Jarred Kelenic Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Kelenic cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment, according to Brooke Fletcher of the Chicago Sports Network.
MAY 25: The White Sox announced that outfielder Jarred Kelenic has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding move for them to select infielder/outfielder Rikuu Nishida, a move that was reported yesterday.
Kelenic, 26, signed a minor league deal with the Sox in the offseason. He began the season at Triple-A and put up some encouraging numbers. In 26 games, he slashed .202/.346/.464. That batting average is obviously not pleasant but was held back by an unfortunate .224 batting average on balls in play. The on-base percentage was buoyed by a huge 18.3% walk rate. His six home runs in 104 plate appearances boosted the slugging percentage. The batting line translated to a subpar 97 wRC+ but would have been above average with a bit more batted ball luck.
The White Sox decided to give him another shot in the big leagues, which didn’t work out. He got into 19 games and stepped to the plate 59 times. His 10.2% walk rate was strong but he also struck out at a huge 33.9% clip. Though his .344 BABIP was actually a help in this sample, he nonetheless put up a .226/.305/.321 line and 81 wRC+.
These are fairly small data sets but they do roughly mirror Kelenic’s larger career arc. A former sixth overall pick and top prospect, he has often put up huge numbers in the minors without finding success in the majors. Including this year’s stint with the Sox, he now has 1,547 big league plate appearances. He has been punched out in 30.7% of those and has a .211/.283/.374 line, which leads to an 84 wRC+. He has stolen some bases but hasn’t received strong grades for his glovework.
The overall performance has pushed him into fringe roster status. As mentioned, he had to settle for a minor league deal coming into this season. He has exhausted his option years, so the Sox had to bump him off the 40-man since they no longer want him on the active roster.
Kelenic is now in DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Sox could take five days to explore trade interest. The most likely outcome is Kelenic ending up on waivers and clearing. He just cleared waivers in October of last year and he hasn’t done much to raise his stock since then. Players with a previous career outright or three years of service time have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of electing free agency. Kelenic qualifies on both counts and can head to the open market if he clears waivers in the next week.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
White Sox Place Munetaka Murakami On Injured List
TODAY: Murakawmi has a Grade 2 hamstring strain and will miss 4-6 weeks, Venable told SoxMachine’s James Fegan and other reporters. Chicago officially placed Murakami on the 10-day IL today, and selected infielder Jordan Gonzalez (as reported yesterday) to take his spot on the active roster.
MAY 29: The White Sox’s dramatic win tonight over the Tigers didn’t come without a cost. Munetaka Murakami left the game with right hamstring tightness. Manager Will Venable said postgame that while the team was still awaiting testing results, the rookie slugger could miss a couple weeks (relayed by Scott Merkin of MLB.com).
Murakami tweaked his hamstring in the third inning. He hustled to beat out a potential double play ball and favored his leg after getting through the bag. Venable said postgame they believe there’s a strain and will know more about the severity after tomorrow’s imaging. Miguel Vargas kicked over to first base to finish the game. Colson Montgomery slid from shortstop to third base, while Luisangel Acuña handled short.
It halts a phenomenal start to Murakami’s big league career. He easily leads rookies with 20 home runs, tying him with Yordan Alvarez for second in MLB behind Kyle Schwarber. The strikeout concerns that were oft-mentioned haven’t stopped him from being one of baseball’s most feared sluggers. Murakami is hitting .240/.378/.560 over his first 246 plate appearances.
Vargas hit a two-run, walk-off shot against Drew Anderson with two outs in the tenth inning. That pushed the Sox to a season-high three games above .500. They’re only three games back of the Guardians in the AL Central and currently occupy the second Wild Card spot.
The Sox will reportedly bring up infield prospect Jacob Gonzalez tomorrow as the corresponding move. Vargas seems likely to handle everyday first base duties for a few weeks. Gonzalez and Montgomery would get the majority of the playing time on the left side of the infield. Acuña can pick up occasional middle infield work, while second baseman Chase Meidroth is also able to slide to the other side of the bag.
