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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Chicago White Sox centerfielder Jordan Danks was scratched two hours before the series opener against the Texas Rangers due to a bursa sac inflammation behind the right knee.

Dewayne Wise will spell Danks, a native Texan, in centerfield and bat ninth.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura said Danks’ injury wasn’t serious.

“It was one of those decisions that we’d rather have him available off the bench than start him and have to take him out after a couple of innings,’’ the manager said.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox's need to pay cash for a backup outfielder Monday brings to light all of the issues that have continued to torment highly-regarded prospect Jared Mitchell.

The former first-round draft pick, whom the White Sox continue to hold in high regard, can't seem to catch a break and the White Sox's acquisition of Casper Wells from the Oakland Athletics on Monday only seems to highlight that.

The early-season injury to Dayan Viciedo, and the fact that the team started the season with only four outfielders, has brought the White Sox's major-league ready depth into focus. On the lower levels, the White Sox have some of the most impressive outfield talent around, but when it comes to players who can jump into the major leagues now, it isn't nearly as strong.

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CHICAGO -- Without a ton of depth, good health was imperative for the Chicago White Sox, and so far things have gone nothing like the team hoped.

Not only does John Danks continue to recover from last summer’s shoulder surgery, but Dayan Viciedo is now on the disabled list with an oblique strain, joining fellow Opening Day starter Gordon Beckham, who fractured the hamate bone in his left hand/wrist.

In addition to that, utility man Angel Sanchez has already gone to the disabled list, along with reliever Leyson Septimo.

“I don’t remember an April where we’ve had five guys on the DL, but that’s just part of the gig and that’s where we’re at right now,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “Fortunately, nothing seems that long term. We expect all of these guys to be back in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, we’ll give some other guys opportunities.

“You’ve seen Conor Gillaspie make the most of his chance to get more regular at-bats, and here’s a chance now for guys like [Jordan] Danks, [Blake] Tekotte and Dewayne Wise to step up and play a larger role.”

While Viciedo was still trying to find his way in the early going, Beckham was off to a solid start before he was injured. Taking advantage of his spot toward the end of the White Sox’s order, Beckham was batting .316 after the first seven days, although he had yet to deliver an extra-base hit.

With Jeff Keppinger moving over to second base, Gillaspie has made the most of his opportunity at third base. He closed out the road trip on an 0-for-6 slide but was still batting .364 with a .485 slugging percentage at the start of play Saturday.

Gillaspie was acquired at the start of spring training as a nod to the club’s lack of depth. The White Sox’s system is not highly regarded by baseball publications, like Baseball America, that monitor the minor leagues.

Hahn was asked whether the injuries and a 7-9 start have tempted to tinker with the roster via trades.

“Given all the injuries, it’s been fairly easy to tinker and scratch that itch, so to speak,” Hahn said. “It certainly is a temptation to explore other options, but it’s way too soon to avert from the plan except when forced to due to injury.

“We’d rather get up to at least 6-8-week sample before you start drawing any sort of long-term conclusions, whether it be the guys who have gotten off to fantastic starts or the guys who have struggled early.”

Health issues haven’t been exclusive to the roster. Pitching coach Don Cooper missed the entire 10-game road trip with a digestive issue that required hospitalization in Washington D.C.

“It wasn’t a good road trip,” Ventura said of his club, which went 3-7 on its three-city swing. “Not only losing players, but you’re losing staff members. But again, it’s part of the game, and you just have to be able to have somebody come in and pick it up and keep going. That’s just part of baseball and being a long season and being able to make it work.”

TORONTO -- The Chicago White Sox recalled outfielder Jordan Danks from Triple-A Charlotte Wednesday and placed left-hander Charlie Leesman on waivers for the purpose of granting his unconditional release.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If there is something the Chicago White Sox don't have a shortage of it is up-and-coming outfielders looking to get noticed.

