Daniel Palka, Greer High School class of 2010, gets his first major league start with the Chicago White Sox today.
A former Greer High School baseball standout will get his first major league start Wednesday afternoon.
Daniel Palka, an outfielder with the Chicago White Sox, will start against the St. Louis Cardinals and bat seventh. He is replacing Trayce Thompson in right field.
Palka, wearing uniform number 18, will face Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez.
The 1:15 p.m. game will be televised by WGN.
Since being called up from Charlotte, Palka has played in five games and has gone 6-for-16 (.375) with one home run, one triple, two doubles and six runs batted in.
Palka, 26, was drafted in the third round (88th overall) in 2012 by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Palka batted .286 (18-63) with three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and 11 runs scored in 17 games in Charlotte. He was claimed off waiver by the White Sox off waivers from Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2017.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Palka, was tied for the International League lead in homers and tied for second in runs scored and walks (10).
He is a career .270 (576-2,134) hitter with 109 homers and 361 RBI in 555 games over six minor-league seasons in the Arizona (2013-15), Twins (2016-17) and White Sox (2018) organizations.
Palka made an all-star team at every classification of his minor league career.
Palka graduated Greer High School in 2010 and was named a Rawlings Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Region. He was originally drafted by Philadelphia in the 19th round of the 2010 first-year player draft but did not sign.
He earned 2013 NCBWA First-Team All-American, 2013 Baseball America First-Team All-American and Preseason All-American and 2013 Louisville Slugger Third-Team All-American Palka participated in the 2012 College World Series HR Derby and was named the 2012 Cape Cod League All-Star Game MVP.