White Sox Select Jacob Gonzalez
TODAY: The Sox officially announced the selection of Gonzalez’s contract to the active roster. In the corresponding moves, Murakami was placed on the 10-day IL due to a right hamstring strain, and Leasure was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
MAY 29: The White Sox will select Jacob Gonzalez onto the MLB roster, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. James Fegan of Sox Machine reported this evening that Gonzalez would likely get the call if Munetaka Murakami went on the injured list. Manager Will Venable told reporters postgame that Murakami would likely be down for a couple weeks with a right hamstring issue.
Chicago will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Reliever Jordan Leasure, who just went on the 15-day injured list today with a flexor strain, is a candidate for a move to the 60-day IL. The righty said Friday that he’ll be shut down entirely for four weeks after pitching through some discomfort for more than a month (via Fegan). Leasure indicated there’s a lot of inflammation but nothing structurally amiss with his elbow.
Chicago selected Gonzalez with the #15 pick in the 2023 draft. The Ole Miss product posted below-average offensive numbers over his first couple minor league seasons. He has completely turned that around in 2026, slugging 18 home runs over 54 games with Triple-A Charlotte. That’s already more than the 17 longballs he hit over his first two and a half seasons in the minors.
Gonzalez, who’ll make his MLB debut on his 24th birthday if he’s in the lineup tomorrow, leads all Triple-A players and is third in affiliated ball in home runs. He’s hitting .308/.414/.646 across 234 plate appearances, the second-best OPS among minor leaguers with 200+ trips. The power has come with a slight uptick in swing and miss, as he’s fanning at a career-high 20.5% rate. That’s obviously a tradeoff worth making for this kind of impact.
A 90 mph average exit velocity and 42% hard contact rate don’t quite align with Gonzalez’s monster production. Those would be above-average marks at the MLB level but aren’t top of the scale. Gonzalez had been viewed as more of an OBP-focused hitter entering the season, so even average power would be a major step forward.
Gonzalez was drafted as a shortstop and has continued to play there more than any other position. He has experience at all four infield spots and will likely play alongside Colson Montgomery on the left side of the dirt. Miguel Vargas can move to first base while Murakami is out of action.
White Sox Call Up David Sandlin For MLB Debut
May 26th: The White Sox officially announced their recall of Sandlin today. In a corresponding move, Schultz was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right knee patellar tendinitis, retroactive to May 25th.
May 25th: The White Sox are planning to promote right-hander David Sandlin, reports Elijah Evans of Just Baseball and Future Sox. The 25-year-old is already on Chicago’s 40-man, but the team will need to make space for Sandlin on the active roster. Confirming the move, James Fegan of Sox Machine noted that Sandlin is likely going to start for the White Sox, although it’s not entirely clear how he would fit into the rotation. It’s possible he’s only coming up to make a spot start, considering Chicago is in the midst of playing 13 games without a day off.
Sandlin, 25, began his professional career with the Royals in 2022, and Kansas City traded him to Boston in 2024. The Red Sox then dealt the righty to the White Sox this past winter – along with Jordan Hicks, two players to be named later, and cash – in exchange for Gage Ziehl. Sandlin was the prize of the deal for the White Sox, who were willing to take on most of Hicks’ remaining salary to acquire him. In fact, at the time of the trade, general manager Chris Getz even described Sandlin as “essentially” part of the return for Luis Robert Jr., since the GM was able to use some of the money he saved by trading Robert (and his $20MM salary) to pay Hicks, and, therefore, to secure Sandlin. Getz went on to say that Sandlin would compete for a spot on Chicago’s Opening Day roster, praising his “mid-rotation” arsenal and stuff. “He’s got a chance to really impact our starting rotation this year,” Getz explained (per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin).
Sandlin didn’t end up pitching in big league spring training. Back and forearm soreness (per Fegan) forced him to start the season on the minor league injured list instead. However, from his first rehab start at High-A Winston-Salem to his latest outing for Triple-A Charlotte, he has been nothing short of electric. Leading with a four-seam fastball that flirts with triple digits, he’s given up just 12 hits in 16 1/3 innings, striking out 26. While his walk rate is high, he hasn’t let the free passes lead to much damage; Sandlin didn’t allow an earned run until his most recent start.