Turns out there will be plenty of chances for those young players to show what they are capable of doing.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox's playoff chances are fading quickly after another offensive meltdown Thursday evening.

The 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays was similar to many of the team's failures during this losing streak that has consumed the club. Chicago has lost eight of their past nine games and has seen a lead of three games become a deficit of two in the American League Central Division in just 11 days.

Robin Ventura’s team had the bases loaded with nobody out in both the fourth and fifth innings and only managed to score once in each. The lack of run production took the zip out of a stellar performance by starter Jake Peavy, who allowed just two runs in 7 1/3 innings and suffered a no-decision.

"Jake was pitching great," Ventura said. "He had given us everything that you need [to win]. Tonight it was about if you don't execute you are not going to win."

The Sox, of course, did not execute, and once again were awful with men in scoring position going 1-for-8 at the plate and are now 9-for-73 in their past 10 games as they have gone 2-8.

They had a man on first and nobody out in the eighth inning and failed in two areas to do the little things. Pinch-runner Jordan Danks was called out on an appeal play when he failed to touch second base after running past the base on a fly ball. Danks failed to touch second on the way back to first base. That play was preceded by pinch-hitter Dewayne Wise failing to get a bunt down to advance Danks into scoring position.

"If you don't do the fundamental things you aren't going to win," Ventura said. "It is that simple. We had opportunities late. We did not do the fundamental things and it has been for a while now that we haven't done the things to be successful."

Peavy, who may have pitched his last home game as a Sox starter, took the blame for not pitching better. In reality he did a good job of holding down a hot Rays team that has now won eight straight games. The Sox hold an option of buying out the pitcher's $22 million contract for $4 million. Peavy and his teammates are seemingly seeing their once hopeful season slip away.

"I think everybody will take accountability for the way we played," Peavy said. "We had it right there in front of us a lot of tonight and the last week and a half. We just have not been able to do it."

The Tigers and Sox still have six games each to play, but Detroit's magic number is now at five.

The Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Alejandro De Aza on the disabled list with bruised left ribs and recalled outfielder Jordan Danks from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

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Chicago White Sox centerfielder Alejandro De Aza will be placed on the disabled list prior to Tuesday’s game with a strained oblique, according to multiple sources.

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The Chicago White Sox recalled left-handed reliever Donnie Veal from Triple-A Charlotte, taking the roster spot of outfielder Jordan Danks, who was optioned on Sunday.

Veal, who made two relief appearances with the White Sox during a stint from July 19-22, is 7-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 35 games with Charlotte.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox optioned outfielder Jordan Danks to Triple-A Charlotte after Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Oakland Athletics, the team announced.

Danks, 26, is batting .265 with three RBIs in 29 games with the White Sox this season. He hit his first major-league home run on Friday to give the White Sox a walkoff win over the A’s.

The White Sox will make a corresponding roster move before Monday night’s game in Toronto.

CHICAGO -- Morgan Chmara joked with her cousin Megan in the right-field bleachers that they were destined to be the recipients of one of the Chicago White Sox's many home runs on Friday night.

The White Sox had already sent three homers into the stands against the Oakland Athletics when Jordan Danks came to the plate with the game tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Danks swore that as he approached the batter’s box, a vision came to him -- he was going to hit a home run. It was some vision, because he had zero major-league home runs in his career up to then and had never hit a walk-off home run at any level.

One pitch later, Danks and Chmara were proven both correct and became linked in a story both will be telling for the rest of their lives.

Athletics reliever Pat Neshek delivered a first-pitch fastball. Looking to jump on the first pitch and hoping for a fastball, the left-handed-hitting Danks connected wood perfectly with ball, and the ball skyrocketed, leaving no doubt where it was headed.

Chmara’s ticket was supposed to put her in the second row of section 105, but she had moved up about nine rows to sit with the rest of her party. When Danks’ shot flew in her direction, she jumped to her feet like nearly everyone in her section. All attempts to catch the ball on the fly were unsuccessful, and somehow Chmara found the ball resting at her feet and snatched it up.

