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White Sox Outright Deivi Garcia

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White Sox right-hander Deivi Garcia passed through waivers unclaimed following this weekend’s DFA, the team announced Thursday afternoon. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Charlotte. Garcia has not been previously outrighted and does not have three years of big league service time, so he can’t reject the assignment. He’ll remain in the White Sox organization but no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.

Once ranked among the game’s very best pitching prospects, the now-24-year-old Garcia (25 later this month) has seen his stock diminish amid shaky upper minors performances and some injuries. Garcia began to encounter significant command issues back in 2022, when he walked nearly 16% of his opponents in Triple-A. His command has yet to rebound, as evidenced by a career 14.3% walk rate in parts of four Triple-A seasons and a glaring 17% walk rate in 29 big league frames over the past two seasons.

The Yankees designated Garcia for assignment following the trade deadline last season, The rebuilding White Sox claimed the once-touted righty off waivers after the fact, but he’s struggled in his new environs as well. Garcia pitched 14 innings out of the Chicago bullpen this season and allowed 16 runs (11 earned) on 16 hits and 11 walks against 15 strikeouts. He also tossed four wild pitches along the way. Now that he’s passed through waivers, Garcia can head to Triple-A and attempt to get his command back on track.

MLBTR Podcast Mailbag: José Abreu Demoted, The Positional Surplus Myth, Erick Fedde’s Trade Value And More

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • José Abreu agreeing to be optioned by the Astros (2:50)
  • Upcoming knee surgery for Mike Trout of the Angels (5:05)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Given that a surplus can quickly disappear with injuries, will teams be more reluctant to trade from positions of relative strength? (6:50)
  • When will Jackson Jobe of the Tigers or Junior Caminero of the Rays be called up? (14:30)
  • Is it true that the White Sox can’t pick higher than tenth in next year’s draft? (18:20)
  • What is the current state of Tommy John surgery and longevity of pitchers after going under the knife? (22:00)
  • When can a team trade a recently-signed free agent? (28:50)
  • If Erick Fedde keeps pitching well, what kind of return could the White Sox get for him at the deadline? (30:50)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

White Sox Making Changes In Rotation

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The 6-25 White Sox are shuffling up their rotation mix a bit. Manager Pedro Grifol told the Sox beat yesterday that right-hander Brad Keller would likely move into the rotation in the near future (X link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com), and he’s now listed as the probable starter Friday. Meanwhile, right-hander Mike Clevinger has made a pair of starts in Triple-A Charlotte since returning on a one-year deal and is likely to join the rotation next week, tweets Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Right-hander Erick Fedde has been Chicago’s only above-average starter this season. Lefty Garrett Crochet started brilliantly but has been hit hard of late, ballooning his ERA to just under 6.00. Michael Soroka, Jonathan Cannon, Chris Flexen and Nick Nastrini have all made multiple starts but all came into today with an ERA north of 6.00. Flexen allowed just two earned runs over five innings today, lowering his ERA to 4.85. The Sox have combined for a 5.52 ERA out of the rotation, ranking 29th in the big leagues — ahead of only the Rockies. White Sox starters have averaged an MLB-worst 1.61 homers per nine frames.

Keller, 28, is a longtime division foe for the Sox, having spent his entire big league career prior to this season with the Royals. From 2018-20, Keller emerged as a steadying presence for Kansas City, going from a Rule 5 long reliever to a core member of the rotation. He pitched 360 1/3 frames of 3.50 ERA ball during that stretch, but his career went the opposite direction in three subsequent seasons.

From 2021-23, Keller was tagged for a 5.14 ERA as his command took a noticeable turn for the worse. He was limited to just 45 1/3 innings in 2023, logging a 4.57 ERA but issuing an alarming 45 walks along the way. Keller’s season ended early due to thoracic outlet symptoms. He inked a minor league deal with the ChiSox during the offseason and has made one scoreless relief appearance (1 2/3 innings) in addition to three starts at the Triple-A level, where he turned in a 4.50 ERA in 16 innings and piled up grounders at a huge 62.5% clip.

Clevinger will be entering his second season with the Sox. He started 24 games for the South Siders last year and notched a 3.77 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 30.9% ground-ball rate. Despite a solid season on the mound, Clevinger lingered in free agency and ultimately settled on a one-year, $3MM deal to return to the White Sox. He signed late enough that he required the current Triple-A tune-up before joining the big league rotation.

