“In spring training he was taking a lot of pitches and at the big-league level, you can’t get behind a lot,” Sox hitting coach Marcus Thames said on Sunday at Rate Field. “But he took that down to Charlotte and applied it in his game and his approach has been solid since he’s been here. He knows what he’s doing, knows what he’s trying to do.”

Meidroth led off Friday’s game against the Houston Astros with a single. He later scored on a double by Edgar Quero.

Meidroth had another single and scored again in the first inning of Saturday’s contest.

“He does well with his scouting reports and stuff like that, and he’ll come back to the dugout and say, ‘the ball isn’t doing this or doing that,’” Thames said. “Wise (beyond) his years. He’s doing a great job.”

Meidroth had a .275 average and a .408 on-base percentage entering Monday’s opener of the road series against the Kansas City Royals. He had reached base safely in 11 of his first 12 games with a plate appearance, including reaching twice in all four games since being reinstated from the injured list on Thursday. He began Monday’s game with a single to center.

Meidroth, who was called up on April 11, said the words from the coaches have resonated.

“They’ve got all the confidence in the world in me and that makes life a lot easier,” Meidroth told the Tribune before Monday’s game at Kauffman Stadium. “A big part of hitting is confidence. Just getting in there and talking, what’s the plan today and go out there and trust myself to get stuff done.”

Meidroth is one of the recently called-up players who is making an impact. Quero is another.

The catcher, who had the go-ahead hit in the sixth inning of Sunday’s rain-shortened 5-4 win against the Astros, entered Monday with a .340 batting average and .446 on-base percentage.

“It’s good when you have guys who are going to put the ball in play,” Thames said. “Nothing can happen if the ball doesn’t go forward, so it’s good for these guys to come up and inject some of that, you know, not swing-and-miss stuff in the lineup. It’s been good, man.

“Hopefully, it can continue to be contagious, and the offense can get rolling a bit more.”

Thames was the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Angels when Quero was coming through their minor-league system. The Sox acquired the catcher as part of a trade that sent pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the Angels in 2023. He made his big-league debut on April 17.

“He’s always been the same, his heartbeat is so slow and nothing speeds up on him,” Thames said. “And he’s kind of like Meidroth, pretty wise (beyond) his years. And he’s going to give you a good (at-bat). He’s not going to chase much. He knows the zone, he’s not going to try to do too much. And he makes adjustments right away off the pitcher.

“He was doing that in Double A, Triple A and even now out here.”

That steadiness was on display in the sixth inning at-bat that resulted in the go-ahead RBI single on Sunday.

“I’ve been in these moments a couple times in my career, in the minor leagues,” Quero said after Sunday’s game. “I like to be in those moments. Sometimes I’m going to be good, sometimes I’m going to maybe not do the job. But I’m not scared of being in those moments. I like those moments.”

Manager Will Venable has been impressed with the approach from Meidroth and Quero.

“There’s real substance to what they’re doing to where you know that, obviously, there’s going to be days where you’re not feeling great, you’re banged up and your swing isn’t right. But the way they go about it, it’s the substance, that thing, the quality of their approach that you expect to be there every day,” Venable said on Monday. “That type of skill set is something that can really stay consistent throughout the year. It’s just nice to have in your lineup every day.”

Injury updates

Andrew Benintendi was not in the starting lineup for Monday’s game as he continues to recover from left calf tightness. The left fielder exited Sunday’s game in the sixth inning.

“(He’s) better today, but still day to day,” Venable said. “We’ll give him the day today and then see where we’re at tomorrow.”

Pitcher Jesse Scholtens is beginning a rehab assignment on Tuesday with High-A Winston-Salem. The right-hander is making his way back after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2024.

“I felt like I was out forever,” Rojas said Sunday morning.

The Chicago White Sox reinstated the infielder from the 10-day injured list and he made his debut with the team in the 5-4 victory against the Houston Astros in front of 19,418 at Rate Field. The game was called because of rain after 6 1/2 innings.

Rojas went 0-for-2 with a walk, which brought in a run. The Sox trailed 4-0 in the fifth when Rojas drew the bases-loaded walk against Astros reliever Ryan Gusto. Lenyn Sosa followed with a two-run single.

The Sox took the lead with a pair of two-out hits in the sixth. Luis Robert Jr. drove in Chase Meidroth with a single against reliever Steven Okert to tie the score at 4. Robert stole second and scored on a single by Edgar Quero.

“I was really focused,” Quero said. “When (Robert) got a steal, I was trying to hit the ball to the middle of the field. Especially with the guy throwing a lot of breaking balls, just put the ball in play.”

Mike Vasil pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to earn the first win of his major-league career. The Sox (10-24) took two out of three against the Astros for their second series victory of the season.

“Really happy,” Vasil said. “But more importantly, the series win.”

