The White Sox have signed 29-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jeremy Reed to a minor league deal. Reed played in 14 games earlier this year for the Blue Jays and he was 3 for 21 (.143 avg, .503 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Reed has now played in 476 games in his 7 years in the majors and he is 315 of 1,243 (.253 avg, .666 OPS) with 141 runs scored, 12 homers, 110 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. This was a smart move for the White Sox who will stash Reed in AAA for now.

The White Sox have gotten really hot lately and that streak has them in first place in the A.L. Central with a 49-38 record as they are 1/2 a game ahead of the Tigers and 3 1/2 games ahead of the Twins. Despite the Pale Hose’ recent hot streak everything has not been a Bed of Roses in 2010. Here is a look at the surprises and disappointments so far this season:

Pleasant Surprises: 29-year old Alex Rios was awful for the White Sox last season after they claimed him off waivers. But this season Rios has been the player the Pale Hose thought they were getting last year. Rios has played in 82 games for the White Sox this year and he is 95 of 311 (.305 avg, .878 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 15 homers, 49 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. 35-year old righty starting pitcher Freddy Garcia missed most of the 2008 and 2009 seasons so the White Sox weren’t expecting much out of him in 2010. He has started 16 games for the White Sox this year and he is 9-3 with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. The White Sox hope that Garcia’s second half looks like his first half. 33-year old righty reliever J.J. Putz was lost and banged up as a New York Met in 2009. The White Sox snapped him up as a free agent over the winter and he is looking better than ever. Putz has pitched in 33 games (0 starts) for the White Sox this year and he is 5-2 with 2 saves, a 1.59 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP. He has only given up 19 hits and walked 6 batters in 34 innings while whiffing 40 batters showing just how nasty he has been. 26-year old righty reliever Sergio Santos was playing shortstop until 2009 when he started pitching in the minors. He was a long shot this spring to get a look from the Pale Hose but he made the pitching staff this spring. Santos has pitched in 32 games (0 starts) for the White Sox this year and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 1.93 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

Disappointments: 23-year old 2B Gordon Beckham burst onto the scene last season as a rookie and the forecast for 2010 was that he would improve. Those forecasts have been proven to be way off as Beckham could find himself back in the minors if he doesn’t start to turn things around soon. Beckham has played in 77 games for the White Sox this year and he is 59 of 273 (.216 avg, .581 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 3 homers, 22 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 33-year old catcher A.J. Pierzynski is not hitting up to his ability so far this season. He has played in 73 games for the White Sox this year and he is 65 of 263 (.247 avg, .664 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 6 homers and 25 RBIs. When the White Sox traded for 32-year old LF Juan Pierre they expected him to hit around .300, score around 100 runs and steal 50 bases. He has not played up to those expectations this year. Pierre has played in 86 games for the White Sox this year and he is 87 of 339 (.257 avg, .615 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 0 homers, 14 RBIs and 32 stolen bases.

29-year old righty starting pitcher Jake Peavy walked off the mound in the 2nd inning last night against the Angels and it might be the last time we see him in uniform this year. That is because Peavy has a detached muscle in his right shoulder. Peavy has started 17 games for the White Sox this season and he was 7-6 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. The White Sox have placed Peavy on the 15-day disabled list and they have recalled 25-year old righty starting pitcher Jeff Marquez to replace him on the roster for now. Marquez has started 17 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 7-4 with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He will likely pitch out of the bullpen until Saturday when Peavy’s spot comes up in the rotation. The White Sox will then likely recall 23-year old righty starting pitcher Daniel Hudson to replace Peavy in the rotation. Hudson has started 17 games in AAA-ball this season and he is 11-4 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Hudson has only given up 81 hits in 93 1/3 innings in AAA-ball this season and he has 108 whiffs showing what kind of stuff he has. He got his first taste of the majors last season working in 6 games (2 starts) for the White Sox when he was 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Hudson was the White Sox’ #3 prospect heading into this season so the White Sox think he will do o.k. for them.

UPDATE: (7/9/2010) - Peavy will miss the rest of the season as he needs surgery to fix his torn muscle.

The White Sox are 43-38 on the season which has them in 3rd place in the A.L. Central, 1 game behind the Tigers. The White Sox have a glaring hole at DH and GM Kenny Williams will leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of one. He has already made offers to the Nationals for Adam Dunn but they don’t seem too interested in moving him. I think the White Sox are going to aim big as they always do. I think the will be watching the Brewers really closely as Prince Fielder would be a very nice fit for the Pale Hose. I see Jose Bautista, Luke Scott, Jorge Cantu, Corey Hart, Lance Berkman and Adam LaRoche being on Williams’ short list. The expanded list would likely include guys like Lyle Overbay, Ty Wigginton, Cody Ross, Dan Uggla and Derek Lee. Make no mistake the White Sox will have another big bat by July 31st even if Kenny Williams has to overpay to get one.

33-year old lefty reliever Matt Thornton will be the White Sox’ lone representative unless Paul Konerko wins the vote for the last man in. Thornton has pitched in 34 games (0 starts) this season for the White Sox and he is 2-3 with 5 saves, a 2.86 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Thornton only has given up 23 hits in 34 2/3 innings this season while whiffing 48 batters showing just how nasty he has been this year. Thornton was likely picked for the All-Star team because he is one of the very best lefty relievers in the game so I think he deserves the honor.