White Sox cut three players, still have 52 in camp

GLENDALE, Ariz. — It’s that time of the spring, and the White Sox made three more roster cuts before their Cactus League game Monday against the Rockies at Camelback Ranch.

Right-handers Wikelman Gonzalez and David Sandlin and infielder Tanner Murray were sent to Triple-A Charlotte.

With the moves, the Sox have 52 players left in camp: 26 pitchers, five catchers, 10 infielders and 11 outfielders.

‘‘A little bit of a different story with each of them,’’ manager Will Venable explained. ‘‘They all did well and had really productive camps.’’

About Murray, Venable said: ‘‘I really liked what he did. Really good defensive versatility. He put some charges into some balls. He’s somebody we still value and think he can come help us. But we’ve got other guys ahead of him right now.’’

About Gonzalez, he said: ‘‘Very much still a work in progress. We really like him, too. He’s such a hard worker and a great guy in the clubhouse. He’s got to throw more strikes and be more aggressive in the zone. He knows that, and he’s working very hard on it.’’

About Sandlin, he said: ‘‘By the time he got in here, he’d been behind the eight-ball a little bit as far as his build-up. So we want to just make sure what he needs to do to continue build up. And we expect him to be an option at some point, as well. The back was a problem when he got here, and more recently there’s been some elbow soreness. We’re really just being cautious with him.’’

Gonzales left a game last week because of back spasms, but he worked out on the back fields Monday. Venable said that had nothing to do with his demotion.

Happy with Kelenic

Venable said he feels as though outfielder Jarred Kelenic is starting to come around.

Kelenic is in camp on a minor-league contract and must be added to the 40-man roster if he makes the team. A former top prospect for the Mets and Mariners, Kelenic has hit home runs in his last two games after a rough start at the plate. He is hitting .267 this spring after hitting .167 in 65 games last season for the Braves.

‘‘He’s really been good,’’ Venable said. ‘‘The things we’ve highlighted with him — his athleticism, his defensive ability, his pop at the plate — it’s all coming up now. It’s really about the way he’s just gone about his business, staying on line and staying focused on things that matter.’’

With the Sox having lost a modern-day record 121 games in 2024 and 102 last season, there’s obviously some room for Kelenic and a lot of other players.

‘‘If he keeps doing what he’s doing, it’s going to force us to make some tough decisions here,’’ Venable said. ‘‘And that’s what we want. We’ve given these guys transparency that there was a path for a lot of them to make the team. They’re going to make it hard for us, and that’s what we want. That means we’re in a good spot when we have these tough decisions to make.’’

Sox 12, Rockies 3

Everson Pereira played his first spring game Monday and went three innings in right field, as planned, Sox manager Will Venable said. He took six at-bats in an intrasquad game and walked in his only plate appearance against the Rockies.

‘‘For him, it’s about health right now,’’ Venable said. ‘‘We just need to get him healthy. We just need to get him built up.’’

Pereira suffered an injury to his right oblique while taking swings off a hitting machine earlier in camp.

• Infielder Oliver Dunn hit a home run in the second inning against Rockies starter Kyle Freeland. He also led off the Sox’ 11-run fourth with a triple. He finished 3-for-4 and missed the cycle by a double.

• Attendance was 2,767, but that wasn’t the lowest of the spring for the Sox. The worst was 2,400 on Feb. 25 against the Reds. They’re averaging 3,354 fans for nine home dates.

• On deck: Sox at Athletics, 3:05 p.m. Tuesday, Mesa, Shane Smith vs. Jeffrey Springs.