White Sox Recall Duncan Davitt For MLB Debut
The White Sox announced that right-hander Duncan Davitt has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. He’ll be making his big league debut as soon as he gets into a game. They also recalled left-hander Brandon Eisert. Left-hander Tyler Schweitzer has been optioned in one corresponding move. Chris Murphy was also placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 8th, with left elbow impingement syndrome. James Fox of FutureSox was the first to report on the Davitt and Schweitzer transactions.
Davitt, 26, has been with the White Sox for less than a year. Originally drafted by the Rays, he was acquired in July as part of the deadline deal which sent Adrian Houser to Tampa. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff but projects as a possible back-end starter or swingman due to a diverse profile that he generally controls well. The data at FanGraphs credits him with six pitches. His four-seamer and sinker average in the low 90s. He also throws a cutter, curveball, slider and changeup.
Throughout his minor league career, he has thrown 381 innings over 67 starts and 20 relief appearances. He has allowed 4.39 earned runs per nine with a 25.2% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate. In December, FanGraphs ranked him the #21 prospect in the system. The report says he actually has a seven-pitch mix, mentioning a sweeper as another arrow in his quiver. He was added to the 40-man roster in November in order to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to Charlotte early in camp but will now be recalled to the majors for the first time.
Davitt’s usage remains to be seen. The Sox start a four-game series in Kansas City tonight, which will be the final leg of a stretch of ten straight days with a game. Shane Smith started on Tuesday and didn’t allow a run but threw 99 pitches without getting through the fourth inning. The Sox optioned him to the minors after that, opening a hole in the rotation. Schweitzer was recalled for Smith but pitched in relief last night, one of five pitchers the Sox used after starter Sean Burke went five innings.
For the series against the Royals, Anthony Kay, Davis Martin and Erick Fedde are scheduled to be the starters for the first three. The Sox have been using Grant Taylor as an opener from time to time but those three should be bulk guys at least. Smith’s turn in the rotation will come up on Sunday. Perhaps Davitt could be a bulk guy for that game but he also may be needed before then, depending on how things go.
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White Sox Option Shane Smith, Promote Tyler Schweitzer
The White Sox sent right-hander Shane Smith to Triple-A, the team announced. Left-hander Tyler Schweitzer was promoted to the big-league club. To clear a 40-man roster spot for Schweitzer, outfielder Brooks Baldwin was moved to the 60-day IL. Baldwin recently underwent an internal brace procedure and is expected to miss the entire season.
Smith was knocked around for 10 earned runs over 8 2/3 innings across three outings to begin the season. He tossed 3 2/3 scoreless frames against the Orioles on Tuesday, but it was far from an effective outing. Smith walked five and threw just 57 of his 99 pitches for strikes. He was able to dance around the traffic on the bases with the help of eight strikeouts, but the erratic showing ultimately cost him his roster spot.
It’s a swift fall from grace for Smith. The former Rule 5 pick was one of the few success stories from a forgettable 2025 campaign. The righty broke camp with the team and hit the ground running, allowing three earned runs or less in 13 straight starts to open the season. Smith faded as the innings piled up, but finished the year with a solid 3.81 ERA with just under a strikeout per inning. The solid effort earned Smith an All-Star selection and the Opening Day nod for 2026.
Smith hasn’t been hit particularly hard during this difficult three-start run, but he’s struggled to consistently find the strike zone. The righty has now issued nine free passes following Tuesday’s five-walk performance. He had similar challenges in MLB Spring Training, walking nine over 10 2/3 innings. Smith has frequently fallen behind opposing hitters, posting a 51% first-pitch strike rate. That mark was 60.4% in 2025. Heading to the minors will give him a chance to iron out the control issues.
Schweitzer was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. The lefty has steadily moved up the minor league ladder, reaching Triple-A by the end of last season. Schweitzer’s stint with Charlotte didn’t go so well (7.92 ERA over 50 IP), but he got off to a better start this year. The 25-year-old allowed just one earned run over five frames with the Knights before getting called up.
MLB Pipeline ranks Schweitzer at No. 23 among Chicago’s prospects. The southpaw boasts a mid-90s heater that reaches 98 mph, along with a changeup, slider, and curveball. MLB Pipeline’s scouting report identified the changeup as Schweitzer’s best pitch, given its movement and deception.
James Fegan of Sox Machine first reported Smith’s demotion. Elijah Evans of Just Baseball was first to report Schweitzer’s promotion.
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White Sox Place Austin Hays On IL, Select Dustin Harris
As manager Will Venable told reporters last night (including James Fegan of Sox Machine), the White Sox have placed Austin Hays on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. In a corresponding move, they selected the contract of Dustin Harris from Triple-A Charlotte. Mike Vasil has been transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to free up space on the 40-man roster.
