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The Chicago White Sox have signed right-hander Jason Berken to a minor league contract, according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune. Gonzales adds that the Sox also reached a minor league agreement with free agent infielder Tyler Greene and released outfielder Stefan Gartrell.
Berken was recently released by the Chicago Cubs. Prior to parting ways with the Cubbies, the 29-year-old allowed two runs over 1 2/3 innings with the team during spring training.
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The Cubs acquired Berken last September, selecting the right-hander off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. He appeared in one game for Baltimore and four with the Cubs last year, posting a combined ERA of 5.49 over 19 2/3 innings.
Berken rose through the ranks as a starting pitcher, and he was a member of the O's 2009 rotation. That year he maintained an ERA of 6.54 over 24 starts spanning 119 2/3 innings.
Following the '09 campaign, Baltimore converted Berken to a reliever. He was decent out of the bullpen in 2010, posting a 3.03 ERA over 41 appearances. However, he went on to struggle as a reliever in 2011, only mustering a mark of 5.36 over 40 games.
Over four seasons in the majors, Berken owns a career ERA of 5.36 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 1.79.
Greene was released by the Astros at the end of spring training. The 29-year-old owns a career batting line of .224/.292/.356 over four seasons in the majors. He's manned every position except catcher during his time in the bigs.
