HOUSTON — Justin Jirschele got chills every time as a minor-league manager when he had the chance to tell a player he was headed to the majors.
“It’s easily the best part of my job,” Jirschele said Saturday afternoon at Minute Maid Park. “Makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck.”
Jirschele recently got the call-up himself, going from managing the Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate Charlotte Knights to his new role as the big-league team’s third-base coach.
“It was a little bit of all the feels, I would say,” Jirschele said. “Managing in Louisville, had the family down there. Got the call and things can change quickly in this game, as we all well know.
“Just grateful for this opportunity to be here. It certainly comes with some circumstances that aren’t necessarily good, and you understand that too. But at the end of the day you get here, you get your feet wet and get going with the guys.”
Jirschele joined the major-league staff, along with co-bench coach Doug Sisson and assistant hitting coach Mike Gellinger, on Aug. 8 as part of the changes when manager Pedro Grifol was fired.
“Nothing but respect for Pedro,” Jirschele said. “Just made me always feel like I was very much included in this thing and a special part of it. I’ll always respect him and honor him for that, for sure.”
Jirschele has enjoyed working with interim manager Grady Sizemore.
“We all feel like we’re in this thing together with him,” Jirschele said. “It’s been a really fun experience so far.”
Jirschele, 34, was in his eighth season as a manager in the Sox system and second at Charlotte before joining the major-league team. He also had stints as the assistant field coordinator and a hitting coach in the Sox organization.
“Jirsch is well-loved by all these guys, well-respected,” Sizemore said. “To have that guy around these guys, it’s been huge for us. It’s been fun working with him so far.”
Jirschele is quite familiar standing in the box near the third-base line.
“All through the years of managing in the minor leagues I’ve coached third,” he said. “Definitely comfortable over there, obviously it’s a different level, bigger stage, lights are a little bit brighter.
“At the end of the day, it’s the same thing. You’ve got to make the right decision that you feel is best for the team at that moment and live with it.”
His father, Mike, also has experience at the position. Currently the manager of the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, Mike was the third-base coach for the Kansas City Royals during the team’s 2015 World Series championship season.
Jirschele said the first couple of innings of his first game with the Sox on Aug. 9 against the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field were “pretty surreal.”
“Then after that, once you get action going, it’s the same game,” he said. “The dimensions are a little bit different at some ballparks, but you get that at any ballpark. Just making sure I’ve done my homework on outfield arms, everything else stays the same, really. Who we’ve got coming up, who we’ve got on the bases, the scoreboard is going to dictate a lot of different things.
“Grady has done a good job of wanting me to stay aggressive and keeping me comfortable over there.”
His connection with several players on the roster has made the transition smoother.
“Jirsch was my first manager in pro ball, in Low A, at Kannapolis,” first baseman/outfielder Gavin Sheets said last week. “I’ve got nothing but respect for him. He knows the game extremely well, his dad was around the game for a long time coaching, and he brings another aspect to it and another energy.
“Guys obviously really respect him. We’ve got a lot of guys that played for him in here.”
In addition to the time at Charlotte, Jirschele’s managing experience includes two seasons at Double-A Birmingham (2021-22), one year at Class A Winston-Salem (2019) and two at Kannapolis (2017-18).
Asked if he would like a big-league opportunity as a manager, given the Sox opening, Jirschele said, “I’m not even worried about that or even thinking about that.”
“I pride myself on staying in the moment,” Jirschele said. “I know I have a job to do each and every day with the infield and coaching third base and trying to do everything I can in my power to help this team win tonight.”
Sox make 4 roster moves
The Sox recalled pitcher Gus Varland from Charlotte, one of four roster moves announced before Saturday’s game against the Houston Astros.
The Sox also claimed pitcher Enyel De Los Santos off waivers from the New York Yankees, placed reliever Steven Wilson on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain and transferred starter Mike Clevinger to the 60-day IL.
Varland, 27, had a 3.86 ERA in four games with the Knights after being claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 2. He made seven relief appearances with the Dodgers, going 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA and three strikeouts.
De Los Santos, 28, is 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA and one save in 49 combined relief appearances between the Yankees and the San Diego Padres this season.
Wilson’s stint on the IL is retroactive to Thursday. Clevinger underwent season-ending disk-replacement surgery on his neck on Aug. 1.
