The Chicago White Sox have been making do at third base over the last few games because Brent Morel was suffering from back trouble.

Tuesday, the team finally acknowledged they had to make a move. From a team press release:

Prior to tonight’s game vs. Minnesota, the Chicago White Sox placed third baseman Brent Morel on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to May 18) with a lumbar back strain and agreed to terms on a one-year contract with infielder Orlando Hudson covering the remainder of the 2012 season.

At the time he was released last week by the San Diego Padres, Hudson was hitting poorly: .211/.260/.317 in 123 at-bats, although he was leading the National League (and still is, actually) in triples with five.

It's not entirely clear what the White Sox intend to do with Hudson. He has never played anywhere in the field but second base in his major league career. The White Sox' regular second baseman, Gordon Beckham, played third base in his rookie season in 2009, but not since. They could make that swap; their other choice is to continue with Eduardo Escobar and/or Brent Lillibridge at third base. None of those players is hitting very well this year, yet the White Sox sit at .500, just 2½ games out of first place in the AL Central, so something must be working.

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