Most prospect evaluators roughly agree with Getz’s assessment of Sandlin. He has No. 3 or 4 starter upside, but he needs to improve his control and hone the rest of his arsenal (besides that high-velocity heater) if he’s going to get there. While his results this season have been promising, his Triple-A numbers from 2025 demonstrate why there’s cause for concern. In his first 23 2/3 innings at the highest minor league level, he walked 13 batters, beaned two more, and gave up 35 hits en route to a 7.61 ERA and 5.27 FIP.
Davis Martin has been a revelation for the White Sox this season. Anthony Kay and Sean Burke have been solid, despite their ups and downs. Noah Schultz and Erick Fedde have struggled badly. Even so, it’s hard to imagine that Sandlin would take either of their spots in the rotation. Schultz could be optioned, while Fedde could be DFA’d. Yet, Sandlin isn’t stretched out to take on a full starter’s workload, and he’s never made more than 18 starts or thrown more than 106 innings in a professional season. So, it seems more likely that he’s joining the team to give the rest of the rotation an extra day of rest. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can’t stay in Chicago if he pitches well. This might be a spot start for now, but the White Sox aren’t going to send down anyone who can give them quality innings. They’re currently in a playoff position, despite a mediocre 4.47 ERA and 4.19 SIERA. If Sandlin succeeds, he shouldn’t have trouble sticking around.
White Sox To Select Rikuu Nishida
The White Sox will select the contract of second baseman/outfielder Rikuu Nishida from Triple-A Charlotte prior to Monday’s game with the Twins, according to Ian Eskridge of FutureSox. Nishida isn’t on Chicago’s 40-man roster, so corresponding 26-man and 40-man moves will need to be made before the 25-year-old is officially selected.
Nishida will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game. The 25-year-old Osaka native arrives in the Show without the NPB background of most Japanese players, but he played college ball at Oregon and was an 11th-round draft pick for the White Sox in 2023.
With two more hits today for Charlotte, Nishida is now hitting a blistering .347/.454/.395 over 129 plate appearances, which comprises his only experience at the Triple-A level. Nishida made his Double-A debut in 2024 and then spent the entire 2025 campaign and the start of the 2026 season at Double-A. He got off to a good enough start (.250/.434/.350 in 54 PA) in Birmingham to finally get to the call to Triple-A, and Nishida hit the ground running at the higher level.
Running is a major part of Nishida’s offensive arsenal, as he has 110 steals (out of 140 attempts) during his minor league career. This speed has helped turn a lot of grounders into hits, which partially explains Nishida’s inflated .421 BABIP in Charlotte as more than just a ton of good fortune. Nishida makes a lot of contract and draws a ton of walks, as evidenced by his .410 OBP during his minor league career.
The big flaw in Nishida’s game is a near-total lack of power, as he has two homers and a .340 slugging percentage over 448 games in Chicago’s farm system. This may be why Baseball America and MLB Pipeline don’t list Nishida among the top 30 White Sox prospects, though Chicago’s pretty deep minor league system may also be a factor. Defensively, Nishida has primarily been used as a second baseman and left fielder, though he has a good deal of experience at the other two outfield positions.
The x-factor here is clubhouse impact. As White Sox director of player development Paul Janish tells MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, Nishida is “one of the best baseball players that we have in our organization. He is contagious in the best way. The players around him get better, the teams that he is on win. It’s really hard for me to express how much I think of Rikuu as a player.”
Nishida’s skillset on and off the field makes for an intriguing new addition to a Pale Hose team that has already exceeded expectations with a 26-26 record. It remains to be seen if the Sox can actually contend even in a weak American League, yet it certainly seems like the club has made leaps and bounds in the rebuild process.
