The White Sox were hoping for an offensive jolt at a stagnant position when they designated catcher Reese McGuire for assignment last weekend and recalled Drew Romo, a 24-year-old offseason waiver claim who hit .298/.385/.561 in 17 games at Charlotte.
But they couldn’t have expected what Romo delivered Tuesday against the Angels. He belted the first two home runs of his career — and the first two home runs by a Sox catcher this year.
The switch-hitting Romo smashed a two-run blast from the left side of the plate off Angels ace Jose Soriano in the fourth inning.
Then the new arrival took reliever Brent Suter deep in the sixth inning from the right side of the plate, making Romo the first Sox player to homer from both sides in a game since Leury Garcia did it against the Twins on July 25, 2020.
Earlier in the game, Soriano had surrendered just the second run he’d allowed on the season, on a solo homer by Colson Montgomery.
Sox right-hander Davis Martin turned in another solid start, giving up an RBI single to Jo Adell in the fourth and scattering six other hits across 5 ⅔ innings with seven strikeouts and a walk.
The Sox nearly squandered a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the seventh inning but got one over when Sam Antonacci barely got hit by a pitch from José Fermin to force in a run. It was welcome insurance before reliever Jordan Leasure gave up a solo homer to left fielder Josh Lowe in the eighth.
Closer Seranthony Dominguez shut down the Angels in the ninth.
The Sox had been saddled with a major-league-worst .443 OPS at the position entering the game, more than 150 points behind the next-worst catching crew in that category.
Primary catcher Edgar Quero hasn’t made the most of his full-time audition in place of injured Kyle Teel, slashing a paltry .169/.286/.185 with one extra-base hit, a double.
More outfield pain
Right fielder Everson Pereira left the game with soreness in his right shoulder and is considered day-to-day.
Pereira, who spent a week on the injured list earlier this season with a sprained ankle, has provided some much-needed pop in the Sox’ outfield, hitting .250/.310/.453 with three homers. He’s also a team leader in fun facts as the only player in MLB history with the first name ‘‘Everson.’’
Pereira was replaced by Austin Hays, who saw his first action in three weeks after his own IL stint with a pulled hamstring. Hays, who rejoined the team after utility player Tanner Murray suffered an ugly shoulder injury Sunday, went 0-for-2.
Condolences for Cora
Manager Will Venable was as surprised as anyone to see Phillies manager Rob Thomson fired three days after the Red Sox axed Alex Cora. Venable served as Cora’s bench coach with the Red Sox during the 2021-22 seasons.
‘‘Those guys are two really good guys,’’ Venable said. ‘‘I know Cora really well, having worked for him, and he’s as good a manager as I’ve been around and a special guy. It just kind of speaks to how sensitive these jobs are and these opportunities. It’s tough to see because you care about those guys and you know they’re good guys, but you understand that’s part of baseball.’’
Actual moonshot for Mune
The homer Munetaka Murakami golfed out of Rate Field at a 48-degree launch angle Monday was the steepest dinger on record at the ballpark in the Statcast era, which dates to 2015.
Only eight other homers ever have made it out of parks at higher angles, according to MLB stathead Sarah Langs.
Murakami’s moonshot sailed 101 feet high, 382 feet deep and about 96 mph off the bat — hardly the prettiest one he has cranked among his major-league-high 12 homers, but it was ‘‘well-timed, for sure,’’ Venable said, and a good example of his effortless power.
The ones ‘‘where he’s not getting his ‘A’ swing off and he’s still hitting the ball out of the park are maybe some of the most impressive,’’ Venable said. ‘‘But they’ve all been impressive.’’
