The White Sox announced that right-hander Shane Smith has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 16) due to a left ankle sprain. Outfielder Will Robertson was also optioned to Triple-A, making way for two new arrivals on Chicago’s active roster — Triple-A call-up Wikelman Gonzalez and utilityman Brooks Baldwin, who was reinstated from the 10-day IL.
Taken out of the Brewers’ organization during last winter’s Rule 5 Draft, Smith has immediately enjoyed some success in his first taste of the majors. Smith has a 4.26 ERA over 86 2/3 innings and 18 starts for the Pale Hose, and he was even selected as Chicago’s rep for the AL All-Star team. It could be that opposing batters have started to catch up to Smith, however, as the righty has an 11.29 ERA over his last 18 1/3 innings.
Workload could also be a factor, as Smith is nearing his career high of 94 1/3 innings in a single season (set last year when pitching in Milwaukee’s farm system). Smith has tossed 243 2/3 total innings over his four pro seasons, and he underwent a Tommy John surgery in 2021 that was the likely reason he went undrafted that year coming out of Wake Forest.
The White Sox have made a point of trying to keep Smith’s innings managed, as his last start on July 11 saw the righty throw only two innings. While obviously Smith would’ve preferred to avoid this ankle injury, the IL stint does somewhat resolve the innings question for the time being, as the righty will now be out of action for at least the rest of July.