Since the Sox are already overloaded with left-handed hitting outfielders, the lefty-swinging Nishida will probably be used in some sort of platoon situation with Chase Meidroth (another low-power source) at second base. Meidroth has been markedly better against lefties than righties in his career, whereas Nishida has started crushing right-handed pitching in 2026. Chicago ranks 11th among all teams in OBP and 14th in stolen bases, so Nishida should help the White Sox improve those already respectable numbers.
Dayán Viciedo Retires
Former White Sox outfielder Dayán Viciedo is retiring, according to a post from Yakyu Cosmopolitan. Viciedo is currently with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He will retire after today’s game.
Viciedo defected from Cuba in March 2008 and was declared a free agent by MLB in November of that year. He signed a four-year, $10MM contract with the White Sox that December. Viciedo spent 2009 at Double-A before progressing to Triple-A and finding himself on the cusp of the Majors. He debuted for the White Sox in June 2010 at the age of 21.
Viciedo only had 106 plate appearances across 38 games that year, but he impressed with a .309 batting average and a 122 wRC+. He regressed in sparse playing time in 2011, posting a 78 wRC+ in 29 games. Viciedo finally earned a starting role in 2012 and posted his best season as a big leaguer. In 543 plate appearances, Viciedo batted .255/.300/.444 with 25 home runs and a 98 wRC+ as the White Sox’ primary left fielder. He also contributed on defense with two Defensive Runs Saved en route to an 0.8 fWAR season.
Viciedo followed that up with a near-identical .265/.304/.426 output in 473 plate appearances in 2013, missing three weeks with a strained left oblique. That was good for another 98 wRC+, although Viciedo’s defense declined slightly (-2 DRS) and tampered his overall value. The 2014 season was a bigger drop-off. Viciedo hit 21 home runs, but his overall line of .231/.281/.405 was good for just a 90 wRC+. In addition, his once serviceable defense had become a liability, with FanGraphs having Viciedo at -15 DRS between the outfield corners.
Chicago avoided arbitration with Viciedo on a $4.4MM deal in January 2015 but designated him for assignment that same month. He split that year with the Blue Jays, Athletics, and White Sox on minor league pacts, posting a 124 wRC+ at Triple-A. However, he did not make it back to the Majors.
That left Viciedo with a career output of .254/.298/.424 and 66 home runs in 483 MLB games. However, his playing career was far from over. Viciedo made the jump to Nippon Professional Baseball by signing a one-year pact with the Chunichi Dragons for the 2016 season. He immediately found success, putting up a .274/.352/.486 line with 22 home runs in 119 games and earning an NPB All-Star nomination. Viciedo followed that up with 18 home runs in 87 games for the Dragons in 2017.
The 2018-19 seasons were the peak of what will end up being an 11-year career in NPB. Viciedo batted .348/.419/.555 with a 165 wRC+ in 2018. His output that year also included 26 home runs and 99 runs batted in, both of which were career highs. Viciedo was recognized as one of the Central League’s Best 9 for his performance that year, earning himself a three-year extension in the process. In 2019, Viciedo had another excellent season, posting a 140 wRC+ and hitting 18 home runs in 143 games.
He wouldn’t quite reach those heights again, but Viciedo remained productive as he played into his 30s. He put up an OPS between .766 and .792 in every season from 2020-22, hitting a total of 48 home runs with 215 RBI in that span. The 2022 season was Viciedo’s last as a productive regular, as he batted 294/.355/.437 with a 136 wRC+ for the Dragons.
From 2023 to the present, Viciedo settled in as a part-time player. He remained with the Dragons from 2023-24 and earned his 1,000th career NPB hit in September 2023. Viciedo was the first foreign-born player in Dragons history to achieve that feat. After only playing 15 games in 2024, Viciedo joined the BayStars in 2025 and put up a 110 wRC+ in 43 games that year. He’s batted .269/.310/.385 thus far in 2026, which will end up as the final season of his career.
Overall, Viciedo ends his NPB career batting .286/.352/.457 with 1,040 hits and 142 home runs in 4,046 plate appearances. His career earnings in MLB totaled $13.3MM, followed by over $11.3MM in Japan. We at MLBTR congratulate Viciedo on a fine playing career and wish him the best in retirement.