Before the game, the Sox made a flurry of moves. In addition to adding Rojas, the Sox selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Caleb Freeman from Triple-A Charlotte, recalled left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert from Charlotte, placed lefty reliever Fraser Ellard on the 15-day injured list with a left lat strain, optioned reliever Penn Murfee to Charlotte and designated infielder Bobby Dalbec for assignment.

“He’s one of our veteran guys that’s been around, can play the game the right way in all facets,” manager Will Venable said of Rojas. “Someone we like having there and made some good plays there at third base (on Sunday) and someone we’re happy to have back.”

The Sox signed Rojas, 30, to a one-year deal during the offseason. He had been out since suffering a right toe fracture in spring training.

“Still a little sore, but I think it’s going to be one of those things that lingers around for a little bit,” Rojas said. “But it’s good enough to go, and I can do everything full speed, so that’s what I was kind of waiting for.”

The injury occurred during a March 15 Cactus League game against the Colorado Rockies.

“I was going back to cover third and (Brenton) Doyle, big dude, coming in hard, slid and just his whole body rolled right over my toe,” Rojas said. “At the time I was wearing some newer, lighter cleats that I felt more athletic in. The top of them was kind of a thin leather, and it allowed for more mobility. They were more broken in as soon as I put them on, so that was nice. But it didn’t help in that aspect when it came to protecting my feet from something like that.

“So when he slid into my feet, it kind of just crunched all my toes together and kind of squished the shoe. Yeah, and I had the fracture in the big toe and I had the avulsion fracture in the second toe. So yeah, it wasn’t good.”

Rojas described it as “a hot, burning pain in my feet.”

“I fouled balls off my toes millions of times and they hurt, but it’s always something I’ve been able to play through,” Rojas said. “I pride myself on being able to play through little things like that, but this was something I kind of felt something was wrong the next inning when it didn’t go away. And it didn’t come out good.”

Rojas realized he wasn’t going to help the Sox playing at “25%, 30%” of his capacity.

“So it was better just to wait until the toe felt good enough that I could do everything full speed,” Rojas said. “A lot of my game relies on being athletic. If I was just a power-hitting third baseman, it might be a different story. But I’ve got to be able to run the bases full speed. I’ve got to be able to make plays in the hole. I’ve got to be able to beat out infield singles. I’ve got to be able to do all the little things, and my game relies heavily on being able to do those things.

“My toe was not in a place to be able to do that until about a week ago. So when that point hit when I felt like I could go full speed, I was ready to come back.”

The Sox pulled a comeback of their own on Sunday, but completed the game without Andrew Benintendi. The left fielder exited in the sixth inning with left calf tightness.

“Just a little calf soreness, so just wanted to be proactive there especially with the conditions and just turn the page on the day,” Venable said. “But he’ll be day to day.”

The conditions held up long enough for the Sox to rally and earn their first series win since taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox April 11-13 at Rate Field.

“Great job just continuing to put good at-bats together, really up and down the lineup,” Venable said. “Good job by our pitching staff to keep us in the ball game there and defense as well.”

The Chicago White Sox starter began with two fastballs to get ahead 0-2. Meyers then fouled off a slider and fastball.

Martin threw a changeup in the dirt for a ball. Another fastball followed, which the Houston Astros center fielder fouled off again. Martin went with a slider and cutter, both for balls to make it a full count.

Meyers fouled off the ninth pitch of the at-bat, a changeup. Meyers connected on the 10th pitch, a fastball, for a two-run triple.

“I gave him pretty much everything I had, executed a lot of pitches in really good spots, set up things exactly how I wanted to set up, and I lost,” Martin said. “It’s just part of the game.”

Meyers had a monster day at the plate, hitting two home runs and driving in a career-high seven as the Astros defeated the Sox 8-3 in front of 20,974 on Saturday at Rate Field.

“You’ve got to tip the cap to him, he had a career day,” Martin said.

Meyers went 4-for-4, falling a single shy of the cycle, and matched a franchise record with 13 total bases. He described the day to reporters covering the Astros as “incredible.”

“A lot of hard work paying off, grateful that it showed up today kind of all together,” Meyers said. “It was a lot of fun.”

The Sox (9-24) saw their two-game winning streak come to an end thanks to Meyers. He hit a solo home run against Martin in the third, the two-run triple in the fourth, a go-ahead three-run blast against Penn Murfee in the sixth and an RBI double in the eighth.

Photos: Chicago White Sox lose to Houston Astros 8-3 at Rate Field

He single-handedly dug the Astros out of an early hole.

The Sox scored three in the first against Astros starter Hunter Brown. Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas and Andrew Benintendi began the inning with three consecutive singles. Meidroth scored on Benintendi’s hit.

Andrew Vaughn had a two-out, two-run single later in the inning. The Sox didn’t get another hit until the ninth, when Vaughn singled with one out against reliever Logan VanWey.

