The Chicago White Sox designated left-handed pitcher Scott Downs for assignment and recalled left-hander Eric Surkamp from Class AAA Charlotte, the team announced Thursday.
Surkamp, 26, has gone 3-4 with a 4.54 ERA over 73 1/3 innings, including 84 strikeouts in 14 games (11 starts) with Charlotte this season. This is his first year in the White Sox organization after being claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Dec. 23, 2013.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Surkamp leads the International League in strikeouts and has averaged 11.6 per nine innings over his last four starts, including a season-high 12 on May 30 at Toledo.
Surkamp was 2-3 with a 7.36 ERA over 29 1/3 innings in seven starts with the Giants (2011, 2013).
Downs, 38, went 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA over 23 2/3 innings, with 15 walks and 22 strikeouts in 38 games this season, his first with the Sox after agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with a club option for 2015 on Jan. 2.