White Sox claim Moises Sierra off waivers from Blue Jays

The Chicago White Sox have claimed outfielder Moises Sierra off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, as first reported by Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. Sierra was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Thursday and will immediately join the White Sox' major league roster because he is out of options.

Sierra, 25, was just 2-for-34 (.059) in 13 games for the Jays this year, seeing playing time in both corner outfield spots. He is a lifetime .229 hitter with 7 HR and 30 HR in 97 games over the past three seasons with Toronto, but ran out of opportunities to prove that he was a major-league hitter this season.

Sierra was thought of as a good prospect during his time in the Jays' minor league system, being ranked by Baseball America among the organization's top 30 prospects in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011, and reaching as high as eleventh on the list after the 2009 and 2011 seasons.

Sierra will join Leury Garcia as the a backup outfielder for the White Sox behind starters Alejandro De Aza, Jordan Danks and Dayan Viciedo. Adam Eaton strained his hamstring on Friday and was placed on the disabled list, opening a spot in the outfield for the newly-claimed Sierra.

Sierra could just be a stopgap option until Eaton is ready to come off the disabled list, or could keep his place on the White Sox' bench with strong play during Eaton's DL stint.