Hays, 30, signed a one-year, $6MM contract with the White Sox this offseason. He started in left field in eight of Chicago’s first 10 games, though he was off to a slow start, with a .586 OPS and a 56 wRC+ through 33 trips to the plate. During the fourth inning of yesterday’s game, Hays injured his hamstring while tracking down a fly ball. It was immediately apparent he was hurt as he hopped the last several feet toward the ball, and he exited after the play. The White Sox have not yet revealed the severity of the strain.
With no more healthy position players left on their 40-man roster, the White Sox called on Harris to replace Hays. The 26-year-old signed a minor league contract with Chicago this past winter. He appeared in 21 games with the Rangers from 2024-25, playing all three outfield positions and slugging two home runs and four doubles. While his days as a top-10 organizational prospect for Texas are behind him, he runs well and once flashed promising power with his lefty swing. Unfortunately for Harris, the fact that he’s a lefty batter could make it difficult for Venable to get him in the lineup; fellow White Sox outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters also bat left-handed.
As for Vasil, this move was inevitable. The right-hander recently underwent Tommy John surgery and will sit out the 2026 season. After they swapped Harris in for Vasil, the White Sox’s 40-man roster remains full, though they will be able to move Brooks Baldwin to the 60-day IL the next time they need a 40-man spot. Baldwin recently underwent a season-ending internal brace procedure.
Brooks Baldwin Undergoes Internal Brace Procedure
White Sox utility player Brooks Baldwin underwent an internal brace procedure to repair his right UCL earlier this month. The team broke the news to reporters (including MLB.com’s Scott Merkin) this morning. Baldwin will miss all of the 2026 season, but he is expected to be ready to go for spring training in 2027.
The White Sox selected Baldwin in the 2022 draft. Though he was never a highly-ranked prospect, he hit his way up the minors in 2023 and ’24 and debuted in the second half of the 2024 season. His first taste of the majors wasn’t pretty (.566 OPS, 59 wRC+ in 33 games), but he made some meaningful improvements the following year. In 2025, Baldwin significantly increased his hard-hit rate and more than doubled his barrel rate, finishing with 11 home runs, 27 extra-base hits, and a wRC+ that was only 8% below league average. His walk rate was low, he grounded into a fair number of double plays, and his defensive metrics were shockingly poor across the board. Still, given his near-average offense and impressive versatility (he played second, third, shortstop, and all three outfield positions), it wasn’t hard to imagine the switch-hitting Baldwin blossoming into a productive major league utility player.
The 25-year-old appeared in eight games this spring before the White Sox shut him down with elbow soreness. He was hoping to compete for a more regular role with the club in 2026, likely in center field. Now, he will have to wait until 2027 to try to prove he can take his next step forward at the big league level.
In addition to Baldwin, Chicago recently lost fellow outfielders Austin Hays (hamstring) and Everson Pereira (ankle) to the injured list. Catcher Kyle Teel (hamstring) has also been on the IL since the World Baseball Classic. The team has no more healthy position players on its 40-man roster, though experienced major leaguers such as LaMonte Wade Jr., Jarred Kelenic, and Korey Lee are available at Triple-A.
White Sox Claim Doug Nikhazy
The White Sox announced that they have claimed left-hander Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the Guardians and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Cleveland designated him for assignment last week. The White Sox had a 40-man vacancy and don’t need to make a corresponding move.
Nikhazy, 26, has a very limited major league track record thus far. He tossed four innings for the Guards last year, allowing six earned runs via five hits and six walks while striking out five. Cleveland nudged him off the roster a week ago when they added Kolby Allard to their roster.
He does have some intriguing numbers on the farm from previous seasons. From 2022 to 2024, he tossed 328 innings over five relief appearances and 70 starts, allowing 3.90 earned runs per nine frames. His 14.5% walk rate was ghastly but he offset that somewhat by striking out 26.8% of opponents. His results backed up last year, despite the major league debut. He had a 5.02 ERA at Triple-A. He did lower his walk rate to 11.1% but his strikeout rate dropped to 22.5%.
For the White Sox, they just opened a 40-man spot when they gave up on Rule 5 pick Jedixson Páez last week. Since Nikhazy still has options, they can use that open spot to grab him from the wire and send him to the minors. Time will tell if the Sox view Nikhazy as more of a starter or a reliever. It’s also possible they put him back on waivers at some point in the hopes of keeping him as non-roster depth.
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White Sox Place Everson Pereira On 10-Day IL, Promote Tanner Murray For MLB Debut
Prior to today’s 3-0 win over the Blue Jays, the White Sox placed outfielder Everson Pereira on the 10-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain. The placement is retroactive to April 2. Infielder Tanner Murray was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Murray made his Major League debut as the starting shortstop in today’s contest.
