The White Sox placed third baseman Brent Morel on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday and signed switch-hitting second baseman Orlando Hudson.

Hudson, 34, who has won four Gold Gloves as a second baseman, has not played third base since the minor leagues but will play third for the Sox while serving as a backup to second baseman Gordon Beckham, manager Robin Ventura said Sunday. The Sox agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Hudson that covers the rest of the season.

Morel has a lumbar back strain. He did not play in the Sox' series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field over the weekend, and has been dealing with low back discomfort since spring training. Morel had finished his rookie season last year with eight home runs in September. He batted .245 for the season.

This season, Morel is batting .177 with no homers, five RBI and 39 strikeouts. The DL move is retroactive to Friday.

Hudson, who will wear jersey No. 5, was released by the San Diego Padres last week after batting .211 with one home run and five triples in 35 games. He batted .246 with seven homers, 43 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 2011. He is a two-time All-Star (Dodgers 2009, Diamondbacks '07) with a career .276 average and .343 on-base percentage.

Hudso's career spans 1,294 games over 11 seasons with Toronto (2002-05), Arizona (2006-08), the Dodgers (2009), Minnesota (2010) and San Diego (2011-12).

Hudson is one of nine second basemen with four or more Gold Gloves, along with Roberto Alomar, Ryne Sandberg, Bill Mazeroski, Frank White, Joe Morgan, Bobby Richardson, Craig Biggio, Bret Boone and Bobby Grich.

The Sox open a six-game homestand with Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Twins. Gavin Floyd pitches for the Sox against P.J. Walters.