CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox optioned struggling first baseman Andrew Vaughn to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.
The team also optioned infielder Tim Elko to the minor league club and reinstated outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman from the 10-day injured list prior to the game against the Texas Rangers.
The 27-year-old Vaughn, in his fifth season, is batting .189 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 48 games. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft, he hit .246 with 19 homers and 70 RBIs in 149 games last year.
“He’s a guy that needs to drive the baseball," general manager Chris Getz said. "Can drive the baseball. So, I think he’s actually looking forward to taking a step back, slowing things down. It’s a different competition level, different environment. Really get to work and not make adjustments at a high level like the major leagues is.”
Elko was 5 for 31 with three homers and five RBIs over 10 games after being called up from Charlotte on May 10.
Benintendi was batting .224 with five home runs and 12 RBIs entering Friday's game. He has dealt with a variety of injuries, including a strained left calf that had sidelined him since May 4. He also missed much of spring training because of a broken right hand and spent time on the injured list in April because of a strained left adductor.
Tauchman opened the season on the injured list with a strained right hamstring and hurt it again running the bases on the final play in Chicago's 3-2 loss at Cleveland on April 9. He had appeared in just three games after signing with the White Sox in December. ___
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Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press
