White Sox call up top infield prospect Lenyn Sosa

The White Sox called up Double-A prospect Lenyn Sosa on Thursday, and fans can expect to see him in the starting lineup Friday, manager Tony La Russa said.

Sosa, 22, has blossomed this season, posting a .331/.384/.549 hitting line with 14 home runs and 48 RBI over 289 plate appearances. He has a 13.8% strikeout rate.

Sosa has played shortstop, third base and second base in the Sox’ farm system. Infielder Danny Mendick injured his right knee in a collision with left fielder Adam Haseley in the Sox’ 9-5 loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Mendick went on the 10-day injured list on Thursday.

Sosa played 35 games at shortstop, 12 at third base and nine at second base for Birmingham, committing two errors.

Sosa signed with the Sox out of Venezuela in 2016. He batted .290/.321/.443 with 10 homers at High-A Winston-Salem last season, earning a promotion to Birmingham, where he batted .214/.240/.282 in 35 games.

“You are going to see a lot of him,” La Russa said. “He stands at the plate, and he’s got a real nice style that shows you he’s ready. They’ve been raving about him since the first week of the season. He’s a good-looking hitter.”

Sosa said he is smarter and more selective in the strike zone than when he first starting playing pro ball.

“This is a big opportunity,” he said. “All the hard work that I’ve put in day in and day out since I started playing baseball has now come to fruition.”

La Russa has seen Sosa play. He compared his approach at the plate to Andrew Vaughn’s.

“He looks older at the plate than he really is experience-wise,” La Russa said. “Second base is probably where he should play, but he can play third, he can play short. Where he hits in the lineup, we’ll see who else plays that day but probably the last third.”

Sosa arrived at his new locker at Guaranteed Rate Field about four hours before Thursday’s game.

“I called my mom and my dad, and they started crying,” Sosa said. “They were celebrating. I think right now they are celebrating, making a barbecue and drinking some wine.”