Photo courtesy of Jerry Lai, Imagn Images
The White Sox’ Infield Is Mashing
The White Sox have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2026 season. Last night's ninth-inning comeback in Seattle pushed them back to two games above .500 at 25-23. They're not far behind the Guardians in the AL Central and one of only four American League teams (the Rays and Yankees being the others) taking a winning record into Wednesday's games.
It's the best stretch of play by the White Sox since the first half of 2023. They're still not a great team overall, but it's the most exciting time for the fanbase in a while. Almost no one would've picked the White Sox as a live playoff threat after one of the worst three-year stretches in MLB history. Even if getting to October still feels like a long shot, they're putting together a legitimate offense.
The Sox are middle of the pack in scoring but land in the top 10 in both OPS and wRC+. Only the Yankees have hit more home runs than Chicago's 67, which is tied with Atlanta for second. They're sixth in slugging percentage and third in ISO (slugging minus average) after the Yankees and Braves. They've hit at this level despite zero at-bats from catcher Kyle Teel, one of their two best hitters in 2025 who hasn't played this season because of hamstring and knee issues. This is suddenly one of the better power-hitting teams in the league. Most of that comes from an infield that has a claim for best in baseball.
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Rays, White Sox Swap Joe Rock For Oliver Dunn
The Rays and White Sox announced a one-for-one trade that sends lefty reliever Joe Rock from Tampa Bay to Chicago. Minor league infielder Oliver Dunn goes to the Rays; Dunn had not been on Chicago’s 40-man roster.
Chicago optioned Rock to Triple-A Charlotte and transferred Kyle Teel to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. That’s a procedural move, as the 60-day window backdates to Opening Day. Teel won’t be back until late June at the earliest after suffering an LCL sprain in his left knee over the weekend.
A 6’6″ southpaw, Rock was a second-round pick by Colorado in 2021. The Rays acquired him in Spring Training 2024 for former first-rounder Greg Jones. Rock spent that season working out of the Triple-A rotation, struggling to a 4.58 earned run average. He made a very brief MLB debut last summer, pitching 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball with 11 strikeouts over three appearances.
Rock otherwise spent the season in a swing role in Triple-A, posting a 5.21 ERA across 96 2/3 frames. The Rays moved him to short relief this year in the hope that his stuff would play up in 1-2 inning stints. Rock has missed more bats, striking out 27 of 78 opponents (34.6%) in the minors.
His 92.9 mph average fastball isn’t much above where it sat last year, though, and Rock has battled the worst control of his career. He has walked 17 batters and plunked four more, giving out free passes to more than a quarter of batters faced. Rock has allowed 10 runs (nine earned) through 15 Triple-A innings this year.
The lack of strikes had pushed the Ohio University product to the fringe of the roster. The Rays didn’t designate Rock for assignment but had soured enough on him that they were willing to deal him for a depth infielder on a minor league contract. Chicago will see if a change of scenery can get him on track. Rock is in his second of three option years, so there’s still some roster flexibility.
Sean Newcomb and Bryan Hudson have pitched well as Will Venable’s top two lefty relievers. The Sox brought Brandon Eisert back up from Charlotte last week as a third southpaw in the MLB bullpen. Tyler Schweitzer, Tyler Gilbert and Chris Murphy are on the 40-man roster and on optional assignment. The Sox certainly aren’t lacking left-handed bullpen arms.
Dunn is a 28-year-old utilityman who appeared at the MLB level with the Brewers from 2024-25. The lefty batter owns a .206/.261/.290 slash with one home run in 145 career plate appearances. Milwaukee sent Dunn unclaimed through waivers last September and allowed him to walk as a minor league free agent. He signed a non-roster deal with the Sox in December.
After struggling to a .208/.315/.338 line in Triple-A a year ago, Dunn has gotten out to a much better start this season. He hit .296/.397/.533 with eight homers in 40 games for Charlotte. Dunn takes a lot of pitches and had shown strong on-base numbers up through Double-A. He’s primarily a third baseman who can play the middle infield if necessary and has some left field experience in the minors.