The ankle injury forced Pereira to be removed early from last Wednesday’s game against the Marlins, and a few days of rest didn’t show enough improvement for the outfielder to avoid an IL visit. Acquired from the Rays as part of a four-player trade in November, Pereira was Chicago’s starting right fielder in five of the team’s first six games, and he had a .250/.294/.500 slash line and one homer over his first 17 trips to the plate. There isn’t any indication that the sprain is too serious, and until Pereira is back, the Sox figure to shuffle Derek Hill more regularly into the outfield mix.
It remains to be seen how often Pereira will be part of the starting lineup over the course of the season, though the White Sox can afford to give the 24-year-old some looks as a possible post-hype breakout prospect. Pereira drew some top-100 attention from Baseball America during his time in the Yankees’ farm system, but he hit only .146/.227/.215 over 176 PA with the Yankees and Rays over the 2023-25 seasons.
That November trade with Tampa also brought Murray into the White Sox organization, and the 26-year-old can now officially call himself a big leaguer in his sixth pro season. Murray’s first game was highlighted by an impressive play when the Jays had the bases loaded with two out in the third inning, as Murray got to a tricky Addison Barger grounder up the middle and threw Barger out to end the threat.
A fourth-round draft pick for the Rays in 2020, Murray posted decent numbers in the lower minors but has an uninspiring .242/.304/.409 slash over 622 PA at the Triple-A level, albeit with 20 home runs. Murray has played mostly as a second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop in the minors, but he has also gotten time at first base and all three outfield slots. Becoming a super-utility type might help Murray’s efforts in sticking around as a bench player, and he’ll provide the White Sox with some depth in his first stint in the Show.
White Sox Return Jedixson Paez To Red Sox
White Sox Rule 5 right-hander Jedixson Paez has cleared waivers and been returned to the Red Sox, per Gabrielle Starr of The Boston Herald. Chicago designated Paez for assignment earlier this week, and since Paez cleared waivers without being claimed, the White Sox had to offer him back to the Red Sox for a $50K fee.
Paez had never pitched beyond the high-A level before he made his Major League debut for the Southsiders on March 26. Unfortunately for Paez, his first taste of the Show didn’t go smoothly, as he was charged with three runs in two of his three outings. The end result was an 18.00 ERA over three total innings of work, with two homers and two walks allowed without any strikeouts.
Rebuilding teams like the White Sox often view the R5 as a way of taking fliers on young talent, and Chicago’s addition of Shane Smith in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft is a prime example of how much selections can pay off in a big way. The much more common result, of course, is that players taken from the lower minors like Paez often struggle after the big jump up to facing MLB talent. Since Rule 5 picks must stay on their new team’s active roster for the entire season in order for their rights to be officially secured, the White Sox felt giving Paez more opportunities over the next six months wasn’t going to help his development.
Paez now returns to Boston’s organization, and is likely ticketed for high-A ball or Double-A. The 22-year-old is still an interesting prospect to keep an eye on down the road, as Paez has shown outstanding command while posting a 3.22 ERA over 307 2/3 career minor league innings.
White Sox Designate Rule 5 Pick Jedixson Páez For Assignment
The White Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Jedixson Páez for assignment, clearing a spot on the roster for veteran reliever Lucas Sims, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Charlotte. Páez was a Rule 5 Draft selection out of the Red Sox organization.
Páez, 22, appeared in three games for the White Sox. He retired the only batter he faced in one of the three, but in each of the other two he was tagged for three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings with a home run allowed and multiple walks. Overall, Páez yielded six runs on four hits (two homers) and three walks without a strikeout in a total of three innings.
It’s not exactly a surprise to see Páez struggle. He’d never pitched above the High-A level when the White Sox scooped him up in December’s Rule 5 Draft, and he was knocked around for eight earned runs in 11 1/3 spring innings.
Chicago understandably was intrigued by Páez despite his lack of upper-level experience. He’s shown plus command in the minors, and he draws average or better grades for both his changeup and slider. Páez sits between 91-92 mph with both his sinker and his four-seamer, so the velocity is below average, but he’s posted terrific numbers up through High-A when healthy and would likely have spent considerable time at Double-A last year, were it not for a partial calf tear that sidelined him for around four months.
Now that he’s been designated for assignment, Páez will be placed on waivers and made available to the 28 clubs other than the White Sox and Red Sox. If another club claims him, he’ll have to go right onto the active roster. Páez’s Rule 5 restrictions would transfer over to that new club, and he would not be able to be optioned to the minors at any point.
If Páez passes through waivers unclaimed, Chicago will have to offer him back to Boston for a nominal sum of $50K. Boston would not need to put Páez on its 40-man roster and could assign him directly to a minor league affiliate (likely Double-A Portland).
The 31-year-old Sims signed a minor league deal over the winter and had a nice spring, firing six shutout innings with three hits, three walks and eight strikeouts. He’s fired one scoreless inning so far in Charlotte.