“I think (Brown’s) stuff was really good in the first inning, we just got some pitches to hit,” Benintendi said. “Then obviously he settled down and kind of went to his offspeed a little more and was able to still use the heater late.”

Brown allowed the three runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and three walks in six innings.

The Sox had the 3-0 lead until Meyers hit the solo shot in the third. The two-run triple tied it in the fourth. Reliever Fraser Ellard walked two in the sixth before being replaced by Murfee. Meyers greeted him with the three-run home run. The RBI double against Jared Shuster came during a two-run eighth.

“We tried everything we had there,” Sox manager Will Venable said. “Gave him different looks and he was able to put really good swings on mistakes over the plate, so credit to him. And unfortunately, we just weren’t able to get him out.”

Colson Montgomery update

Sox director of player development Paul Janish provided a deep dive into the organization’s recent decision to send prospect Colson Montgomery to their Arizona complex for one-on-one sessions to work on his swing.

“I’m glad that we were comfortable enough to pull the trigger on this earlier rather than later, just because it’s something that I think can be a little bit of an aha moment to get out of the affiliate day-to-day and just breathe and get back into it,” Janish said during a videoconference call before Saturday’s game. “I wouldn’t call it extreme. I know other organizations have used it and done it, as well, with certain players.

“Obviously, it’s the type of thing we do with a guy we think a lot of, care (about), expect a lot of. It’s not the type of thing you necessarily do with everybody. Not extreme, just another tool in the sense of, ‘Look, this is what we feel is best in terms of righting the ship.’ That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Montgomery has a .149/.223/.255 slash line with three home runs and six RBIs in 23 games for Triple-A Charlotte. General manager Chris Getz announced the plan Tuesday.

The Sox selected Montgomery with the No. 22 pick in the 2021 draft. He is the No. 4 prospect in the Sox organization, according to MLB.com, and is rated the No. 36 prospect in all of baseball. He is working with director of hitting Ryan Fuller.

“It’s a little bit of a progression,” Janish said. “They have been in the cage the last couple of days. Going to get on the field. He’s got to do some other stuff too. Take ground balls, be in the weight room, continue the workload from a running standpoint to make sure legs are still in a good spot for when he does go back to playing games again.”

Janish said Montgomery’s response was “pretty mature.”

“He would tell you the same thing. He hadn’t performed the way he knows that he can (with Charlotte),” Janish said. “This is an effort to remove him from the environment briefly and reinsert him hopefully this coming week and give him a little bit of a fresh start with going all the way down to the daily routine and just getting him into the mindset of just competing every night. Just grinding out four really really tough at-bats every single night, making the pitcher miserable. Using his skill set he’s really good at, which has historically been controlling the zone. That’s the philosophy behind it. We’ve still got a great deal of belief in Colson and having the opportunity to be a really good major-league player.

“That’s what this is about. It’s not necessarily about having success in Charlotte. It’s about getting him into a position where he’s confident and comfortable to compete at some point this year to go to the major-league level.”

Brendan Rodgers hit a grounder to shortstop Chase Meidroth for what should have been a routine double play. Meidroth tossed the ball to Lenyn Sosa, who was standing on second. But the second baseman dropped the ball.

It was the second error of the inning for the Sox as the Astros loaded the bases with one out.

Jonathan Cannon made sure the miscues didn’t lead to any damage. The right-hander got Cam Smith to hit a soft liner to Sosa. Jake Meyers followed by grounding into a force out as Cannon escaped trouble without allowing a run.

“Those guys picked me up more times than I can remember, so being able to pick them up definitely was a positive there,” Cannon said.

Cannon allowed two runs on nine hits in six innings as the Sox defeated the Astros 7-3 in front of 13,866 at Rate Field. He struck out five and did not allow a walk.

“We have seen that with him before,” manager Will Venable said. “He’s able to battle through adversity and able to keep his composure and continue to execute pitches.”

Offensively, Meidroth singled twice, drove in one and scored once. And Luis Robert Jr. hit a solo home run — the 500th hit of his career — as the Sox won while debuting their new City Connect uniforms inspired by the Chicago Bulls.

“They look good and we played well so let’s keep going,” Venable said.

Cannon also gave the uniforms a glowing review.

“It’s just different from all the other City Connects we’ve seen,” he said. “It’s really cool. It just pays homage to the Bulls and the city. All the other gear that goes with it, the jacket, the sweatshirts, all the hats we had, it’s really, really cool what they did. They did a really good job.”

As did Cannon, who built on a strong performance in his last outing when he allowed three runs in 7 2/3 innings after entering in the second against the Athletics on April 26 in West Sacramento, Calif.

“I sat here and told you guys a couple of weeks ago, the stuff was there, it was just about limiting the free passes and really just attacking guys,” Cannon said. “No walks today … and that allows those singles just to be singles and now you have the chance to get out of it rather than a run coming around to score with the walk there. Just throwing strikes and getting ahead has been the key for me.”

