Jayson Nix to Rehab with Barons

HOOVER, Ala
- White Sox second baseman Jayson Nix will begin a three-game rehab stint with the Birmingham Barons when the team opens a 5-game series with Jacksonville Monday night at Regions Park.

Nix, who competed for the White Sox starting second baseman gig during Spring Training, has been out with a strained right quadriceps since the middle of March. He originally injured the quadriceps during a Spring Training contest on March 4 playing against the Cubs in Las Vegas, and re-injured the leg trying to let out a double against Arizona on March 17. He hit .462 in seven Spring Training game. A member of the Colorado Rockies organization for the previous eight seasons, Nix signed with the White Sox in October.

The 26-year old opened the 2008 season as the starting second baseman for the Colorado Rockies before being designated for assignment at the end of April. He was later optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs where he hit .303 with 17 home runs 51 RBI for the Sky Sox.

Nix has also been affiliated with USA Baseball for the past two years, earning the starting second baseman job for Team USA during the Beijing Olympics. His time in Beijing was cut short when Nix squared to bunt against Cuba, only to have the ball ricochet off the bat and into his eye. He received a two-inch gash above his left eye and didn't return until the medal round, a week later. He ended the tournament hitting .214 with one home run and one RBI.

Nix was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 World Cup in Taiwan as well as USA Baseball's Athlete of the Year in 2007. He hit .387 (12-for-31) with six extra-base hits during the World Cup, including a two-RBI performance in a winning effort against Cuba in the Finals.

Jayson's older brother Laynce is an outfielder in the Cincinnati Red organization.