Chicago White Sox Reinstate Fraser Ellard, Option Tyler Gilbert

CHICAGO – The White Sox reinstated left-handed pitcher Fraser Ellard from the 15-day injured list and optioned left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert to Triple-A Charlotte ahead of Wednesday's 6:40 p.m. CT game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Ellard was placed on the injured list on April 11 with a strained right hamstring. He said the injury occured while sprinting during a conditioning session.

"On the last sprint, felt a pull," Ellard said Wednesday. "I was hoping it was just a tweak and then obviously the MRI showed differently. Just tried to play it safe early in the year."

Ellard made two appearances during a rehab assignment in Charlotte, pitching 2.1 innings with one hit, zero earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts.

"Feels great. Thought it was good to get my feet back under me and healthy. I feel 100 percent," Ellard said. "... Obviously main focus was just feel healthy, feel good. Besides that, just attacking guys and making sure the stuff stays the same and getting back to 100 percent."

"It was one of those weird ones. It was my lead leg block, so it was more of when I land, feeling 100 percent and getting through the pitches. That was probably a week, week and a half, and then it was a matter of getting the arm back in shape and making sure that was good in bullpens and then I was ready to go."

Prior to his injury, Ellard threw five innings with one hit, three earned runs, four walks and six strikeouts. He replaces Gilbert, who served as an opener in his last three appearances. In that role, he pitched four innings with two hits, one earned run, two walks and six strikeouts.

"I think he likes it," White Sox manager Will Venable said Tuesday of Gilbert as an opener. "He’s done a great job. He comes out and attacks guys. He's had some right-handed guys that he's had to face as teams have countered with the opener, so he's done a great job and he looks great out there."

Across 9.2 innings with the White Sox this season, he had a 5.59 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Venable still envisions a future in Chicago for Gilbert.

"He’s in a good spot and he did a great job for us. I think, as you look at this 13 game stretch with some of these lineups that we're going to face, the construction of our bullpen and what we need changes a little bit. And so we're going to value some length in the bullpen to get us through these 13 days. Gilbert's done a great job, and there's going to be a time real soon that that changes and he's going to be back here helping us out. So really just about like how our bullpen function functions right now. It just kind of was the odd guy out."

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