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Drew Thorpe To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery To Remove Bone Spur

By Nick Deeds | September 1, 2024 at 11:21pm CDT

White Sox right-hander Drew Thorpe is set to undergo season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow, as relayed by MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. Merkin adds that the club announcement details that Thorpe, who has been on the injured list the past month due to a flexor strain, is expected to be ready for Spring Training with no restrictions.

Thorpe made plenty of headlines this winter when he was included in not one but two separate blockbuster trades over the offseason. First, the Yankees swapped their second-round pick from the 2022 draft to the Padres as part of the package that brought Juan Soto to the Bronx. Just three months later, Thorpe was on the move yet again as he was shipped to Chicago in order to bring right-hander Dylan Cease to San Diego. The hype surrounding Thorpe that led him to be included in two of last winter’s biggest trades was based in his status as a consensus top-100 prospect who had just finished up a dominant 2023 season with the Yankees that saw him post a 1.48 ERA in his first taste of Double-A action down the stretch.

Upon suiting up for the White Sox for the first time back in April, Thorpe was sent back to the Double-A level and continued to display the dominance he had shown during his time with New York. In 60 innings of work across 11 starts, Thorpe posted a 1.35 ERA despite his strikeout rate dropping from the eye-popping 34% rate he flashed with the Yankees last year to a more pedestrian 25%, and by the time the calendar flipped to June the White Sox decided that Thorpe needed a bigger challenge. Rather than promote him to the Triple-A level and test him there, the club opted to promote him directly to Chicago. Thorpe impressed in his first big league start as he struck out four across five innings of one-run ball, though his second outing against the Diamondbacks saw the right-hander allow seven earned runs on six hits and five walks in 3 1/3 innings of work.

The ups and downs of Thorpe’s first two starts would continue throughout his first taste of big league action. He rattled off a stretch of five excellent starts throughout the end of June and start of July where he posted a microscopic 1.23 ERA despite a diminished 17.9% strikeout rate that stood out as a potential red flag. Those concerns promptly came to pass, as what would prove to be Thorpe’s final two starts of the year saw him lit up to the tune of a 22.24 ERA as he surrendered 14 runs on just 5 2/3 innings across the pair of outings. In that time, he allowed four walks and four home runs while striking out just one batter.

Given those deep struggles, it’s perhaps somewhat reassuring that the heralded prospect has been dealing with significant physical issues that could help to explain not only his lackluster 5.48 ERA in his first taste of big league action but also the diminished strikeout rates he posted throughout his first year in the White Sox organization. That relative lack of strikeouts was paired with a fastball that averaged just 91.1 mph in the majors this year, a noticeable decrease compared to scouting reports that noted his ability to routinely sit at 92 and touch 95 with his heater.

With the White Sox in the midst of a lost season in which they’re flirting with the worst record in major league history and Thorpe currently expected to be ready for action in time for Spring Training next year, perhaps the youngster’s upcoming surgery is a sign that fans on the south side have a healthy, more effective Thorpe to look forward to next year. In the meantime, the Sox figure to rely on a rotation featuring Garrett Crochet, Jonathan Cannon, Chris Flexen, Nick Nastrini, and Davis Martin down the stretch.

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33 Comments

  1. Pants Rowland

    9 months ago

    Between Thorpe’s surgical bone spur removal of the elbow …

    And Kershaw’s Sesamoiditis of his 1st metatarsal (I’m guessing that that’s what he has) ….

    Then MLBTR is well on it’s way to building it’s own Franken-Baseball-Stein-player with all these spare human parts floating around.

    Hey, nothing says we can’t have fun with all this ~

    2
    Reply
    • Brew88

      9 months ago

      Spurgical

      4
      Reply
  2. HiredGun23

    9 months ago

    The curse of AJ Preller!

    3
    Reply
    • mlb fan

      9 months ago

      A.J Prellar works for the Padres and seemingly did well for them on this one. I’ve ripped him a lot, but he’s very possibly the most prolific trader of my lifetime.

      4
      Reply
      • myaccount2

        9 months ago

        In quantity or success? Because if we’re talking sheer numbers, Dipoto has something like 140 trades in the past 9 years.