In addition to working out of the jam in the second, Cannon made his way through traffic throughout Friday’s outing.

Leading 2-0 in the fourth, he surrendered a run-scoring double with one out to Yainer Diaz. Cannon struck out Rodgers and Smith grounded out to third as the Sox remained ahead.

Robert homered in the fifth.

“It’s a good milestone, another step forward in my career here in the U.S.,” Robert said through an interpreter. “It feels good.”

Robert added the fact the 500th hit was a home run “made it a little more special.”

Edgar Quero contributed a run-scoring single later in the inning. Quero had two hits and two RBIs.

“It’s just trying to see the ball, hit the ball,” Quero said. “Especially, taking the pitch, swinging at good pitches, trying to get on base.”

Cannon gave up three singles in the sixth, the last one bringing in a run. But Miguel Vargas cut off left fielder Brooks Baldwin’s throw to the plate and fired to second to get Rodgers, who had drifted too far from the bag, for the final out.

“Vargy picked me up in the sixth inning, definitely a great cutoff to get them at second, that was huge,” Cannon said.

The Sox tacked on three in the eighth and won their second straight for just the second time this season.

“We’ve definitely seen flashes of it in April,” Cannon said. “Obviously the record (9-23) doesn’t show exactly how we’ve been playing, but I think we’ve been really, really close. To see us put up a three-spot there in the eighth inning is huge. That’s been the difference, the big two-out hits that we had and then the defense behind us, especially late in the game.”

Elko faced Boyle again in the sixth and jumped on a first-pitch sinker for a home run to right field to give the Knights the lead.

It was Elko’s second multihomer game of the season.

Elko accomplished the feat again three days later, hitting a two-run home run in the first and a solo blast in the sixth against the RailRiders.

Elko hit eight home runs in 10 games from April 16 through Tuesday.

“It was pretty fun,” Elko said Friday during a videoconference call. “I kind of was joking around at the beginning of the week that they come in pairs. I was able to get a few more out the rest of that week so it was a pretty cool thing.

“Just being able to put runs on the board to help us win games, it feels even better. To be able to contribute and we were playing well down there, it was fun to be able to help us win.”

The first baseman/DH on Friday was recognized as the Chicago White Sox Minor League Player of the Month for March/April. Grant Taylor of Double-A Birmingham was recognized as the Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month after finishing with a 0.79 ERA in four starts.

Elko, 26, slashed .367/.448/.711 with four doubles, nine home runs, 20 RBIs, 12 walks, 18 runs and a 1.159 OPS in 25 games with Charlotte in March/April.

“Just try to work on pitch selection and just making sure I’m getting good pitches to swing at and swing at the right ones and doing damage when I get them in my zone,” Elko said.

Elko led the minors in slugging percentage, tied for first in home runs and ranked fourth in OPS and total bases (64) during March/April. He also ranked first among Triple-A leaders in slugging percentage, tied for first in home runs, second in OPS, fourth in batting average and total bases and fifth in on-base percentage.

“Tim’s done a great job, came into spring training knowing I’ve got to improve the swing decisions, being able to make quality contact off of breaking balls,” Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller said last week in West Sacramento, Calif. “He’s doing that.

“That’s what you want all these guys to be able to do. We give them a plan. We tell them what they do great and areas they need to improve. To see him go out and execute at a high level so far this year is really encouraging.”

Added Elko: “When you are on time and ready for those pitches in the zone, it’s a lot easier to take the ones outside the zone as well. So, it’s just being selective and really just zoning in on the pitches I’m looking for and hunting that helps to make it easier to not swing at those bad ones as well.

“Just zoning in on where I’m working makes it easier to take the bad ones.”

A 10th-round pick in 2022 after a legendary run with Mississippi, Elko leads all minor-leagues since 2023 with 339 hits, is tied for the lead with 199 RBIs and ranks second with 568 total bases.

He reached base safely in 23 of his first 25 games in 2025, hitting safely in 21.

“He’s always hit the ball hard, he’s actually increased how hard he’s hitting it,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said this week. “And most importantly, how often he’s doing it.

“Tim’s a special guy, has got tremendous leadership qualities. He impacts others beyond just himself. He was a pretty good defender at first base. He’s putting together all-around quality at-bats. So, we’re really happy with the development of Tim and know at some point he could join us here in Chicago.”

Elko’s mind is not preoccupied with the potential of the next level. He’s focused on helping the Knights.

“Whenever that opportunity arises, I’ll be ready,” Elko said. “But right now, I’m just trying to focus on where my feet are and not look ahead too much, just try to continue to perfect my craft and be the best player I can every single day here and be where my feet are. … I’m just trying to … enjoy where I’m at right now.”

