Southern notes: May worth waiting for

A breakout season suddenly and violently interrupted, Birmingham center fielder Jacob May wanted to get back on the field as soon as possible.

The headaches from his concussion had subsided, and he was starting to feel like himself as June turned to July.

"I thought everything was normal again, but looking back it wasn't," said May, who was hurt in a collision with Barons shortstop Tim Anderson. "I'm glad we waited a little while longer."

The No. 10 White Sox prospect finally rejoined Birmingham on July 18 -- about seven weeks after he was hurt -- and has picked up where he left off. May clubbed his lone homer of the season in his seventh game back and swiped two bases the next day while going 10-for-20 in a series at Jacksonville.

The Barons, enjoying a second-half turnaround, lead the Southern League North Division -- and the return of May makes them even stronger.

"It's a blessing to be back," he said. "The team is really playing well, and it's great to be having fun again."

Anderson, the White Sox's top prospect and May's roommate, somehow held onto the ball after the collision June 2 against Biloxi, but a hush filled Regents Field in Birmingham rather than cheers.

Anderson's hip and shoulder hit May's head and both players lay on the ground in a heap, with May staying prone for much of the six-minute delay.

"I don't remember anything about the collision, but I have seen the video," said May, a third-round pick in the 2013 Draft out of Coastal Carolina University. "It was a freak accident, one of those in-between fly balls, and we were both just playing hard."

Anderson only missed a couple games. May, who suffered whiplash as well as a concussion, would be out much longer. He went home to Ohio for a while to stay with his family, then headed to the White Sox's training complex in Arizona to rehab.

"There was a lot of testing and I got frustrated not be able to play," he said. "But you have to be careful with a brain injury.

"It was a hard judgment call for everyone. I wanted to get back as soon as I could. I had to think long term, though, and not just short term. My health had to be the biggest thing."

May played three rehab games in the Rookie-level Arizona League and showed no major ill-effects of his lengthy layoff after rejoining the Barons.

The 23-year-old switch-hitter was batting .299 through 63 games with Birmingham and was second in the Southern League with 28 stolen bases to Anderson's 39 swipes despite his seven-week absence.

Anderson is an Alabama native, and May has roots in the state as well.

Grandfather Lee May, who hit 354 homers while playing with four Major League teams, was born and raised in Birmingham. So was his uncle, former big leaguer Carlos May

Playing in Birmingham has allowed the younger May to reunite with relatives and fully appreciate his baseball DNA.

Father Lee May Jr. was himself a one-time first-round Draft choice of the New York Mets, although he didn't make the Majors before becoming a Minor League coach and manager.

"Baseball is in my bloodlines, so I don't think there was any doubt I was going to be a ballplayer," May said. "But I don't love this game just because of them. I'd love it anyway."

Being sidelined for a while just made him appreciate it even more.

In brief

Upwardly mobile: Outfielder Joey Rickard, who had just recently gotten enough plate appearances to qualify for the Southern League batting race, was moved up by Tampa Bay from Montgomery to Triple-A Durham on Aug. 2. He hit .412 with 10 walks in his final 10 games for the Biscuits while stealing seven bases and driving in seven runs. Rickard's .322 batting average was third in the league at the time of his promotion, and his on-base percentage of .420 was tops. The 24-year-old from the University of Arizona started the season at Class A Advanced Charlotte before being promoted to Montgomery, where he had 19 stolen bases in 65 games. He set a Southern League record with six walks against Biloxi on July 7.

Back and forth: Jorge Polanco batted .284 in 22 games for Triple-A Rochester, but the Minnesota Twins returned their No. 5 prospect to Chattanooga on Aug. 1. The move was needed by the Lookouts, who sent infielders Levi Mitchell and Steven Wickens to the disabled list the same day. Polanco had three RBIs in his first two games back with Chattanooga and his average was .300 through 69 games with the Lookouts. In addition to his time with Chattanooga and Rochester, the 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic had played in four games with Minnesota, going 3-for-10.

On a roll: Birmingham right-hander Myles Jaye won for the ninth time in his last 10 decisions, improving his record to a Southern League-best 11-4 with a victory over Mississippi on Aug. 1 in which he allowed two earned runs over seven innings. Jaye, 23, had a 1.71 ERA in seven second-half starts, and his overall ERA was down to 2.66 after being 4.23 through May. The Chicago White Sox's No. 26 prospect had a WHIP of 1.16 and 80 strikeouts to 36 walks in 111 2/3 innings. Jaye was a 17th-round pick by Toronto in the 2010 Draft, then traded before the 2012 season to Chicago.