April 10--The White Sox put Adam Eaton on paternity leave before Sunday's game and called up right-hander Michael Ynoa from Double-A Birmingham.
"I'm still in shock," Ynoa said.
After the game was called off, Ynoa was sent back to Birmingham and Eaton will return to the team on Monday.
The 6-foot-7-inch reliever was acquired from the A's last year with Jeff Samardzija in the deal that sent Marcus Semien and three other prospects to Oakland. Ynoa posted a 2.61 earned-run average at Class-A Winston-Salem in 2015, with 40 strikeouts over 38 innings, while missing time with shoulder issues.
"My goal was to work hard and be ready for anything and try to be healthy," he said.
Eaton's wife welcomed a baby boy into the world. Manager Robin Ventura said Eaton "hopefully" would be on the flight to Minnesota tonight, and available for the upcoming series against the Twins.
"Just an extra arm down there," Ventura said of Ynoa. "We feel like we're insulated enough, player-wise ... Adam gets to enjoy his time today."
Pitching coach Don Cooper was high on Ynoa's future in spring training, and even if this is a cameo, the hard-throwing pitcher could be a big part of the bullpen before the season is out.
"I did tell him (in spring training) 'You're not far away,'" Cooper said. "And boy, was I a prophet. Listen, obviously he did very well in spring training. But it's also nice to be able to have a job where you can see people realize their dreams. It's a lifelong dream for him to be in the big leagues. Well, he's here, and that's a wonderful thing. And don't be surprised if you see him in the game today."
But there was no surprise, because there was no game.
