White Sox selecting contract of Tommy Pham

The White Sox are selecting the contract of veteran outfielder Tommy Pham, sources confirmed to the Sun-Times on Friday.

Pham, 36, will be in uniform for the struggling team’s opener of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field. He has played in four games at Triple-A Charlotte to get ready, going 5-for-17 with a double.

The Sox will need to make a corresponding move to create room on the active and 40-man roster for Pham, a free agent who signed a minor-league deal with the Sox on April 16. Pham’s contract calls for $3 million plus performance bonuses this season.

Pham batted .256/.328/.446 over 481 plate appearances with the Mets and Diamondbacks last season and hit .429 against the Dodgers in the National League Division Series
and .421 with a home run and three doubles against the Rangers in the World Series.

There shall be no postseason for Pham with the Sox (3-22) who are coming off an 0-7 road trip in Philadelphia and Minnesota and enduring the worst start in franchise history. Pham and others could be traded to contending teams before the trade deadline, however.

In the meantime, the Sox welcome Pham’s bat to a lineup that has been shut out eight times and ranks last in the majors with 56 runs scored. The next worst offensive team, the Athletics, have scored 74.

Pham is a .259 hitter with 130 homers and 431 RBI over 10 seasons with St. Louis, Tampa Bay, San Diego, Cincinnati and Boston.

Manager Pedro Grifol said Pham can be used at all three outfield positions. The Sox current outfield cast includes Andrew Benintendi, Kevin Pillar, Robbie Grossman, Gavin Sheets and designated hitter Eloy Jimenez.

“He has a track record in this game and he’s a really good hitter, has ability to control the strike zone,” Grifol said of Pham after he was signed. “He has a pretty good on-base, he has some power, he’s versatile out there. He’s got an edge to him that I really like.”