“Everyone went crazy, and I just picked it up,” Chmara said with a laugh.

As Chmara was clutching her prize possession, Danks was jogging around the bases not exactly knowing what or how to feel.

“Oh, man,” Danks said with an endless grin in the clubhouse afterward. “I didn’t know what to do. I’ve seen so many people do it. This being my first I didn’t know what to feel. I just felt really happy.”

Danks’ happiness was shared with all of his teammates moments later. After stepping on third base and approaching home plate, Danks took off his helmet, skipped, threw his helmet around his back toward the dugout, continued to run into a gauntlet of his teammates and finally reached the plate where everyone jumped on him in celebration. Someone -- Danks couldn’t say whom -- hit him in the face with a shaving-cream pie.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura watched it all from a safe distance.

“If you’re going to hit it, that’s a good way to hit one, especially it being his first,” Ventura said. “I know he’s excited to be able to contribute in that kind of way. He was filling in for guys who were hurt. Now he gets a shot to really do something -- win a game. Any guy who does that, it’s exciting, but your first home run, he probably won’t sleep a whole lot tonight.”

Chmara, who was visiting from Toronto, was ecstatic to retrieve the home run, but her day was made even more exciting when she heard what the significance was to Danks. She was gladly willing to give him the ball.

“That’s really cool, too,” Danks said of receiving the ball. “I wouldn’t have been sad if I didn’t. The feeling is 10 times greater. But to get it back it pretty cool.”

All Chmara asked for in return were two signed balls. As Danks signed the second ball, he said, “My hand is still shaking.”

A White Sox’s security guard took the signed ball, delivered it to Chmara in the reception area and she was told by a reporter what Danks had said about his hand still shaking. Chmara’s eyes lit up and she smiled.

“Oh, my gosh,” Chmara said. “I think that’s exciting. I’m glad to be a part of it. Good for him. Congratulations, that’s awesome.”

CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday.

How it happened: White Sox left fielder Jordan Danks made his first major league home run really count. Danks hit a walk-off homer into the right-field stands to give the White Sox the win. The White Sox relied on the home run for all their runs Friday. A.J. Pierzynski, Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo also hit homers. The White Sox have 141 home runs on the season. White Sox starter Gavin Floyd struggled early, allowing three runs in the first two innings, but he settled down and didn’t allow another run. He pitched six innings and received a no-decision. The White Sox’s bullpen pitched three scoreless innings of relief. Brett Myers picked up the win.

What it means: The White Sox remained in first place in the American League Central with their win. The Tigers, who were still playing when the White Sox won, trailed the Sox by one game when the day began.

Outside the box: Pierzynski’s 22nd home run of the season was the most by a White Sox catcher since Carlton Fisk hit 23 in 1987. Pierzynski set a single-season high this season.

Up next: Francisco Liriano (3-10, 5.03) will make his third start for the White Sox on Saturday. Travis Blackley (4-3, 3.30) will start for the Athletics.

CHICAGO -- Back stiffness will keep Alejandro De Aza out of the lineup for the second straight game, giving Jordan Danks another start in center field tonight against the Kansas City Royals. De Aza is hitting .444 with a pair of doubles and four RBI over his last six games.

Starter Jake Peavy is looking for his third straight start tonight after allowing two runs over eight innings of work against Minnesota on Aug. 1.

Here's tonight's lineup for the Sox:

1. Jordan Danks - CF
2. Kevin Youkilis - 3B
3. Adam Dunn - DH
4. Paul Konerko - 1B
5. Alex Rios - RF
6. A.J. Pierzynski - C
7. Alexei Ramirez - SS
8. Dayan Viciedo - LF
Gordon Beckham - 2B

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Chicago White Sox go into the second game of their three-game series against the Texas Rangers with a patchwork lineup after riding a nine-run offensive effort to a win in game one.