        Reply
        • mlb fan

          9 months ago

          “Quantity or success”..A bit of both. I give some credit for quantity but wouldn’t be giving A.J kudos if his trades were mostly bad. When there’s high level players involved, A.J seemingly will always be in play. Where A.J really trumps Dipoto is that he’s always in on the big names. Jerry Dipoto not so much.

          Reply
  3. Mazinger31

    9 months ago

    Preller traded a bunch of blue-chip prospects for Soto, who didn’t seem to fit quite right in San Diego, and turned Soto into Michael King and Dylan Cease. That’s a heck of a job.

    Sucks to hear about Thorpe as a former-Yankee farmhand. I tend to root for guys the Yankees drafted, even though 90% of them are over-hyped to the moon.

    10
    Reply
    • Informed Sportsball Discussion

      9 months ago

      King and Cease are the lede. But don’t sleep on Higashioka, Vasquez and Brito.

      Higgy has flat out grabbed the number 1 catcher spot and has the Padres getting top 10 power output out of the position. Preller has struck gold in catchers for the third year in a row (Jorge Alfaro, Gary Sanchez, Kyle Higashioka).

      Randy Vasquez has shown flashes of brilliance on the mound, and Johnny Brito will also be in the mix as depth for years. Or he is another trade chip.

      Preller unwound the Soto deal about as successfully as he possibly could.

      4
      Reply
  4. Strauss

    9 months ago

    Oh good another bust. Thanks Reinsdork

    1
    Reply
  5. Joe says...

    9 months ago

    Everyone is saying there’s something wrong with all the pitching injuries and have been saying so for a long time. Manfred does plenty wrong but blaming him for this is just plain stupid.

    1
    Reply
    • Simm

      9 months ago

      Especially since the games used to be at this speed in the 80’s and before.

      Reply
      • baseballfreak25

        9 months ago

        Baseball has always been a “slow” sport because guys were trained to perform in quick spurts of energy. Pitchers were not trained to throw 105 mph every pitch and maximum rotation and velocity on every breaking ball. Then to give them 15 seconds between pitches is madness. Anyone that has ever played the game in the past would not play in this environment now. There’s no regard given for players’ longevity, just squeeze what you can out of them and manipulate the amount of years you keep them on your team under cheap contracts. Then when they’ve totally destroyed them physically, put them on the market and give them $30-$40mil a year to sit on the IL and live off what they did leading up to that huge contract. Anywhere else it would be unsafe and unethical working conditions but since they have the chance at several hundred million if they say the right thing and do as they’re told. Sad state of what used to be a good sport.

        2
        Reply
      • User 4245925809

        9 months ago

        Simm. Imagine still videos of entire games from 60’s-80’s on like youtube an elsewhere the internet. Slowing the game came mostly from foot dragging players, having to constantly step out of the box every pitch, adjust gloves, helmet etc and pitchers who had probably no confidence in themselves on the mound and dawdled more whenever any baserunner was on. That is when delays started and can blame umpires for not kicking players in the rear early on and allowing all the delays and 4hr 9 inning games.

        Of course nobody complains about the useles theatrics or “celebrations, AKA hotdogging many go into after hitting a HR, driving in runs and celebrate towards anyone looking.

        funny part to me, is anything close to these aantics, even 30-40y ago and next AB? That celebrator is going down hard, if not actually hit while at the plate and no more diving over the plate before the pitch arrives either.. Big no-no.

        Things have changed a lot, more than the length.

        3
        Reply
      • jopeness

        9 months ago

        Nomar is probably a top 3 on the batter spectrum. It wasn’t even so much a delay tatic and just a habit by then.

        Reply
  6. nrd1138

    9 months ago

    In the meantime, the guy traded for him had a no hitter this season.

    2
    Reply
    • Dumpster Divin Theo

      9 months ago

      Meh, no hitter but would routinely fail to get thru 6.

      Reply
      • Longtimecoming

        9 months ago

        Dumpster – getting thru 6 isn’t a big deal for a long time in MLB. Check out how many of the 100’s of starters don’t.

