The White Sox announced that right-hander Drew Thorpe will undergo a Tommy John surgery. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure, and Thorpe will miss the next 13-15 months in recovery.
The news caps off a brutal stretch of health struggles for the 24-year-old righty. Thorpe’s rookie season was cut short by a flexor strain in early August, and he underwent a surgery in early September to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow. The recovery process didn’t go entirely smoothly, as Thorpe got a cortisone shot in January to help overcome some lingering discomfort from the procedure. Thorpe then had a slow ramp-up during Spring Training and didn’t make his first in-game appearance until a minor league appearance on Thursday, but then that outing was cut short when he left with elbow discomfort.
A second-round pick for the Yankees in the 2022 draft, Thorpe quickly emerged as a well-regarded prospect, and he has already been part of two major trades in his young career. New York included Thorpe as one of the five players sent to the Padres last offseason as part of the Juan Soto trade, and San Diego then flipped Thorpe (and three other players) to the White Sox a few months later in the deal that brought Dylan Cease to the Friars’ rotation.
After that tumultuous offseason, Thorpe looked to settle in as a major piece of Chicago’s rebuilding efforts, and he looked great over 11 starts at the Double-A level. The Sox then decided to call Thorpe straight up to the Show without a stop at Triple-A, and Thorpe perhaps understandably struggled in posting a 5.48 ERA over 44 1/3 innings against MLB hitters.
His next big league start now won’t come until at least midway through the 2026 season, as Thorpe and the White Sox will lose over a full year of important developmental time. Even if Thorpe had started the year at Triple-A, a good showing in the minors would’ve surely gotten him back to the majors in due course, with an eye towards fully establishing himself as a part of the future on the South Side. If there’s any silver lining for Thorpe, it is the fact that spending the year on the big league version of the 60-day injured list will bank him a full year of Major League service time.
The White Sox obviously weren’t expected to contend this season, but losing Thorpe is still a tough blow to the rotation. Manager Will Venable announced earlier this week that Rule 5 Draft pick Shane Smith would break camp with the team, and step into the rotation spot left open by Thorpe’s absence. Sean Burke, Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin, and veteran Martin Perez around out the rest of the projected starting five.
Thorpe is the fourth Sox pitcher to require a TJ surgery in the last two months, as the injury bug has taken a big bite out of the team’s ranks of young pitchers. Prelander Berroa, Ky Bush, and 40-man roster member Juan Carela will all be sidelined into the 2026 season after undergoing the procedure.
Well that stinks. The Sox could have used him this year. It’s going to be a long year for Venable.
This White Sox team is actually worse than last year’s team.
They could lose 120 games without any bad luck.
That rotation looks worse than just about every other team’s AAA rotation. And it’s probably worse than the Dodgers AA rotation.
Dodgers IL LIST COULD win more games
Uh no, rotation has some interesting arms if you look at projections: Burke, Cannon, Martin and Shane Smith all have upside, and Perez is league average. Might be premature but if Schulz or Smith get called up- the rotation becomes a strength.
To be honest I was not counting on Thorpe anyway before the TJS, or threat of it, mostly because I forget about him and any issue with the elbow well it can have complications.
Its not like he was going to make this team a world beater this year, and while it may hamper his growth, this is the best time to have that Surgery, when your team is not playing for anything.
Bummer, but looked like things were headed down this path. Hope he has a full recovery. Sox could have a crowded rotation when he’s due back with 2 of the best lefty prospects in Schulz and Smith
The Padres won this trade
Of course. But sort of mean to say that right after the centerpiece needs TJ.
Wake up and smell the pot roast Diving Theo, Bummer was traded over a year ago!! Hanging out at Bellinger’s old hookah bar again?
I’ve been thinking about this Mr. Hand. If I’m here, and you’re here, doesn’t that make it our time?
Maybe it’s time for an intervention Mr. Hand. I can’t be your sponsor though, I’m still working the steps.
That’s tough for the young player. A valued prospect in a few trades. Good luck with ReHab
I had a feeling. Good luck in your recovery, young man.
I hate seeing news like this. No matter what team it is.
When you ask Mike Tyson for advice on elevating your platonic relationship to a romantic one, he will politely tell you to Keith Meister.
Better than Dr. Oz or Judge Judy
Why didnt they do this last yr?? Why do tms/players wait so long and delay the inevitable??
Awful. McClanahan just went down as well during a spring game.
Tough news. Hope to see him bounce back next year on a better White Sox team.
Tough news for the Chisox. Here’s to hoping they get some good luck and finally get it right.
There goes the pennant.
He has had a nice upside, liked him as a Yankee prospect. Hope he comes back strong.
A. J. Preller strikes again
More like Ethan Katz strikes again.
Hard to blame AJ, Goosey… Thorpe never threw a pitch as a Padre.
