ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Outfielder Robbie Grossman kept the ball. Another one for his collection.
Grossman, 34 a veteran of seven teams who was traded by the White Sox to the Rangers Wedesday, saved the souvenir after notching the 200th double of his career in the Sox’ victory Sunday against the Cardinals. Surviving this many seasons in the majors comes with increasingly satisfying milestones along the journey.
Each of them is meaningful.
‘‘One hundred percent,’’ Grossman told the Sun-Times before the Sox dealt him to the Rangers for Double-A pitcher Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa. ‘‘As a young player, you just hope you can wear this uniform as long as you can. And when you do reach some of these milestones, you sit back and say, ‘Wow.’ I’m just fortunate and blessed to have played as long as I have and to have had some success with that.’’
Hoopii-Tuionetoa, 23, has pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings in 12 relief appearances with 16 strikeouts for Double-A Frisco. He has been assigned to Double-A Birmingham.
Grossman returns to the Rangers where he played a worthwhile role on the team that won the World Series. The Rangers didn’t sign Grossman for 2024, leaving him in free-agent limbo through the entire offseason.
Grossman waited all winter for a team, and he signed a minor-league deal with the Sox on March 22. His contract was selected on April 4.
‘‘Body feels good, feel great physically, so just fortunate I’m still here,’’ Grossman said. ‘‘I’m glad I have a job. I’m happy to put on a major-league uniform and play.’’
A career .243/.346/.377 hitter, Grossman batted .211/.329/.377 with a team-high 13 walks in 85 plate appearances for the Sox. Grifol used him as a leadoff man 13 times since April 7.
‘‘His [veteran] presence — when he talks, everybody listens,” Sox first-base and outfielders coach Jason Bourgeois said. “He’s always looking for an edge, looking for the margins.’’
Grossman has an assortment of keepsakes, including trophies, baseballs, autographs and signed bats from players such as Tigers great Miguel Cabrera, a former teammate.
He is 10 home runs shy of 100 and 86 hits away from 1,000, and his 440-game errorless streak is the longest in major-league history for a position player. The streak ended when he misplayed a pop fly by Luis Robert Jr. against the Sox on June 13, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field.
‘‘It got to a point where people kept asking me about it, and I said: ‘It’s got to end; I’m tired of hearing about it,’ ’’ Grossman said.
A Rawlings glove he used during the streak is in his collection.
The next big achievement for Grossman will be the coveted 10 years of major-league service time. He is close.
‘‘I’ll get my 10 in June,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s something that feels so unachievable. But when you get this close, you sit back and appreciate.’’
There wasn’t much to appreciate about the Sox’ latest loss. Michael Soroka (0-4, 6.34 ERA) gave up four runs (three earned) and three hits, including a home run by Randy Arozarena on a nine-pitch at-bat that put the Sox in a 4-0 hole in the third. Soroka also walked four.
Paul DeJong homered against Rays starter Zach Eflin in the seventh to account for the Sox’ lone run.
But Eflin got Gavin Sheets to fly out on a 3-0 pitch with the bases full to end the fifth and to ground out with two men on to end the seventh.
‘‘It’s a matter of us getting the big hit when we need it,’’ said Grifol, who has overseen the worst 36-game start in Sox history.