Kavan Markwood was in critical condition as of Thursday after falling onto the warning track in right field just as Pirates star Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-3. Markwood was tended to for about five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel before being removed from the field on a cart. He was taken to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital.

Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, posted on X Thursday that the “incident is being treated as accidental in nature.”

Fans died after steep falls at ballparks in Arlington, Texas, in 2011 and Atlanta in 2015.

Here’s a look at safety measures instituted by MLB and its teams.

Ballpark railings

Railing heights at ballparks are team decisions based on local laws and codes. The railing that runs along the Clemente Wall is 3 feet (36 inches) high, which exceeds the building code requirements of 26 inches, according to Pirates vice president of communications Brian Warecki.

Those rail heights have come under scrutiny at other ballparks after fans died. The Texas Rangers raised the height of the front-row rails at their former ballpark by as much as 12 inches to 42 inches in July 2011 after a fan named Shannon Stone fell about 20 feet.

The Atlanta Braves settled a lawsuit in 2018 with the family of Gregory Murrey, who died after falling from Turner Field’s upper deck three years earlier. Murrey fell over a rail that was 30 inches high — industry code standards mandated 26 inches or taller.

Foul ball netting

Until 2015, many ballparks had netting separating fans and the field only directly behind home plate. After several incidents that season in which fans were hospitalized after being hit by foul balls, MLB encouraged teams to extend netting or screens to run dugout to dugout behind home plate in December 2015. Three years later, all 30 ballparks had netting reaching to the far ends of each dugout.

In 2019, a 2-year-old girl fractured her skull when struck by a foul ball at the Houston Astros stadium. The team later reached a settlement with the girl’s family.

The next offseason, MLB announced seven major-league teams would expand protective netting to the foul poles and 15 others would expand their netting generally to the area in the outfield where the stands begin to angle away from the field. The remaining eight teams already had installed netting that extended substantially beyond the end of the dugouts.

Alcohol sales

MLB does not mandate alcohol sales cutoffs, but most teams have stopped selling alcohol around the end of the seventh inning for years. After new rules aimed at increasing the pace of play led to shorter game times in 2023, several teams extended alcohol sales until the end of the eighth inning. Many of those teams have reverted back to the seventh-inning cutoff.

While the percentage of Black players in Major League Baseball remains low (just 6.2% on opening day), Black stars are prominent across all 30 teams. The New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge holds the American League’s single-season record with 62 home runs. Mookie Betts hasn’t lost a step with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning his third World Series ring last fall. And the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen is a former MVP who could find himself in the Hall of Fame one day.

The Chicago White Sox have their own share of Black history. Hall of Famer Minnie Miñoso was the first Black player in a Sox lineup and finished his career with 2,110 hits, 1,225 runs, 1,093 RBIs and 216 stolen bases. The Cuban native also was the first Afro-Latin player to play in MLB, which was a massive leap for the Latin community. Now about 28% of the league is Latin American according to MLB’s opening-day report.

In 1959, the Sox traded the beloved Miñoso for another Black player, outfielder Al Smith. Along with Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, Smith helped lead the Sox to the AL pennant in 1959. They would go 56 years before winning another pennant in 2005.

Before Thursday’s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers at Rate Field, Sox left fielder Michael A. Taylor spoke about his views on Black baseball today. He said he had the “obvious” childhood heroes such as Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter, but he believes there’s work to do in terms of Black representation in the majors.

“I still think there’s room for growth,” Taylor told the Tribune. “But there’s things in place and the Players Alliance is doing a good job at growing the game, and in the next few years we’ll see that number (of Black players) increase.”

Black men were involved in the growth of professional baseball in the mid-1800s, with many of them playing at an elite level compared with their white peers. Those players didn’t see success due to the Jim Crow laws in place after the Civil War.

The players’ love for the game remained unscathed, so they created their own teams across the United States to continue to play. Pitcher Andrew “Rube” Foster gained national attention after winning 44 straight games for the Philadelphia Cuban X-Giants in 1902. He was widely seen as the best pitcher in the country, but race laws prevented him from making the strides he desired.

Still looking for a chance to play professionally, Foster partnered with John Schorling, the son-in-law of former White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, to create the Chicago American Giants in 1911. With the team playing an exciting brand of baseball, attendance increased at Giants games as time went on.

Despite their success, Giants games — along with those of other Black teams — were strictly regulated by booking agents. Foster wanted better for his peers, so he began juggling the idea of a Black professional league.

The team’s owners met at a YMCA in Kansas City, Mo., to discuss plans for a professional Black baseball league. To their surprise, Foster came in with the papers, signaling that the Negro National League (NNL) was official.

In the inaugural NNL game played on May 2, 1920, the Indianapolis ABCs defeated the Chicago American Giants 4-2. This was the beginning of euphoria for Black baseball, and the NNL led the way up until Jackie Robinson broke the MLB color barrier in 1947.

