The Chicago White Sox have acquired infielder Jose Rondon from the San Diego Padres in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later, the teams announced Wednesday.
Rondon briefly played on the major league level in 2016, managing three hits over 26 plate appearances.
The 23-year-old spent the 2017 campaign between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso, registering a slash line of .293/.347/.442 with seven home runs and 49 RBIs over 347 plate appearances.
Rondon was originally signed by the Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela back in January 2011.
He had an impressive first year in the Angels’ farm system, slashing .315/.378/.406 with 21 RBIs across 189 trips to the dish.
The Venezuelan spent three-plus years in LA’s organization before being traded to the Padres in a deal that sent relief pitcher Huston Street to the Angels in July 2014.
Between the minor league systems of Los Angeles and San Diego in 2014, Rondon slashed .315/.363/.404 with one long ball, 26 doubles, five triples and 36 RBIs through 488 plate appearances.
However, Rondon’s next two years were very disappointing, as he slashed just .267/.320/.359 with three dingers and 31 RBIs in his first full season with the Padres’ organization in 2015 and then slashed .283/.309/.386 while connecting with six home runs and driving in 53 runs over 491 trips to the dish the following year.
Overall, Rondon owns a career minor league slash line of .290/.340/.395.
The White Sox are coming off a season in which they won just 67 games. They have not posted a winning record since 2012 and have not made the playoffs since 2008, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS.
