ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Chicago White Sox optioned left-handed reliever Donnie Veal to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday and recalled right-handed reliever Brian Omogrosso.

Omogrosso, 29, joined the Sox before Wednesday night's game against the Texas Rangers. He learned of his promotion at 1 a.m. and was in the visitors clubhouse in Arlington 12 hours later.

In 17 relief outings with the White Sox as a rookie in 2012, Omogrosso had a 2.57 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 17 innings. He allowed only one earned run in his final seven appearances, a span of nine innings.

With Charlotte this season, Omogrosso is 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA with nine strikeouts in seven 9.2 innings.

"I was nervous last year with it being my first time up," the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder said. "It helps to have another year of experience and knowing the guys more. You play your whole life for this opportunity."

White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Veal had "things he needed to work on," but the team doesn’t have the luxury to wait for development.

Veal, 28, was 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA in 6 1/3 innings and one hold in 12 relief appearances.

Veal was brought in to face left-handed hitting Mitch Moreland but was touched for an RBI double, the first of six Texas runs in the sixth inning of a 10-6 White Sox loss Tuesday.

Ventura said that after this move, the White Sox will be less likely to call on a reliever to work just one batter with fewer left-handers in the bullpen.

The Chicago White Sox's 1-2 punch at the top of the starting rotation will be complemented this season by the 1-2 punch at the back end of the bullpen.

Where Chris Sale and Jake Peavy are being looked upon to give the White Sox a chance to win each and every night they take the mound, a different pair will be entrusted to make sure late leads aren't squandered.

That's the initial thought, anyway, as closer Addison Reed figures to have a fellow flame-throwing co-conspirator in Nate Jones, who is primed to become a full-time setup man. Manager Robin Ventura tried to suggest over the winter that the closer spot is up for grabs, but the job clearly belongs to Reed for now.

Add that Reed-Jones combination to veteran relievers Matt Thornton and Jesse Crain, not to mention newcomer Matt Lindstrom, and the White Sox have a group to envy.

Complementing that well-rounded collection of arms will be the versatile Hector Santiago, who can not only pitch late in games if needed, he can also be used in long relief. Add the fact that he is left-handed and Santiago could find himself in any of a number of roles this season, including spot starter if needed.

Depth has also shown itself this spring. Brian Omogrosso has pitched well and could land a roster spot if Crain isn't able to start the season on time because of a muscle strain in his right leg. Newcomer Ramon Troncoso appears to have recaptured some of the form that helped him to become a mainstay in the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen for a few seasons.

Add to that the performances in Arizona of Daniel Moskos and Jhan Marinez, and the White Sox feel they have replacement pieces that could come in handy as the season progresses.

THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS

• If Reed hears Jones' footsteps behind him, that could end up being a good thing. For some, the idea that a teammate might be gaining on you and about to take your job could prove uneasy. More solid work from Jones could create that scenario, but Reed has shown that he can use pressure situations to his advantage. After all, last season he posted a 3.56 ERA over 30 1/3 innings of save situations and a 6.20 ERA over 24 2/3 innings in non-save situations.

• As the veterans of the bullpen, Thornton and Crain will need to be steadying influences. For Thornton that means overcoming inconsistencies that have cropped up over the past few seasons and be the left-handed reliever the White Sox can rely on. Including this spring, Crain is starting to show he is susceptible to nagging injuries at age 31. When healthy, Crain has shown he is more than good enough to get the job done so avoiding the injury bug will be huge.

• Lindstrom brings another live arm to go along with Reed and Jones and if he can get into a groove, the White Sox can be brutal to contend with after the sixth inning. Lindstrom has spent most of his big-league time in the National League, but in 34 games with the Baltimore Orioles last season he delivered a 2.72 ERA and had 30 strikeouts to 12 walks, while opponents hit .254 against him.

Doug Padilla previews the White Sox by position in the days leading up to pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training on Feb. 12.

Nothing beats a cost-effective young closer like Addison Reed, especially since his low price tag gives the Chicago White Sox the opportunity to spend on other areas of the bullpen.

Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton, the bullpen veterans, will split $10 million between them with there still a little left over to bring in a hard-throwing newcomer in Matt Lindstrom, who will pocket $2.3 million this season. The rest of the relief help falls into the "affordable" category.

The back end of the bullpen appears to be solid, but the White Sox still can't ignore other areas. Finding a quality long man (or two) will be vital, especially with starter John Danks returning from injury and any efforts the club might undertake to maintain Chris Sale's innings.

So far, the only thing the White Sox are saying in regard to Sale is that he will get a later start than others in spring training and no mention has been made on a targeted inning count for 2013. Sale threw 192 innings in 2012.

Addison Reed, RHP: The young talent was far from the only one who dealt with a late-season swoon. It's easy to see that Reed trailed off last season with an 8.00 ERA in September and an opponents' batting average of .351 in the month. Reed's most ardent supporters, though, will point a handful of outings, especially the six runs he allowed May 13, as the reason for his untidy 4.75 ERA. The bottom line is that consistency will be Reed's aim this season and his first full season of experience should help him get there. He plans on using a new cardio program to help with stamina throughout the summer.

