Gavin Sheets walked into the Chicago White Sox clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
“It was an incredible experience,” Sheets said Friday during a conference call. “The guys here were fantastic, each and every one of them came up to me, gave me a congratulations, told me hello. And walking into the coaches office and seeing (manager) Tony (La Russa) there and all the other coaches there with a smile on their face as well, it was an incredible moment and one I’ll never forget.
“The guys here have been tremendous. They brought me in, made me feel welcomed.”
Sheets joined the team after the Sox placed left fielder Andrew Vaughn on the injured list Thursday in compliance with Major League Baseball’s COVID-19 protocols. La Russa said Vaughn could return as soon as Saturday.
Sheets, an infielder/outfielder who did not play in 2020 after the cancellation of the minor-league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has a .319/.360/.500 slash line with five doubles, four home runs, 20 RBIs and 11 runs in 23 games with Charlotte. He entered Friday with no major-league experience and was not in the starting lineup against the Detroit Tigers.
Sheets is the No. 9 prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com.
“A lot of hard work went over this last year to get ready to be in the outfield, to put myself in this position where I could do both and help this team out in any way possible at both spots,” Sheets said. “It’s extremely satisfying to be here, just with the way last year went and then to be here now and helping a team that’s in first place in the division right now, it’s incredible.”
Sheets, 25, is a natural first baseman but he has gotten plenty of work in the outfield. He has played 14 games at first base, nine in right field and one in left for the Knights.
“There’s been some people that have really helped me out,” Sheets said. “Adam Engel has been rehabbing with us at Charlotte, and of course I’ve been picking his brain because he’s as good as any out there.
“The biggest thing for me was getting my feet wet and just getting in games and playing out there as much as possible, which I’ve been doing at Charlotte. And just getting a ton of reads in batting practice. That’s the most realistic thing other than the game.”
The Sox selected Sheets in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Wake Forest. He is the son of former big-leaguer Larry Sheets.
“Obviously my whole life, I’ve been in a baseball family,” Sheets said. “I’ve grown up around the clubhouse, I’ve been in and out of clubhouses. You don’t fully understand everything until you actually get in this spot, but my dad’s been huge in terms of just talking me through things on and off the field, of how to handle yourself as a professional and how to play professional baseball.
“It’s definitely been a bonus, especially to get here and know how to handle yourself and know how to do the ins and outs. To have him here this week has been great. He’s enjoying it more now watching than he did when he played. It’s been an awesome experience.”
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