The White Sox will promote 2010 first-round pick Chris Sale to the majors on Wednesday. When he makes his debut roughly two months after he was drafted 13th overall, he'll have sped to the big leagues quicker than any draftee since 2003 Reds first-rounder Ryan Wagner. Wagner made his first appearance for Cincinnati on July 19, 2003.

Sale was the first or second college pitcher on most clubs' draft boards, but he slid until the 13th pick because of questions about his signability. Chicago owner Jerry Reinsdorf takes pride in rarely having his club exceed MLB's bonus recommendations, and Sale opted to sign quickly for slot money ($1.656 million) in return for getting a chance to join the big league bullpen this season. The White Sox are expected to develop the lefthander as a starter next year.

The top prospect in the Cape Cod League last summer, Sale went 11-0, 2.01 with 146 strikeouts in 103 innings as a junior at Florida Gulf Coast this spring. He made 11 relief appearances in the minors, four at high Class A Winston-Salem and seven at Triple-A Charlotte, with a 2.61 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 10 innings.