The Chicago White Sox Andrew Vaughn rounds the bases after a hitting a home run on Wed Apr 27, 2022 at Guarantee Rate Field in Chicago against the Kansas City Royals. Vaughn made his return to his native Bay Area when he faced the San Francisco Giants on Fri Jul 1, 2022 at Oracle Park. (AP News file photo)

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – There haven’t been too many bright spots in this disappointing season for the Chicago White Sox, but Andrew Vaughn is certainly one of them.

The 24-year-old outfielder, who grew up in nearby Santa Rosa and spent many weekend afternoons as a kid going to Giants games at Oracle Park, made another trip to the ballpark Friday night, this time as a player in an opposing uniform.

After winning the Golden Spikes Award – annually given to the best amateur baseball player in the United States – in 2018, he was selected by the White Sox with the third overall pick of the draft the following year, signing with the team for $7.2 million.

He was called up by the big club in 2021 and finished the year with a .235 batting average, and he has really stepped it up in his second big-league season.

He entered Friday’s game with a .307 average with seven homers and 33 RBI, and he currently leads the majors with a .369 average on the road.

He made some loud contact on Friday but did not get much out of it in the beginning. He hit a hard liner in the top of the first, but it was right to shortstop Donovan Walton, who snatched it out of the air for the putout.

In his next at-bat, he hit a chopper to short and had a chance for an infield hit, only to be denied by Walton again, as he bare-handed it and made a perfect throw to first that beat Vaughn by a step.

Vaughn, however, broke through against Giants reliever Dominic Leone in the eighth, as he lined one into the gap in left-center for an easy double. He was then pulled for a pinch runner, ending his night.

HERE TODAY, GONE, WELL, TODAY: Warriors forward Damion Lee, who was best known this postseason by getting cooked by Dallas forward Davis Bertans in the Western Conference finals, threw out the first pitch at Friday’s game.

Mere minutes later, while he was still inside the ballpark, it was confirmed that Lee had agreed to a one-year deal to join the Phoenix Suns next season.

This is part of a rather-tumultuous early free-agency period for the Warriors, as they have seen Juan Toscano-Anderson sign with the Lakers while Gary Payton II signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in recent days.

FINALLY, A HIT: To say that Brandon Belt has been scuffling would be putting it lightly. The first baseman came into Friday night hitless in his previous 15 at-bats and was hitting only .087 with 11 strikeouts in his past nine games.

However, he started a two-out rally in the bottom of the first with a sharp single to left-center, and that led to the Giants loading the bases. The surge was stopped in its tracks, when an overzealous Tommy La Stella struck out swinging while attempting to put the Giants ahead, 4-0.