The Rays recently lost one of their left-handed bench bats when Jake Fraley suffered a sports hernia injury that required surgery. They’re also a little shorthanded in the infield with Ben Williamson day-to-day with back tightness. Tampa Bay might add Dunn directly to the MLB bench if Williamson requires an injured list stint. They don’t have any depth infielders on optional assignment to Triple-A, and Dunn has outhit internal non-roster pieces Logan Davidson and Raynel Delgado. Tampa Bay has a pair of openings on the 40-man roster if they want to select Dunn’s contract.
White Sox Release Osvaldo Bido To Pursue Opportunity In Japan
The White Sox have released right-hander Osvaldo Bido, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The righty is pursuing an opportunity in Japan, per Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network. Edwin Hernández Jr. reports that Bido will sign with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Several clubs have been trying to pass Bido through waivers over the past year. He burned his final option season with the Athletics in 2025, which led to him riding the transaction carousel all winter and into the 2026 campaign. His first offseason waiver claim took him to Atlanta, followed by claims taking him to the Rays, Marlins, Angels, Yankees, and then back to Atlanta. A few weeks into the season, another waiver claim took him to the White Sox.
All those teams seemingly valued Bido enough to claim him but also hoped they had a chance to keep him in a non-roster capacity. The Sox have now finally succeeded in getting him through waivers but won’t be keeping Bido in the system. Teams generally don’t stand in the way of their players pursuing overseas opportunities, unless they have a better opportunity to provide.
Bido flashed some potential with the A’s in 2024, tossing 63 1/3 innings in a swing role with a 3.41 earned run average. His 10% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 24.3% of batters faced. He also had a bit of help from the spacious ballpark in Oakland, as only 3.8% of his fly balls left the yard.
Moving to the hitter-friendly environment in West Sacramento didn’t help him. 14.7% of his fly balls cleared the fence in 2025, pushing his ERA to 5.87. That got him sent to the minors, burning his final option. Between Atlanta and Chicago this year, he couldn’t get back on track, with a 6.27 ERA.
Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball has been fairly pitcher-friendly in recent years, so perhaps a stint there is a good landing spot for Bido. If he gets back on track and puts up some good numbers, he can try to return to North American ball in the future.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Kyle Teel Shut Down With LCL Sprain
It will be quite some time before Kyle Teel makes his season debut. The White Sox second-year catcher sprained the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his right knee, relays Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network. He’ll be down for 3-6 weeks before he’s able to start a new rehab assignment.
Teel suffered the injury on Saturday in a rehab game with Triple-A Charlotte. Manager Will Venable told reporters (including James Fegan of Sox Machine) that the lefty batter got hurt when his cleat got stuck during a swing. He was working his way back after sustaining a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring while playing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
It’s a frustrating setback for a surprisingly competitive Sox team. Chicago enters their series in Seattle with a 24-22 record that has them in a Wild Card spot and only a game behind Cleveland in the AL Central. A playoff berth still seems like a long shot given the Sox’s rebuilding pitching staff, but they’re a more live threat than most would’ve anticipated at the beginning of the season.
The offense has been a big part of that. Chicago is tenth in scoring and ranks in the top half of the league in both on-base percentage and slugging. Only the Yankees have hit more home runs than the Sox’s 66 longballs. Teel would likely have slotted into the top half of the lineup after a .273/.375/.411 showing over his first 78 MLB games.
Chicago has instead rolled with a Drew Romo/Edgar Quero pairing behind the plate. Romo, who entered the season with essentially no MLB track record, has connected on four homers in 13 games since being called up to supplant Reese McGuire as the backup catcher. Quero has had a very tough year, yesterday’s walk-off homer against the Cubs notwithstanding.
The Sox could transfer Teel to the 60-day injured list if they need to open a spot on the 40-man roster at some point. That’ll backdate to Opening Day and would be a formality, as he’s unlikely to be ready for MLB action until late June at the earliest. Quero and Romo are the only healthy catchers on the 40-man.