Chicago White Sox eyeing pitching depth with recent call

CLEVELAND — Lane Ramsey was rooming with fellow pitcher Declan Cronin in Durham, N.C., when there was a knock on the door.

Cronin found out moments later that he had been promoted from Triple-A Charlotte to the majors with the Chicago White Sox.

Ramsey got to live out the situation himself Friday night in Norfolk, Va.

“It was kind of funny, I got to experience it with Declan last week and a week later I got to experience it,” Ramsey said Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field. “It was awesome.”

Ramsey joined the Sox ahead of Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.

The 6-foot-9 right-hander is the latest pitcher to get an opportunity after the Sox called up Cronin on July 28 and right-hander Edgar Navarro the next day.

White Sox reliever Declan Cronin delivers during the sixth inning against the Guardians on July 30 at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

“The reports (on Ramsey) are good,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “He caught my eye in the spring, (a) big kid (who) throws hard, has a good slider, not afraid (and has) made some adjustments. Made some adjustments even in the spring to get to the plate quicker.”

A 23rd-round pick in the 2018 draft out of Oklahoma, the 27-year-old Ramsey is 4-4 with a 5.50 ERA, six saves and 48 strikeouts in 32 relief appearances with Charlotte this season.

“My biggest adjustment this year has been my slider usage, using my slider a lot more, and it’s gotten better throughout the year,” Ramsey said. “That’s been the main thing. And then just being healthy.

“I had a little oblique strain for a little bit so coming back from that, back to feeling good again. The slider has been great, attacking hitters and just going from there.”

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Ramsey’s addition was one of three roster moves announced by the Sox on Saturday. They claimed right-hander Brent Honeywell off waivers from the San Diego Padres and placed reliever Gregory Santos on the bereavement list.

Ramsey was happy to see familiar faces like Cronin and Navarro in the clubhouse.

Cronin told the Tribune on Friday that the last week had been “a whirlwind.”

“(Pitching coach Ethan) Katz and (bullpen coach Curt) Hasler have been really really helpful, kind of getting me up to speed on what it takes to pitch at this level, which is obviously different and there is a learning curve,” Cronin said. “But being in the bullpen, being around guys who have done it for a while is really helpful. Talking to (Aaron) Bummer and (Bryan) Shaw and guys like that who have had a lot of success at the major-league level and a role that I aspire to be in for a long time myself has been huge in speeding up that learning curve.”

White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz, left, talks with reliever Declan Cronin after he gave up a two-run home run during the seventh inning against the Guardians in his MLB debut on July 30 at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Cronin made his major-league debut July 30 against the Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“There’s a ton of anticipation,” he said. “You think about that moment your whole life, really. Once I was on the mound and got that first sign from (catcher) Seby (Zavala), it felt just like any other game at that point and I was able to fall back on years of pitching and doing what I’ve always done. It was obviously a really special moment in a lot of ways.”

Cronin pitched the sixth and seventh. Navarro made his debut in the ninth inning of the same game.

“Too many emotions,” Navarro said through an interpreter after that game. “I’m very excited. This is not something I did by myself. My family also helped a lot throughout this process.

“It was fun, but my heart was definitely beating very very fast.”

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A 36th-round pick in 2019 out of Holy Cross, the 25-year-old Cronin entered Saturday with a 9.00 ERA in two relief appearances (three runs in three innings) with one strikeout and one walk.

An international free-agent signee in March 2018, the 25-year-old Navarro came into Saturday with a 6.00 ERA in two relief outings (two runs in three innings) with five strikeouts and one walk.

White Sox reliever Edgar Navarro is congratulated by teammates during the ninth inning on his MLB debut against the Guardians on July 30 at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

“Those guys are going to get really good opportunities to prove they can pitch here,” Grifol said. “I like what they’ve done. They’re not afraid or intimidated at this level. There are things they have to work on. Ethan and (Hasler) have identified those thing (and are) working to fix them and improve. They compete.”

And now Ramsey gets to soak it all in.

“You’d like to say that it’s still just the same game, that’s what I keep telling myself,” Ramsey said. “It’s baseball, go out there and execute your pitches and do what you need to do on a daily basis, keep your same routine.

“But definitely I went and stepped on the field right when I got here, such a surreal moment but a moment I’m super thankful for and just excited to get going.”