It’s not immediately clear who’ll lose their spot. Nastrini and Cannon have both already been optioned to Triple-A. Soroka and Flexen are veteran stopgaps who are only signed for the current season. Flexen has struggled mightily in the rotation and fared better in a pair of bullpen appearances, but as mentioned, he had a nice performance in today’s series finale against the Twins. Soroka has completed five innings in just three of his seven starts. Crochet’s workload figures to be monitored after he pitched just 24 1/3 frames last year in his return from 2022 Tommy John surgery. He’s never topped 54 1/3 innings in a professional season since being selected in the first round of the 2020 draft.

White Sox Outright Zach Remillard

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White Sox utilityman Zach Remillard went unclaimed on outright waivers, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. A previous career outright gives him the right to test minor league free agency, but Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate announced that Remillard is back on their roster.

The Coastal Carolina product sticks with the only organization for which he’s played. A 10th-round draftee in 2016, Remillard slowly climbed the minor league ladder. He got his first big league call a year ago. Remillard played in 54 games as a rookie, turning in a .252/.295/.320 line through 160 plate appearances. The Sox outrighted him from the 40-man roster over the winter.

Remillard stuck in the organization at Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago selected him back onto the MLB roster in mid-April, but he only took five plate appearances in two games. He was designated for assignment last week when the Sox needed to clear 40-man roster space for Danny Mendick. While Mendick had been tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A, Remillard has gotten out to a .120/.224/.160 start.

The 30-year-old has a fairly modest .237/.333/.365 slash in more than 1100 career Triple-A plate appearances. He’s a versatile defender who has extensive experience at all four infield spots and in left field.

Red Sox Acquire Bailey Horn From White Sox

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The Red Sox have acquired left-hander Bailey Horn from the White Sox, per announcements from both clubs. The White Sox, who designated him for assignment in recent days, will receive cash considerations. The southpaw has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester.

Horn was a fifth-round pick by the ChiSox in the shortened 2020 draft. The Sox dealt the Auburn product to the Cubs the following season in exchange for veteran reliever Ryan Tepera. Horn pitched his way to Triple-A in the Cubs system and was added to the 40-man roster last offseason. While the Cubs were wary about losing Horn in the Rule 5 draft, they pushed him off the 40-man before Opening Day.

The Sox reacquired their one-time draftee in a deal that sent minor league pitcher Matt Thompson to the Cubs. Horn spent a couple weeks on optional assignment to Triple-A Charlotte. He got out to a rough start, allowing 13 runs over 10 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old surrendered four homers and issued 10 free passes, although he did record 15 strikeouts. The White Sox never called him up before last week’s DFA.

Boston has a few openings on the 40-man roster after recent DFAs of Pablo Reyes and Joely Rodríguez. They’ve recently subtracted Rodríguez and Joe Jacques (who was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks) from their left-handed relief depth. They’ll partially backfill the depth with Horn, who has a full slate of options and has missed plenty of bats in the minor leagues. Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is certainly familiar with Horn, as Breslow had spent the past few seasons as an assistant general manager with the Cubs.

White Sox Sign Jared Walsh To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have signed free agent first baseman Jared Walsh to a minor league deal, per the team. The ISE client will head to the club’s spring training complex in Arizona for the time being and eventually be assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. Walsh made the Rangers’ Opening Day roster this season and got out to a hot start, but he was cut loose when he fell into a slump as Texas was nearing Nathaniel Lowe’s activation from the injured list.

Walsh’s return to the big leagues was a welcome sight, as some rather ominous health troubles clouded his future within the game not long ago. The Angels placed Walsh on the injured list with persistent headaches and insomnia early last season, and the slugger detailed his struggles in an interview with The Athletic’s Sam Blum at the time, stating: “It’s been hell. Not knowing what’s going on, not understanding what’s happening with my body….And not being able to get answers, not being able to figure out why I can’t do basic tasks. It’s been pretty concerning for me.”

Walsh also told the Orange County Register’s Doug Padilla that the neurological issues he battled early last season actually had been bothering him for more than a year, meaning he was going through that battle while simultaneously trying to play through thoracic outlet symptoms that eventually necessitated surgery. Walsh acknowledged that he seems to have “found some answers” after multiple visits with specialists, but an exact diagnosis was never made public.

Given all he’s gone through in recent seasons, it’s encouraging simply to see Walsh healthy enough to continue pursuing his big league career. The now-30-year-old slugger broke out with a hefty .280/.331/.531 slash and 38 home runs in 176 games with the Angels from 2020-21. His production plummeted in the years since that breakout, due in no small part to those persistent and worrying health troubles. Since Opening Day 2022, Walsh carries a .200/.263/.352 batting line in 630 trips to the plate.

