White Sox Designate Everson Pereira For Assignment

After acquiring catcher Joey Bart, the White Sox announced outfielder Everson Pereira was designated for assignment. Chicago has a full 40-man roster.

An active trade deadline ultimately cost Pereira his roster spot. The White Sox traded for righty Huascar Brazoban early Monday morning. He filled the last 40-man opening. When the club added outfielder Brenton Doyle in a deal with the Rockies, right-hander Duncan Davitt was DFAed. Davitt was then sent to Atlanta in the trade that brought back Bart.

The 25-year-old Pereira came to Chicago from the Rays in an offseason trade. He broke camp with the team, but sprained his ankle a week into the season. The injury would be a sign of things to come. Pereira has had three separate IL stints this year, missing time with a pec strain and a concussion in addition to the ankle injury. He appeared in 27 games with the White Sox.

Pereira found moderate success this year for the first time as a big leaguer. He posted a 98 wRC+ with four home runs across 88 plate appearances. It’s been easily his most productive season after uninspiring stints with the Yankees and Rays. The strikeouts, however, remain a problem. Pereira punched out at a massive 34.1% clip in Chicago. He had a 19.3% swinging-strike rate and chased pitches outside of the strike zone nearly 40% of the time.

The White Sox primarily used Pereira in left field, but he saw time at all three outfield spots. He’s graded out as a neutral defender for his career. He’ll now head to the waiver wire. Pereira could draw some attention from outfield-needy teams, though his struggles to stay on the field might discourage clubs from submitting a claim. Pereira has not been outrighted in his career and would have to accept an outright assignment if he clears waivers.