        He averages 5.6 (2024 IP divided by games – and one of those was a 1 inning rain delay not his fault) so rather close and considering how many other stats have him in top 10 or higher, he is far from meh. Currently on top 10 for Cy Young. Considering this is 2nd year out of 3 in CY consideration.

        Meh is not the word to describe DC.

        2
        Reply
        • Dumpster Divin Theo

          9 months ago

          He is brilliant, just not an ace. Decent return for Soto in the long term one supposes but what did the Pods give up originally?

          Reply
        • Longtimecoming

          9 months ago

          Dumpster, the first trade was not the conversation which was your calling CD “meh”.

          That word describes Gore, Abrams (plenty of time to improve though.

          If you are going there, don’t forget that SD also received Josh Bell who at the time of the trade, was one of the leagues best hitters – which one of the prospects were for Bell?

          Reply
      • nrd1138

        9 months ago

        Not like there is a guarantee Thorpe is going to go out there and throw 7 innings+ every start in his career. Cease is also the leader in the NL in strikeouts, right in front of Chris Sale ,who the Sox got nothing for and, yeah, many questioned that trade as well as ‘Yawn’ Moncada was a consolation prize as the Sox wanted Devers, and in his time with the Sox he only showed other players how to milk the White Sox for his check while spending most of the time on the IL. Also got Kopech who I think still could be an effective starter somewhere else, but was not going to be with the group of clowns currently mismanaging the White Sox (both in the dugout and in the front office).
        Thorpe is likely a #2 in a rotation, but not seeing him as a replacement for a guy like Cease (even with Cease’s shortcomings) To be fair, Thorpe was probably was brought up too soon by a GM feeling like he has to prove something instead of being a good GM.

        Reply
  7. WhiteSx2024

    9 months ago

    Sox bringing up another guy that’s going to miss AAA, do you see a pattern. Hell get hurt an Padres will have gotten Cease for free

    1
    Reply
    • Dumpster Divin Theo

      9 months ago

      You must be fun at parties

      1
      Reply
  8. Dumpster Divin Theo

    9 months ago

    You know who else had bone spurs? Orange guy who otherwise might have averted a life of crime as flim flam man if he had gone overseas as an action hero

    6
    Reply
    • Thefrogsaregey

      9 months ago

      Partisan hack spotted ^

      2
      Reply
      • Dumpster Divin Theo

        9 months ago

        Just sayin’

        2
        Reply
      • Dumpster Divin Theo

        9 months ago

        Just think how much better off the planet would be if Carrottop had passed his fitness regime and had gone on to a life of valor as an airborne ranger.

        2
        Reply
        • Thefrogsaregey

          9 months ago

          Yeah.It would be better if we had more war mongers in Congress

          Reply
    • JoeBrady

      9 months ago

      LOL! You guys are deranged. I enjoy a good political debate, but I don’t generally try to steer a BB conversation to a political debate.

      Reply
  9. Ok Yankees Fan

    9 months ago

    Huge blow to the White Sox chances.

    3
    Reply
  10. User 2952162988

    9 months ago

    As hard as this may be to fathom, SOX could have the game’s best young staff by this time next year if they keep Crochet and follow him with Schultz & Hagen Smith in the rotation. Iriarte, Adams, Taylor, Nastrini, Thorpe, and others to battle for two RH starting spots. The two young arm returns from the Grossman & DeJong have been fantastic & figure to anchor the future bullpen along with converted starters like Palette, Burke, etc. Another year of veteran position players to deal for young arms could yield a very deep bullpen, solving the pitching side of things.

    However, no clue how they’ll fix the offensive, defensive and culture problems as quickly.

    2
    Reply
    • Spotswood

      9 months ago

      “As hard as this may be to fathom, SOX could have the game’s best young staff by this time next year”

      “Could have”…Or have a rotation that gets hammered and the Sox lose 100 games for the 3rd straight year.

      2
      Reply
    • lesterdnightfly

      9 months ago

      You got one thing right: It is hard to believe.

      Reply
  11. Atlanta Jack

    9 months ago

    Jairo Iriarte another pitcher brought up by White Sox before he’s ready.

    2
    Reply

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