"With Angel [Sanchez] going down, we needed a middle infielder," Ventura said. "[Greene] can play middle infield, run a little bit. It's one of those, you just see what he has. In an emergency, he can play the outfield. There is no better way than to get him out there and see what he can do."

The 29-year-old Greene made an immediate impact in the game as he singled twice in his first three at-bats. He also took part in a double play with Adam Dunn. 

Greene, 29, was slated to become the Astros' starting shortstop but lost the job to Ronny Cedeno following a trade. The Astros eventually released him, and the White Sox signed Greene on April 1. 

Greene, a .224/.292/.356 career hitter, offers the White Sox a backup option across the diamond in the wake of injuries to Gordon Beckham and Angel Sanchez, both now on the disabled list.

Greene was released by the Astros after hitting .167/.314/.214 in 42 at-bats. Greene has played every position except catcher and pitcher in his major-league career. He'll likely provide depth in case of injuries.  

Greene was released by the Astros Tuesday, squashing what could have been a promising 2013. Now without a home, he could find a role in one of the messy middle infield situations (Oakland, the Yankees, the Dodgers, Kansas City, St. Louis) around baseball, but chances are he's headed somewhere to serve the sad designation of "organizational depth."

If he signs somewhere in the next few days and can play his way into full-time at-bats, Greene could still have a shot at making an impact. And before you scoff, remember that Brandon Phillips was traded to the Reds in the first week of April 2006, sporting a .206 career average with six home runs and four steals over parts of four seasons with the Indians -- along with similar minor-league numbers to Greene.