Matt Thornton, LHP: Once again, there will be a lot expected from one of the veteran anchors of the White Sox's bullpen. It's perhaps a tall order considering that Thornton's 10 losses were easily the most of all left-handers last year and were tied for the most among all relievers in baseball. Add to that four blown saves as the carnage mounted. Through it all, Thornton did manage seven saves and an ERA under 3.50. His veteran presence will be leaned on heavily.

Jesse Crain, RHP: A strained left oblique and a strained right shoulder disrupted a 2012 season but the year still wasn't a lost cause. Crain managed to make 51 appearances (48 innings) while posting a 2.44 ERA to go along with four saves and two victories. His 1.08 WHIP was his best since posting a 1.07 mark in his rookie season of 2004 with the Minnesota Twins. He is expected to pitch for Canada in the WBC.

Nate Jones, RHP: In the epitome of a surprise breakout season, Jones managed to skip the Triple-A level entirely by earning a roster spot with a solid 2012 spring training. His 2.39 ERA and 8-0 rookie marks signal that the sky's the limit for the hard thrower from Kentucky. At SoxFest manager Robin Ventura told the crowd that Jones would be able to challenge Reed for the closer spot. Ventura's wink afterward suggested Reed will keep his job, but there is still no mistaking the White Sox like what they have in Jones.

Matt Lindstrom, RHP: If Reed and Jones represent the hard-throwing youngsters, Lindstrom is the older equivalent. He will turn 33 on Monday but still relies on the velocity of his youth. Despite pitching in both leagues last season (with Arizona and Baltimore), he still posted a 2.68 ERA over 48 outings. Finally getting a chance to pick his own club via free agency, Lindstrom says he delayed the process this winter in order to hear from the White Sox. He's right where he wants to be now.

Hector Santiago, LHP: If Danks isn't ready to start the season on time, Santiago could end up getting some early starts. Either way, he should be a key member of the bullpen as a long man, and his ability to rack up innings would help ease the early innings count on the recovering Danks. If Gavin Floyd can't work his way back toward 200 innings, Santiago could be in for a long, grueling season.

Dylan Axelrod, RHP: Also in the competition for any early Danks starts, Axelrod could also help in the long man department. It isn't likely the White Sox carry two long men, but if either Axelrod or Santiago is starting at any point then a bullpen spot would be available for the other.

Donnie Veal, LHP: With Santiago and Thornton in the bullpen, the White Sox have coverage from the left side. But Veal could end up being a lefty specialist like the White Sox tried to do with Will Ohman in recent years.

Other bullpen options include Deunte Heath, Brian Omogrosso and Leyson Septimo, who all saw some action with the White Sox last season. Non-roster invitees to camp with major-league experience include Jeff Gray, who pitched 52 innings for the Twins last season, and Ramon Troncoso, who was a key member of the Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen that made back-to-back NLCS appearances in 2008 and 2009.

The Chicago White Sox announced six rosters moves on Saturday.

The White Sox reinstated catcher Tyler Flowers from the paternity leave list, returned infielder Orlando Hudson and relief pitcher Leyson Septimo from their injury rehabilitation assignments and reinstated them from the 15-day disabled list, recalled relief pitchers Deunte Heath and Brian Omogrosso from Triple-A Charlotte and purchased the contract of infielder Dan Johnson from Triple-A.

Flowers was placed on the paternity list on Aug. 30 for the birth of his first child, Mia Therese.

Hudson has been on the disabled list since Aug. 17 with a contusion of the first metatarsal joint in his left foot. He is hitting .182 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 36 games with the White Sox this season.

Septimo has been on disabled list since Aug. 17 with left biceps inflammation. He is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in 12 appearances for the White Sox this season.

Heath is making his second stint with the White Sox this season. He did not play when he was with the team from July 4-8. He went 4-3 with a 1.48 ERA in 36 appearances in Charlotte this season.

Omogrosso is 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA in five appearances for the White Sox this season. He was 0-2 with a 4.56 ERA and nine saves in 33 appearances in Charlotte.

Johnson is making his first appearance with the White Sox this season. He batted. 267 with 28 home runs and 85 RBIs in 137 games in Charlotte this season.
The White Sox’s active roster was increased to 31 and the 40-man roster went to 40.

The Chicago White Sox placed reliever Brian Bruney on the disabled list with left hip inflammation and recalled right-hander Brian Omogrosso from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

After seven seasons in the organization, the 27-year-old Omogrosso will make his major league debut whenever he gets in to a game with the White Sox, possibly as soon as Friday night against the New York Yankees. Omogrosso has a 4.09 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 33 innings over 21 games with Charlotte.

Bruney picked up a win in his only appearance of the season against Milwaukee on June 24.