Alejandro De Aza and Alexei Ramirez will join A.J. Pierzynski on the bench after injuring their wrists in a collision in the outfield during Friday’s game. Jordan Danks will sub for De Aza in center field and Eduardo Escobar has been penciled in at shortstop with Tyler Flowers still catching. Robin Ventura said he expects his backups to play well.

“That’s part of their job, being able to step in,” Ventura said. “Energy-wise, sometimes you get guys coming off the bench and there’s a certain amount of energy that can help. Usually those day games after a night game you get these guys that go in there and it’s a different feel. Sometimes it helps you.”

Ventura said there was an 80 percent chance that Ramirez would be back on Sunday, but that De Aza could potentially miss the rest of the series. Ventura also said that Piezynski would definitely return to his catching duties on Sunday, which would restore some normalcy to the lineup.

“Really De Aza is the only one that’s shut down for tonight and maybe tomorrow,” Ventura said. “Alexei could go play shortstop, but it’s just tender enough that we want to give him a day and hopefully he feels better tomorrow. A.J. could play if we need him in an emergency.”

De Aza still has quite a bit of soreness in his wrist. He is not likely to receive an x-ray, as the training staff believes it is a mild sprain.

Danks, who has been trying to embrace his new role of coming off the bench, said he was particularly excited to get a start in his home state of Texas.

“It’s really cool actually,” Danks said. “I’ve got a lot of family coming up. I told them I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to play at all this weekend. Obviously I’m not excited about De Aza getting hurt, but to get the opportunity is exciting with my family and everybody here.”

Other notes:

• The White Sox go into their second game in Texas with a particularly Lone Star flavor. Three starters for Saturday’s game are Texans playing in their home state, including Adam Dunn, Philip Humber and Jordan Danks. Escobar was in the Texas spirit, showing off his new black cowboy hat with a zebra print brim in the clubhouse. Ironically, David Murphy is the Rangers’ only starter from Texas for Saturday’s game.

• The Detroit Tigers took a step back Saturday in their race for the AL Central lead, dropping their second consecutive game to the Toronto Blue Jays. The White Sox will now go into their second game against the Rangers with a two-game lead over their surging division rivals. Ventura said that his team isn’t paying too close of attention to the standings.

“Baseball’s just funny,” He said. “I think the timing of everything is unique in baseball. The stretches teams go through. You have to be able to just kind of let that go and continue to play. That’s the most important thing for us: no matter what, you still put all that out of your mind and just play. It’s a long long way to go.”

A quick look at the Chicago White Sox's 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday in Los Angeles.

How it happened: White Sox starter Jose Quintana threw eight innings of shutout ball, but the bullpen couldn’t hold on. Addison Reed blew his first save of the seasaon, giving up the tying run in the ninth on a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Bobby Abreu, a single to Elian Herrera and a sacrifice fly by Juan Rivera. With Matt Thornton pitching the 10th , Tony Gwynn tripled to left on a ball that Jordan Danks misplayed. Three batters later, Dee Gordon drove home Gwynn with a two-out hit. Quintana allowed just five hits while striking out six. Dayan Viciedo's single to center scored Brent Lillibridge to give the Sox the lead in the sixth. The Dodgers appeared to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth when Herrera hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Matt Treanor, but the run was overturned when the umpires ruled Treanor had left third base early. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was ejected by third base umpire Jerry Meals for arguing the call.

What it means: While several Sox starters are struggling, Quintana continues to surprise as a fill-in for the injured John Danks. The Sox lost the series against the Dodgers and remain 1.5 games ahead of the Indians in the AL Central.

Outside the box: The White Sox haven’t won consecutive games since their nine-game winning streak ended on June 2. They are 5-9 since that date.

Up next: The Crosstown Classic continues as Zach Stewart (1-1, 5.18) takes on the Chicago Cubs and Matt Garza (2-5. 4.04) at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday. Game time is 7:10 CT.