Walsh had a nice spring with the Rangers, swatting three homers and slashing .250/.365/.458 overall in 57 plate appearances. His 14% walk rate was encouraging, but the veteran’s 33.3% strikeout rate was an obvious flaw. His contact issues persisted into the regular season. Walsh began the season 10-for-30 with a homer and two doubles but went just 2-for-23 with 11 punchouts thereafter. He fanned 21 times in his 60 Rangers plate appearances (35%).

The White Sox have Andrew Vaughn getting everyday reps at first base, but the former top prospect simply hasn’t produced this season (.180/.252/.230, 42 wRC+) and more broadly has not emerged as the high-end offensive force the Sox envisioned when drafting him with the third overall pick in 2019. Vaughn popped a career-high 21 homers last season but is a lifetime .251/.311/.408 hitter since his 2020 debut. He’s essentially been a league-average bat, which doesn’t mesh well with his lack of defensive value and lack of speed. This year’s 27.9% strikeout rate is a career-worst, as are most of his batted-ball metrics on Statcast (e.g. exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit rate).

If things reach a tipping point, it’s feasible that Vaughn could be optioned to Charlotte himself, with Gavin Sheets sliding from right field to first base and Chicago giving Tommy Pham, Robbie Grossman and/or Rafael Ortega increased reps in the outfield. Walsh could hit his way into that first base/DH mix as well, but for now he’ll get a tune-up at the Sox’ spring facility. It’s been ten days since he was designated for assignment and two weeks since he last appeared in a game.

Kevin Pillar Elects Free Agency

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Outfielder Kevin Pillar has chosen to become a free agent rather than an accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte, the White Sox announced.  Pillar was designated for assignment earlier this week and cleared waivers, but since he has far more than three years of MLB service time, Pillar has the right to reject any outright assignments in favor of a return trip to the open market.

Pillar first signed with Chicago on a minor league deal during the offseason, but after being released from that contract near the end of Spring Training, quickly re-signed with the Sox for a guaranteed big league deal.  Pillar ended up appearing in 17 games for the White Sox, hitting .160/.290/.360 over 32 plate appearances and acting mostly as a late-game substitute.

Now in his 12th Major League season, the 35-year-old Pillar has rarely shown much at the plate but carved out a role as an excellent defensive center fielder during his heyday with the Blue Jays.  Even after Toronto traded Pillar early in the 2019 season, he continued to receive more or less everyday work until falling into more of a part-time capacity over the last four seasons.  This stretch included platoon/bench roles with the Mets in 2021 and the Braves in 2023, and he was slated for a similar role with the Dodgers in 2022 but played in only four games before a fractured shoulder ended his season.

Pillar should draw some looks from teams interested in adding veteran depth at all three outfield positions, plus some limited pop against left-handed pitching (the righty-swinging Pillar is a career .277/.310/.460 hitter against southpaws).  It wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see Pillar again circle back to the White Sox if he can’t find a deal anywhere else, though Chicago more or less replaced Pillar with Tommy Pham, and might move more towards younger players anyway later in the season if and when veterans are dealt at the trade deadline.

White Sox Select Brad Keller, Designate Deivi Garcia For Assignment

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The White Sox announced a series of roster moves this morning, highlighted by the club selecting the contract of veteran right-hander Brad Keller. Right-hander Deivi Garcia was designated for assignment to make room for Keller on the 40-man and active rosters. Additionally, Chicago announced that right-hander Jonathan Cannon had been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Right-hander Prelander Berroa was recalled to take Cannon’s place on the active roster.

The news leaves Keller poised to make his White Sox debut in the coming days as he likely steps into the rotation in Cannon’s stead. The 28-year-old signed a minor league deal with Chicago in early March after lingering on the free agent market throughout the offseason following a difficult 2023 campaign. Keller was limited to just 45 1/3 innings of 4.57 ERA baseball last year due to shoulder surgery and a thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis, which MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand noted last month necessitated its own surgery back in October.

Surgery to correct TOS has rarely seen players return to the majors and enjoy success, with Stephen Strasburg and Chris Archer among the arms who have seen their careers impacted by the procedure in recent years. One example of a player who has returned effectively is Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly, who stands as a prime example of the fact that not all types of TOS have the same long-term outlook. It’s not clear which type of TOS Keller went under the knife due to, though his decent 4.50 ERA in 16 innings of work at the Triple-A level across three starts this season gives reason for optimism that he could return to form as a viable back-of-the-rotation option in the majors.