The stats from the NNL would go through a long process of being excluded from MLB record books before the Negro Leagues were classified as major in 2020. Four years later, more than 2,300 Negro League players were added to the major-league record books.

This flipped the history of baseball completely, and the hard work of Black players throughout history was finally recognized. The move was seen as long overdue by current players such as Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene.

“I’m going to have to do a little bit more research and understand some of the history to kind of rewire my brain on some of the best players,” Greene told the AP in 2024.

The pursuit for equality remains prevalent in the United States today. Former White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, now with the Los Angeles Angels, stood for equal rights during his time in Chicago. He kneeled during the national anthem in the 2020 season opener against the Minnesota Twins, calling it an “emotional moment.”

“I tried not to shed too many tears because we are going through something where the world needs to change,” Anderson said that day. “It was only right that I had to show my love, I had to support.”

After an 8-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, the Sox will debut their new Bulls-themed alternate uniforms, celebrating what the team’s website described as two “iconic” franchises.

Like the vintage Reese’s commercial in which someone accidentally gets peanut butter in his chocolate while another person gets chocolate in his peanut butter, this is a melding of two franchises that was bound to happen.

Whether it works as well as a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup will be in the eye of the beholder.

During the unveiling of the new City Connect uniforms this week, White Sox chief revenue and marketing officer Brooks Boyer called it “the first time we’re going to see a collaboration between an MLB team and an NBA team on the field.”

This is exciting stuff for the Sox, who take an 8-23 record into Friday’s game against the Houston Astros after snapping a three-game losing streak on “Weather Day” at Sox Park.

“How about that, we’re 1-0 this month,” manager Will Venable said. “Every win is great.”

Sure, the Sox still have one of the worst offenses in baseball, but they’re 6-0 when scoring eight or more runs, so there’s that. In their other 25 games, the Sox are 2-23 and averaging 2.2 runs per game. Go figure.

Now we’ll see if the all-red jerseys can sell the Sox better than the actual team, which began the day 11½ games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers in the American League Central. Coincidentally, the Sox are run by Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who also happens to be chairman of the Bulls.

It wouldn’t surprise me if someone close to Reinsdorf suggested the alternate jerseys be inscribed with “JERRY” across the front instead of “CHICAGO,” only to be shot down by the modest owner who never wants to call attention to himself. Teaming up with Reinsdorf’s other team was much easier than joining forces with the Bears, Blackhawks or … you know who.

The Sox and Bulls have much in common, aside from having the same 89-year-old boss.

Both teams are in rebuild mode and preaching patience, whether it’s Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas or Sox general manager Chris Getz doing the preaching.

Both teams once employed Michael Jordan, though only one of them is still cashing in on Jordan’s legacy. And fans of both teams wish the owner would sell their favorite team to someone who would spend money to compete for a championship. But you can’t have everything — or really anything if you’re a Sox or Bulls fan over the last two decades.

Ironically, of all the things the Sox have done wrong over the years, from building the oh-so-high-and-steep upper deck at the new ballpark in 1991 to rehiring Tony La Russa as manager in 2020, the one thing most fans seem to agree on are the classic Sox uniforms.

The return in the early 1990s to the old-school white jerseys with black pinstripes, and the classic Sox script logo ended a long series of uniform changes that included the red pinstripes of the Dick Allen era in the early 1970s, the ugly “SOX” jerseys of the Winning Ugly era of the 1980s and the 1976 jerseys that Chris Sale famously took a scissors to on a throwback uniform day in 2016.

The current Sox cap became iconic when West Coast rappers embraced it in videos, and the uniform scheme in use now has lasted for more than three decades.

But baseball is all about making money, and MLB’s City Connect marketing ploy is just another cash grab that all teams employ except the New York Yankees and Athletics.

The new all-red Sox/Bulls jerseys that will be worn Fridays certainly should make the team some cash. I looked for one on the concourse Thursday and saw it was selling for $174.99, plus tax. They were made in Indonesia, so fans better get one before the tariffs hit.

Sox fans will either love them or hate them, but at least they’ll be talking about them. That’s what really matters. As the Sox scuffle their way through another awful start to a season, on a TV network that many fans can’t watch, they’re becoming increasingly irrelevant.

But on Thursday, Sean Burke pitched six scoreless innings to improve to 2-4, Miguel Vargas hit a three-run home run, Luis Robert Jr. drove in three runs and saved four with a leaping catch and the Sox avoided a sweep before a crowd of 11,917, including thousands of kids who got a chance to miss school for the Weather Day promo.

Burke walked the bases loaded in the first before escaping a big inning when Robert robbed Rhys Hopkins of a grand slam.

“That catch was one of the key of the game,” Robert said through an interpreter. “Not just for Sean, but for us as a team collectively. With a grand slam in the first inning, it would’ve been different there.”

