White Sox Lose Duke Ellis to Mets Via Waivers

Duke Ellis's time with the Chicago White Sox organization has come to an end. The New York Mets claimed the speedster outfielder off waivers on Friday.

After beginning the 2024 season with Double-A Birmingham, Ellis joined the White Sox on June 4 and made his MLB debut as a pinch runner. Speed is the name of Ellis's game, and he stole four bases in eight games with the White Sox before being demoted to Triple-A Charlotte on June 12.

The White Sox made an interesting decision last week when they designated Ellis for assignment because they wanted to retain minor-league catcher Chuckie Robinson, who could've opted out of his deal if not added to the 40-man roster by mid-June. Ellis became the odd man out in an unfortunate roster crunch, but manager Pedro Grifol was hopeful the White Sox would retain the 26-year-old.

That scenario didn't come to fruition as the Mets swooped in and snagged Ellis on Friday. Despite a mediocre start to the season, New York is pushing for a wild-card berth in a chaotic National League race. The Mets will stash Ellis in Double-A for now but could call upon the Louisiana native if they need reinforcements on defense or the basepaths.

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