right in the 10th. Jarren Duran, who reached when reliever Michael Soroka couldn’t secure Andrew Vaughn’s throw to first earlier in the inning, scored on a single by Rob Refsnyder to make it 6-4.

The White Sox had opportunities earlier, loading the bases with two outs in the sixth. They elected to stay with catcher Martín Maldonado, who hit a fly ball to center that Ceddanne Rafaela tracked down.

“The Maldonado (conversation), it comes up every single day (with reporters) and I like what he does behind the plate and I value that tremendously,” Grifol said when asked about possibly pinch-hitting for him. “Some people don’t. I do.”

Maldonado, who went 0-for-4, is hitting .071.

“I’ve been in this game long enough to understand that’s the nature of the game,” Maldonado said. “The only thing you can control is keep working, put in my work on a daily basis. I’m doing that. The outcome at the end of the year is going to show up. I couldn’t be this bad for the whole season.

“Every player they want to put up some numbers. They want to go out there and perform from both sides of the game. Nobody wants to strike out with the bases loaded. Nobody wants to give up a double with the bases loaded.

“Only thing I can do is control what I can control, keep working. I feel like my at-bats have been better lately than at the beginning of the year. This is the way the game goes every once in a while.”

The White Sox went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Grifol said he was kicking himself about an at-bat earlier in the inning, a lefty-lefty situation when Oscar Colás struck out against Brennan Bernardino with one out and runners on second and third.

“I’m going to go back and forth on that one 150 times,” Grifol said of deciding between Colás or using Danny Mendick as a pinch hitter. “I thought giving Colás the at-bat right there, he was going to make hard contact somewhere with the infield in.”

The White Sox did get the RBI hit from Sheets an inning later but saw the Red Sox rally late. It was their 23rd loss after leading this season.

“We took advantage of some of their mistakes there and we couldn’t quite put those finishing touches on them,” DeJong said. “Tough way to lose, but I liked the ways we played the last three days (winning Friday and Saturday). We gave ourselves a chance to win and that’s all you can ask for.”

The right-hander has been phenomenal with Double-A Birmingham, going 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 11 starts.

“He’s a strike-thrower, he’s a competitor, he’s got a plus-plus-plus changeup,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Sunday morning. “He knows how to pitch, he’s calm and got a really good demeanor. Looking forward to seeing him pitch at this level because he looks like a big-leaguer.”

The Sox acquired Thorpe with reliever Steven Wilson, minor-league pitcher Jairo Iriarte and minor-league outfielder Samuel Zavala from the San Diego Padres for Cease on March 13.

Iriarte has been impressive with the Barons as well, with a 3.97 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 11 outings (10 starts).

The Sox did some shuffling for the upcoming series against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Erick Fedde will start Monday as planned, followed by Thorpe on Tuesday, Jonathan Cannon on Wednesday and Garrett Crochet on Thursday.

Crochet, in his first season as a starter after three seasons as a reliever, was originally scheduled to pitch Wednesday.

“I told Crochet that we are shopping for innings, pitches, days, starts, you name it,” Grifol said. “So anything we can buy (for time off), we are buying just because we don’t have a blueprint for this. All we go on are his strength, our people, communication, what he does with his testing. Right now, he’s feeling pretty good.”

Thorpe is the No. 3 prospect in the Sox organization, according to MLB.com.

The spot in the rotation came open Sunday after the Sox optioned Nick Nastrini to Triple-A Charlotte. Nastrini is 0-5 with a 8.39 ERA in six starts during two stints with the Sox this season.

“He’s got some things he has to work on,” Grifol said. “I thought he did well competing. There’s some things we talked about (Saturday) with him that we feel are going to take his game to another level.

“He’s a big part of the future here, a huge part of the future, but there’s some things here and there we have to iron out. We talked to him about it — controlling the running game, economizing pitches — and he did great.”

Thorpe has not been officially called up. The Sox recalled left-hander Sammy Peralta from Charlotte on Sunday for immediate bullpen help.

Peralta has thrown 3 2/3 scoreless innings over three relief appearances with Charlotte since being reacquired off waivers from the Mariners on May 26. He appeared in 16 games with the Sox in 2023, going 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA.

“We’ve pitched our (bullpen) guys quite a bit,” Grifol said. “I’m happy to see Sammy here. Sammy gives us some versatility, he helps us against lefties, he gives us some length. He can pitch in a little bit of leverage.”

The Sox also designated pitcher Shane Drohan for assignment. They claimed the left-hander in the Rule 5 draft in December, and he began the season on the injured list after nerve decompression surgery on his left shoulder. Drohan has appeared in 10 rehabilitation games with the Arizona Complex League White Sox, Class A Winston-Salem and Charlotte.

He leads the majors with 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings and has been one of the few bright spots for a team that looks destined to be in automatic rebuild mode for years.

