Moncada makes early exit in White Sox win over Twins

Chicago White Sox rookie second baseman Yoan Moncada has been dealing with shin splints in his right leg for the past week.

Moncada didn't play Saturday or Sunday at Texas, and he sat out Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against Minnesota.

In Thursday night's 5-1 win over the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field, Moncada led off the fourth inning with a walk and stole second base with one out. Nicky Delmonico grounded to Minnesota first baseman Mitch Garver, who booted the ball for an error.

Moncada scored from second on the play, but he aggravated the injury rounding third base and limped to the dugout after diving headfirst into home.

Moncada came out of the game in the sixth inning, and is going to have an MRI Friday morning.

"I think that this time, more than soreness, I felt pain," Moncada said through an interpreter. "I don't think it's going to be something worse. It's just like a pain."

The Sox wound up taking 3 of 5 in the marathon series against Minnesota.

Derek Holland took the mound for the White Sox, and the veteran left-hander was 1-7 with a 9.55 over his last 11 starts.

"It can be a lonely place when you're struggling like that," Holland said after pitching 6 innings against the Twins and allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 4 walks. "I continued to stay positive. I continued to fight through everything that's been happening. Today is definitely a great day."

Right fielder Avisail Garcia did not play for the White Sox. Earlier Thursday, Garcia's wife Anakarina gave birth to a son, Avi.

Sox right fielder Leury Garcia left the game after the third inning with back spasms.

Hansen on the move:

According to Sox farm director Chris Getz, pitching prospect Alec Hansen is being promoted and will start for Class AA Birmingham Monday.

While going a combined 11-8 with a 2.68 ERA for low A Kannapolis and high A Winston-Salem this season, Hansen ranked No. 1 in the minor leagues with 174 strikeouts (in 131 innings).

Burger takes a ride:

Third baseman Jake Burger, the White Sox's first-round draft pick in June out of Missouri State, hit for the cycle Thursday night with A Kannapolis.

In a 6-5 win over the Greensboro Grasshoppers that ran 11 innings, Burger singled in the second, homered in the third, tripled in the fifth, walked in the seventh and doubled in the ninth.

Burger (5-for-5) added another single in the 11th inning.