A veteran of nine partial major league seasons, Sims comes to the South Siders with more than six years of service time. He was a useful middle relief and eventual setup arm at his peak in Cincinnati, pitching to a combined 3.93 ERA in 183 1/3 innings from 2019-23. Sims punched out a hearty 31.9% of opponents in that time but was far too prone to free passes, issuing walks at a 12.2% clip.
Sims collected 39 holds and four saves in 2023-24, but a 2025 stint with the Nationals saw his shaky command erode to untenable levels. Sims walked more than 19% of his opponents (14 of 72) and plunked another seven batters in his short time with the Nats before being cut loose last year.
White Sox Outright Korey Lee
Catcher Korey Lee has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Lee was designated for assignment by the White Sox three days ago after being informed that he wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster.
The outright assignment keeps Lee in the organization, which may prove ideal for the Sox. A few weeks ago, Lee was poised for the backup catcher spot, with Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero splitting time between catcher and DH to keep both in the lineup. Then, Teel strained his hamstring in the World Baseball Classic, leading him to start the year on the injured list. The injury prompted Chicago to sign Reese McGuire to a cheap one-year deal as a backup while Quero started behind the plate. Despite his excellent performance in Spring Training, Lee was ultimately the odd man out. He’ll now start the year as Triple-A depth, but he’s likely the next man up should Quero or McGuire suffer an injury themselves.
Lee has made 530 career plate appearances between the Astros and White Sox from 2022-25. His first significant look came in 2024 with the Sox, making 394 PA over 125 games. He batted just .210/.244/.347 with a 65 wRC+, although he showed some power with 12 home runs. He spent most of 2025 at Triple-A and fared slightly better with an 81 wRC+. Still, his overall offensive output is underwhelming given his status as a former first-round draft pick.
Instead, Lee’s value comes from his defense and ability to work with a pitching staff. In 2024, Statcast graded him in the 97th percentile for pop time and the 82nd percentile for caught stealing above average. In contrast, he earned negative marks for his blocking and framing. Despite those flaws, Lee’s arm strength, youth, and affordability give him some appeal as minor-league depth. He has just over two years of service time and is out of option years. If his contract is eventually selected, he would need to hit enough to stick on the roster or else be designated for assignment. In that scenario, he would have the right to refuse another outright assignment.
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White Sox Trade Curtis Mead To Nationals For Boston Smith
The White Sox have acquired catcher Boston Smith from the Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, both teams have announced. Mead was designated for assignment earlier this week after falling short of an Opening Day roster spot. Smith was a sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft. To open up a 40-man roster spot for Mead, Washington designated lefty Jake Eder for assignment.
A former top prospect with the Rays, Mead spent the final two months of 2025 with the White Sox after coming over in the Adrian Houser trade. He scuffled to a 64 wRC+ in 41 games with the club. Mead hit .233 with a couple of home runs in 10 spring games as he battled for a big-league job. He lost out on the final bench spot to outfielder Tristan Peters.
Mead signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent in 2018. He was dealt to the Rays straight up for future All-Star Cristopher Sanchez the following year. Mead mashed in the minors in his first full season in the Tampa Bay organization, delivering a 142 wRC+ across three levels in 2021. He continued to pound minor league pitching over the next two seasons.
MLB Pipeline ranked Mead as the Rays’ No. 2 prospect in 2023, behind only right-hander Taj Bradley. He debuted with the club that year, holding his own as a 22-year-old with a .253/.326/.349 slash line in 92 plate appearances. Despite the respectable debut, Mead was limited to part-time work with the Rays in 2024 and 2025. His production was underwhelming at the plate, though he did provide some defensive versatility. Mead spent time at first base, second base, and third base, while also making an appearance at shortstop.
Washington has been active in the infield market over the past week. The club acquired Jorbit Vivas and Zack Short from the Yankees in separate deals. Mead will now join the list. It’s unclear whether he’ll be with the big-league club or head to the minors. Chicago was more in need of an outfielder to fill out the roster following the Brooks Baldwin injury, but the Nats are thinner on the dirt.
Smith was selected with the No. 171 overall pick out of Wright State. The backstop popped 26 home runs in his final season with the Raiders. The 23-year-old has yet to suit up in the minors. Chicago has a pair of talented young catchers on the big-league squad in Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero. Veteran Reese McGuire is currently backing up Quero as Teel deals with a hamstring strain suffered in the World Baseball Classic.
Eder was signed by the Marlins as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He was traded to the White Sox for Jake Burger at the 2023 trade deadline. After a handful of uninspiring seasons in the minors with Chicago, he was sent to the Angels for cash in March 2025. Eder made eight appearances for the big-league club, pitching to a 4.91 ERA across 18 1/3 innings. The lefty found his way to the Nationals in a trade that sent relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García back to the Angels. Eder was tagged for seven earned runs over seven minor league innings with Washington.
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