So it only makes perfect sense in Sox World that by Saturday morning the big question was where Crochet would be dealt at the trade deadline.

San Diego? Milwaukee? The New York Yankees?

Is there any contender who wouldn’t be interested in the left-hander who makes $800,000 and has 2½ more years of team control?

Crochet doesn’t think too much about the possibility of leaving or about being mentioned in trade rumors.

“It’s kind of a testament that I’ve been throwing the ball well,” Crochet told me Saturday before the White Sox won their second straight, beating the Red Sox 6-1 behind Gavin Sheets’ fifth-inning grand slam. “That’s all I think (about it). Winning games here for the White Sox is my only focus.”

The White Sox should have no urgency to trade Crochet, who is both inexpensive and under team control through 2026. But there’s always the risk for general manager Chris Getz of waiting too long and watching Crochet suffer another arm injury, which obviously would affect his value.

Manager Pedro Grifol had little time to celebrate the end of the losing streak before the subject changed to trade rumors.

“It comes across the desk every once in a while, but we’re not focused on that,” Grifol said Saturday morning, adding trade rumors to his job status on the growing list of topics he says he’s not focused on. “To execute a trade in the big leagues, it takes a little bit of time on both sides, especially when there’s really good players involved. So I’m not focused on that.”

Grifol later added: “We are going to be facing these trade talks questions (or) I’m going to be facing them until July 31st.”

That’s assuming he’s still the manager on July 31. But that’s not the focus here, so let’s stay focused.

Grifol’s statement about the time it takes to trade the “really good players” narrows down the field quite a bit. The Sox have only two players with an fWAR above 1.0 — Crochet (2.3) and Erick Fedde (1.6). Luis Robert Jr. would be there if he hadn’t been injured most of the season, so we can add him to the list of “really good players.”

Crochet has the higher trade value because he’s dominating in his first season as a starter, has a 97-mph four-seam fastball and an excellent slider and cutter. And because he’s also a pitcher employed by the Chicago White Sox, he’s likely to be dealt before he asks for a long-term deal.

Robert said last week he would like to stay but is OK either way. Crochet said Saturday that he’d like to stick around as well.

“Everybody’s dream and goal is to play your whole career with one team,” he said. “It’s a very select group of a few guys that get to do that. Like Ryan Zimmerman being Mr. National. That’s just a cool thing.”

Cool, true. But is it a realistic dream?

“A lot of things are out of my control,” Crochet replied. “I just throw the ball as best as I can and hope for the best. I haven’t had any conversation (with the Sox) or anything like that.”

I asked Crochet if he had spoken with former teammates Lucas Giolito, Carlos Rodon or anyone else who went through the same thing he will be going through if he stays. Pitchers hoping for long-term deals with the Sox are a dime a dozen. Pitchers actually getting long-term deals with the Sox are a rarity.

“I feel like I remember (Dylan) Cease saying something along those lines, that he wanted to stay here,” Crochet said. “Gio might have said the same. I never talked to him specifically, though.”

The number of Sox pitchers who either have been dealt or left as free agents because Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf refused to offer them market value is long and storied. Mark Buehrle talked about it on the Sox telecast Friday night. The Sox were happy to retire his number, but they wouldn’t pay him when they had the opportunity in 2012, so he left for the Miami Marlins.

It’s a recurring theme on the South Side. In my first season as a Sox beat writer at the Tribune 30 years ago, GM Ron Schueler traded Jack McDowell to the New York Yankees for Lyle Mouton and Keith Herberling. Alex Fernandez, another first-round pick, had taken over as the ace in 1995 and repeatedly said the same things as Crochet.

“I’d hate to lose Alex,” Schueler said in summer 1996. “And I think Alex would like to stay here. But I think Alex is probably going to explore the free-agent market if he has a chance to.”

When I asked Fernandez at the end of the 1996 season, he said: “I’d love to end my career (with the Sox). I just hope I can stay and get what I deserve. I respect people’s policy (on long-term deals for starters) and I respect Jerry’s opinion. But why should I give up $6 (million) or $7 million because they don’t want to give a fifth year?”

Fernandez got that five-year deal with the Marlins after the season and won a ring in 1997. The next to go was Wilson Alvarez, who was dealt to the San Francisco Giants in the White Flag trade in 1997. On and on it went.

Former Sox pitchers Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Cease all could make the National League All-Star team next month. Rodon could be on the AL squad. I recall Sale and Cease also saying they wanted to stay with the Sox.

Crochet can’t be blamed for not knowing the history of Sox pitchers asking for long-term deals and then departing when they were denied.

“No,” he said. “Pitching tends to be more expensive, or more volatile. I don’t know. I don’t really look into it like that.”

Maybe the Sox will solve that problem by trading Crochet before he even gets a chance to ask.

And then we can all focus on something else.