Roberts’ RBI single in the first gave Burke a slim lead to protect, and the rookie settled down thereafter, allowing only two hits.

“Definitely think that catch helped out a ton,” Burke said. “Just kind of a sigh of relief that I was out of it and from there you just go in with your stuff.”

After Vargas’ home run off Craig Yoho in the sixth broke it open,  Robert drove in three runs with a double in the four-run seventh, and the Sox bullpen combined for three shutout innings

The Sox did make one roster move Thursday, reinstating Chase Meidroth from the 10-day injured list and placing ex-Cub Gage Workman on the IL with a right hip flexor. They could add to the offense if they call up their hottest minor-league prospect — first baseman Tim Elko, who has nine home runs at Triple-A Charlotte. But Venable didn’t sound like a call-up was imminent.

“If we think that there’s a time he can help us, yeah,” he said. “He’s obviously swinging the bat really well and we really like the guy. Great guy to have, works extremely hard. So we’d be happy to have him at some point if it makes us better.”

It couldn’t make them any worse. First baseman Andrew Vaughn is hitting .167 and entered the day with a minus-0.9 WAR, the worst among qualified hitters. But it’s a new month, and maybe wearing those new Bulls jerseys can help lift the Sox.

It didn’t exactly work for the Bulls, but that’s another story.

It also represented their first games against a division opponent, something only two other MLB teams had not yet done this year entering Tuesday. The Cubs will need to beat the hard-throwing Paul Skenes on Thursday to take the series before traveling to Milwaukee for a three-game set against the Brewers beginning Friday.

The Sox jump back into division play next week against the Kansas City Royals. The four-game series begins Monday at Kauffman Stadium. The Sox went 1-12 against the Royals last season.

Every Thursday during the regular season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Cubs and White Sox.

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Lower arm slot adjustment leads to success — and call up to Cubs — for Chris Flexen

When Chris Flexen arrived at big-league camp with the Cubs this spring and went through their pitching lab process, a necessary change became glaringly evident.

After looking through the data, video and getting eyes on him, the Cubs pitching department identified that the right-hander’s arm slot was contributing to inconsistencies with his command and the quality of his stuff. The group immediately worked with the 30-year-old right-hander to lower his arm slot after being “extremely higher” than it had been in the past when he was successful with Seattle from 2021-2022 (3.66 ERA in 64 games/53 starts).

“I was in very bad body positions, so lack of command, lack of stuff, lack of life and things like that,” Flexen said Wednesday. “So we tried to drop the slot. It wasn’t anything too crazy. I’m not a side arm thrower now. I still throw very over the top, but enough to be able to create a little more lasso whip in the arm.

“It’s a continuous thing to always work on, whether it be in weighted balls, sides, games, all of it, and just getting constant feedback,” Flexen said. “And having great eyes on it, and always being able to make those adjustments on the fly.”

The adjustment and subsequent consistency led to great results with Triple-A Iowa, where Flexen posted a 1.16 ERA in 23 1/3 innings spanning five starts in which he didn’t allow a home run and struck out 21 batters while walking eight. The Cubs added Flexen to the 40-man roster Tuesday and called him up to Pittsburgh. Left-hander Tom Cosgrove was optioned to Iowa, and right-hander Javier Assad (oblique) was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot for Flexen.

Flexen had a May 1 opt-out in his minor-league deal, forcing the Cubs to decide on his future in the organization. With how well Flexen had been pitching for Iowa, he would have garnered interest from other organizations. Flexen is expected to be used in a multi-inning, long-relief role in the bullpen.

“This is a guy that’s had success, he kind of got off track, and you have confidence that those guys can get back on track and pitching well,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s got major-league hitters out, and he was obviously doing a great job getting Triple-A hitters out and earned an opportunity.”

What has driven the opener strategy recently deployed by the Sox?

The Sox tied a major-league mark by using an opener for the fourth consecutive game on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Sox matched the Tampa Bay Rays, who did it from Sept. 2-5, 2018, according to STATS.

Sox senior adviser to pitching Brian Bannister discussed the benefits of the strategy, which was first deployed during the weekend series against the Athletics.

“I know it’s something we did a lot in San Francisco, you see it used successfully like what the (Detroit) Tigers did last year in the second half after the (Jack) Flaherty trade,” Bannister said Sunday in West Sacramento, Calif. “I think it does help set up the lineup in favor of the starting pitcher that follows, especially when there’s a little thump. You’re guaranteed to get their best hitters in the first inning. So I think just giving an alternate look, an alternate hand could be really successful.

“We’re at a point now, with the loss of (starter) Martín (Pérez) short term, our entire major-league pitching staff is making $10 million. There’s a lot of guys with less than a year of service time, so anything we can do to facilitate that adjustment to the major-league level and give them an edge just against these opposing lineups, can be very beneficial.”

