Phegley makes Major League Baseball debut with White Sox

Former IU catcher Josh Phegley made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox Friday, going 1-for-3 with two RBI in an 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Phegley was called up to the majors Friday, earning the start at catcher and batting eighth in the order for that evening’s game.

“He’s here to play,” Sox manager Robin Ventura said in a story on ESPNChicago.com. “He’s earned the right to come up. You get him in there as quick as you can, get their feet wet tonight, and he’s used to catching (Dylan) Axelrod, so it’s a natural fit.”

He recorded his first hit in his second major league at-bat, singling through the right side and also getting an RBI.

His other RBI came when he hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to plate a run. He struck out in his other two at-bats.

Sunday, in his second start, Phegley hit his first major league home run, taking the Rays’ David Price yard.

At Triple-A in Charlotte this season, Phegley was batting .316 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI, his best season to date.

Phegley last played at IU in 2009. He played three seasons for the Hoosiers, garnering multiple awards.

Before his junior season, he was named a Preseason All-American and was named Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by Rivals.com.

That year, he hit 17 home runs and had 66 RBI, which, at the time, ranked sixth and eighth, respectively, in school history. He was named First Team All-Big Ten at the end of the season.

After his sophomore season in 2008, he was named a second team All-American as he led the nation with a .438 batting average and led the Big Ten with 80 RBI.

— Robby Howard