“Hard to blame A.J”..I think he might be praising A.J for not being the one left holding the bag for a guy who won’t play anytime soon. At least that’s how I interpreted it.
Well, I hope I misinterpreted what was meant, but in the past Goose has accused Preller of knowingly dealing “broken” arms. I could be off-base, I guess.
Well, that’s disappointing but once the elbow discomfort news broke, we all knew. See you in 2026 with hopefully a better outlook for the season.
That just sucks…I really thought he was going to be a legit starter for White Sox.
The physical part of rehab is one thing but it’s the mental aspect that makes it so difficult and the six inches between his ears can make or break him.
Stay positive young man
That Cease trade really looking bad for the Sox.
Irate and Zavala could still do fine.
Jairo is something worth hoping for but Zavala not so much. Even Jairo has some boxes to check before he get a call up.
Until Cease is traded or free agent
I think we can all agree that the Pads bought 2 years of Cease… but with what currency? Still maybe 4 seasons away from being “grade-able” but like y’all are thinking, Iriarte could be the deciding factor in the trade’s final grade.
AJ does great on these trades. Fleeced the Sox like he did the cubs a few years earlier on the Yu deal for 4 teenagers ( 3 who are either out of baseball or useless ) and Owen Cassie who could be something but probably too much strike out in his game to make it
Don’t forget fleecing Hahn out of Tatis!
Poor kid probably had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was a key piece of two trades involving high profile players. I’m sure at some point whether intentional or unintentional he pushed himself more than he should have trying to live up to other people’s expectations
additionally three different organizations tweaking his mechanics in a relatively short period of time probably wasn’t in his long-term best interest either.
And rushing him up to the majors to pitch for the worst team in the history of baseball ? Why?
I hope he comes back stronger than ever and someday gets the chance to throw a high hard one while he’s pitching to Juan Soto LOL
seriously I hope the kid comes back and gets a chance to make his dreams come true
Too bad for DT. Way too many guys having this and the season hasn’t even started. A fair reminder that fans need to have a reality check when their teams are trading prospects away for proven mlb talent or at deadline for a needed guy to help the playoff run. I see so many fans blow up on a team for trading an unproven 18-20 away. Only a small percentage of them pan out.
Sorry to hear this about Thorpe, He was the key piece of the Soto trade that helped bring in Cease. Will always be thankful to him for that.
I hope he heals well and can return mid-2026 for the White Sox. Hopefully on a much better team.
If it wasn’t for bad news the White Sox wouldn’t be in the news at all. Just wasting time until you know who takes a dirt nap and the entire baseball ops department is summarily fired.
It’s bound to get worse because their viewership will drop. Why they felt charging fans to watch games especially after back to back historically bad seasons was a good idea is beyond me. Bulls and Blackhawk fans are upset as well.
“We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave…
So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look west, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark… that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.”
Love the pfp, McGinty!
Hey at least you guys had 2005.
Yeah, perfect timing for all teams to basically be tanking (well the Bulls did not get that memo because they like to be good enough to be mediocre).
Just checked and saw while that Chicago sports network (or whatever they call it) is available on SonyTV and VizioTV its not on SamsungTV (WTF). I hate the idea of buying a digital antenna for one TV station. But, good news, I can pay 20 dollars per month to stream it….
Let me guess, Preller should take him back?
Colin Rea not included. Nor Luis Castillo.
The Yankees should take him back.
Tough break for the kid. I have been high on him since his Yankee days. I have no more vested interest in his success but it’s a suck deal for him to get knocked out when he could have pitched all year in MLB with zero pressure. Wishing him a successful procedure and rehab.
Dang even former Yankee prospects are catching stray Tommy johns
You should be Sori after that one!
You’re so weird, dude. No disrespect, just… yeah.
Instead of just swapping in a new pitcher like Shane Smith, the Sox could figure out why this keeps happening. Look at Thorpe and the others—how fast they throw, how much they pitched, maybe that bone spur surgery he had before—and spot the clues. Then, use that to guess who’s next before they get hurt. If they see, say, Jonathan Cannon might be at risk, they could rest him more or change how he throws, saving his arm. The Sox aren’t winning this year anyway, so why not test this out now?
Put your arm in a sling. Won’t believe it.
Jerry, as a White Sox fan since 1959 I respectfully ask you to please,please sell the White Sox as soon as possible.
He’s ain’t selling until his death. But it should be in 5-10 years.
5-10 years is too long. Then again spite apparently keeps one younger than their years on the Earth.
This White Sox training staff has got to be over- worked with all the TJs, soft tissue injuries, sprains, and random weirdness this team puts them through.
TJS you cannot control, but soft tissue injuries should not happen, at the very least at the frequency the Sox get them, it smacks of lack of preparation and conditioning, and has been that way since Herm Schneider left.
The Org apparently like it that way though.