Evaluating the 1st month of the season for the Chicago White Sox, who fall to 7-23 with another loss

As for concerns about the potential impact on a young starter’s development, Bannister said pitchers like Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon have still had the chance to go through their normal routines.

“They still get to prepare like they’re starting that day, they can still do all their pregame stuff. It’s not a surprise when they’re going in, it’s premeditated,” Bannister said. “They’re going in in the second or against a specific hitter, and so everything really stays the same. So to them, it feels like a start, but they get the advantage of maybe getting past those first couple hitters and the opposing manager has to set things up the way that it is going to be most beneficial for their team, which could help our guys.

“With any of these young guys, just trying to get them some momentum.”

Number of the week: 13

The Sox had a 7-23 record coming into Thursday. Of the 23 defeats, 13 have been by one or two runs.

Week ahead: Cubs

• Thursday: at Pirates, 11:35 a.m., Marquee
• Friday: at Brewers, 7:10 p.m., Apple TV
• Saturday: at Brewers, 6:10 p.m., Marquee
• Sunday: at Brewers, 1:10 p.m., Marquee
• Monday: vs. Giants, 6:40 p.m., Marquee
• Tuesday: vs. Giants, 6:40 p.m., Marquee
• Wednesday: vs. Giants, 1:20 p.m., Marquee

If the Cubs are going to take their hot April offensive performance into May, maintaining their level of high-quality at-bats and continuing to put pressure on opposing pitching staffs must continue.

That approach was especially on display in Tuesday’s victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates when the Cubs did not strike out in the game. It represented the first time Cubs hitters avoided striking out in a game since July 3, 2013, at Oakland. Beyond the lack of strikeouts, the Cubs also hit four home runs in the win. The last time the Cubs did that — zero strikeouts and at least four home runs — was May 17, 1977, which marked just the fifth time in team history since 1901. That combination had not happened in a major-league game since the Los Angeles Angels did it on May 13, 2013.

Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson looks to move past April’s offensive struggles

The Cubs’ 10.0% walk rate is tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for fifth-best in the big leagues.

“No strikeouts is kind of what you take away,” manager Craig Counsell said afterward. “I mean, I know we had some home runs, obviously, and that’s great, but to go through a game without any strikeouts, that means we’re having good at-bats. To me, (starter Andrew Heaney) was throwing a lot of strikes and nothing was happening. But that second time through, we did a fabulous job of (innings) two through nine, hard contact, good at-bats every single time so we put some pressure on them.”

Week ahead: White Sox

• Thursday: vs. Brewers, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
• Friday: vs. Astros, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
• Saturday: vs. Astros, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
• Sunday: vs. Astros, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
• Monday: at Royals, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
• Tuesday: at Royals, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
• Wednesday: at Royals, 6:40 p.m., CHSN

When Luis Robert Jr. has reached base, he’s been on the go. The center fielder entered Wednesday leading the American League with 11 stolen bases.

“Every time I get on base, I’m thinking of stealing that base,” Robert said through an interpreter on Tuesday.

Robert stole a career-high 23 bases last season. He said his body “feels good.”

“I hope it feels this way all season,” Robert said. “I’ve been running a lot. I’ve been doing my work in the gym. I’ve been very diligent in my preparation and hopefully that’s something that’s going to keep me out of injuries this season.”

Robert is still trying to find a groove at the plate, hitting .158 with four home runs and nine RBIs in 27 games coming into Wednesday.

“Even though my offensive production hasn’t been at the level I wanted or what I know I can do, I’ve been able to help this team in other different areas,” Robert said. “I think that’s good. Of course, this is just a month into the season. I think we have to pass this month and then focus on the next month, or at least that’s my goal.”

What we’re reading this morning

• White Sox are sending Colson Montgomery back to Arizona for 1-on-1 work: ‘Let’s go and attack this now’
• Cubs’ MLB-best offense has fueled their April success, backed by diverse style and approach
• Photos: White Sox unveil their new City Connect uniforms — with a splash of Bulls
• Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson goes bald in DirecTV commercial as it pitches streaming
• Chicago White Sox hitting director assesses the lineup, from Luis Robert Jr. to rookie Edgar Quero
• Today in Chicago History: Cubs manager Lee Elia delivers epic, expletive-laden rant
• White Sox acquire infielder Gage Workman from the Cubs for cash considerations: ‘Now I want to beat the Cubs’
• Column: Cubs passed their 1st wave of big tests. Now it’s time for the National League Central.

Quotable

“He’s a highly, highly instinctual baseball player, man. I mean, it’s where you want to kind of see what’s going on inside his head. But he’s really good at reading swings. He’s got tremendous command of the baseball. We talk about command and put grades on it and use words on it, but it’s at the top of 10% of the command in the league.” — Counsell on left-hander Shota Imanaga