Making room for Keller on the 40-man roster is Garcia, who will celebrate his 25th birthday next month. The right-hander was once a top prospect in the Yankees’ farm system and made his big league debut at just 21 years old during the shortened 2020 season, which saw him post a 4.98 ERA and 4.15 FIP across six starts in New York. Unfortunately, Garcia then struggled badly in the minor leagues over the next two seasons, with ERAs north of 6.80 in both campaigns. Garcia’s time with the Yankees came to a close in 2023, when he was designated for assignment after struggling through two relief appearances in the majors.

The White Sox took a chance on Garcia and claimed him off waivers from New York before installing him in the club’s bullpen. While he posted a strong 2.04 ERA in six appearances with the club down the stretch last year, Garcia walked more batters than he struck out and posted an ugly 6.04 FIP during that same timeframe. While Chicago retained Garcia on its roster through the offseason, the results began to match the peripherals in 2024 as the right-hander surrendered 16 runs (11 earned) in just 14 innings while walking 16.2% of batters faced.

Those major struggles were evidently enough for the White Sox to pull the plug on Garcia, who they’ll now have one week to either work out a trade for or attempt to pass through waivers. If they’re successful in the latter, they’ll have the opportunity to outright the youngster to the minor leagues where he can serve as non-roster depth going forward.

Also departing the club’s active roster is Cannon, a 23-year-old rookie who has made three starts in the majors for the White Sox so far this year. That first taste of big league action hasn’t gone particularly well for the youngster, as he’s posted a brutal 7.24 ERA in 13 2/3 innings of work despite a solid 4.04 FIP. Cannon figures to return to the Triple-A rotation and wait for his next opportunity in the majors.

In the meantime, his roster spot will go to Berroa, who figures to replace Garcia in the club’s bullpen. The 24-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Mariners in the deal that sent Gregory Santos to Seattle back in February and has just 1 2/3 big league innings under his belt to this point in his career. He’s struggled mightily to this point at the Triple-A level this season, with an 8.74 ERA across 11 appearances. Nonetheless, he’ll look to contribute to the White Sox bullpen during the middle innings alongside the likes of Jordan Leasure and Dominic Leone.

Latest On Luis Robert Jr.

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White Sox fans received a positive update from GM Chris Getz regarding the status of injured center fielder Luis Robert Jr. over the weekend, with MLB.com’s Injury Tracker noting that the club believes Robert could return to the lineup in Chicago as soon as the middle of May. According to Getz, Robert’s rehab has “been really positive” as he’s progressed to both running and hitting without issue.

If Robert could be back with the big league club in as little as two weeks, that would be excellent news for the White Sox. The 26-year-old suffered a grade 2 strain of his left hip flexor three weeks ago that was initially expected to sideline him for at least at weeks, with some club officials reportedly worrying that Robert would miss the entire first half. Fortunately, the slugger appears to have avoided those worst-case-scenarios.

While Robert had been hitting a relatively pedestrian .214/.241/.500 through seven games at the time of his injury, he’ll nonetheless be an immediate upgrade to the outfield mix in Chicago upon his return even if he doesn’t regain the form that saw him finish 12th in AL MVP voting last year. The White Sox are currently relying on newly-signed veteran Tommy Pham in center field in Robert’s absence, with Andrew Benintendi and Robbie Grossman holding down the outfield corners.

White Sox Designate Bailey Horn For Assignment

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The White Sox announced a series of roster moves, many of which were previously reported. Outfielders Rafael Ortega and Tommy Pham have been selected to the roster. Two more outfielders were removed, as Kevin Pillar has been designated for assignment and Dominic Fletcher has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. To open one more spot on the 40-man, left-handed pitcher Bailey Horn was also designated for assignment.

Horn, 26, was just acquired from the Cubs in February. The latter club was looking to open a 40-man spot for Cody Bellinger and flipped Horn across town for minor league right-hander Matt Thompson. That sent Horn back to his original organization, as he was drafted by the Sox but traded to the Cubs in 2021 for Ryan Tepera.

The southpaw has long shown big strikeout potential but also a concerning lack of command, trends that have continued into 2024. He has thrown 10 1/3 innings at Triple-A Charlotte so far this year, striking out 15 opponents but also giving out 10 walks. Four home runs allowed have also led to 13 runs crossing the plate, leading to an 11.32 earned run average.

Those poor results have bumped him off the 40-man and the Sox will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Despite the rough start to his season, he could perhaps garner interest based on his previous work. Over 2022 and 2023, he tossed 113 2/3 innings between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. He had a 3.56 ERA in that time, striking out 30.5% of batters faced but also issuing walks at a 13.3% rate.

The Cubs only just added him to their 40-man in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft, meaning he has a full slate of options. If any club felt they had a way to harness the control going forward, they could acquire Horn and stash him in the minors for years to come.

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