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Jorge López Agrees To Minor League Deal With Cubs

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Right-hander Jorge López has agreed to a minor league deal with the Cubs, according to a report from Will Sammon and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic on X. The righty is expected to report to the club’s Arizona complex, per Sammon and Mooney at The Athletic.

López, 31, was recently released by the Mets after an unusual scene. During a rough outing against the Dodgers, he argued with umpires and was ejected. While leaving the field, he tossed his glove into the crowd and untucked his shirt.

Things took another strange turn after the game. The Puerto Rican-born López spoke with reporters in English without an interpreter present, saying he did not regret his actions. He also said he had not spoken with manager Carlos Mendoza or president of baseball operations David Stearns about the outburst, though this was contradicted by others. There was also some confusion about something else he said to reporters, as some thought he was calling the Mets “the worst —-ing team” in MLB, but later clarified he was actually calling himself the “worst teammate” in the league.

After all of that, some in the baseball world tried to put a spotlight on the challenges López has faced. He has a child with significant medical complications that is currently on a transplant list and waiting for a donor, while the elder López also missed some time last year due to his mental health. Regardless of the explanations, the Mets considered his behavior unacceptable. He was designated for assignment and released, sending him out to free agency and keeping the Mets on the hook for most of his $2MM salary. The Cubs will bring him into the organization, though he has not yet been added to that club’s roster.

López had a stint as one of the better relievers in the league a few years ago, but with more middling results since then. After years as a starter without a lot of success, the Orioles moved him to a bullpen role in 2022 and he found immediate success. He tossed 48 1/3 innings for the O’s that year, allowing just 1.68 earned runs per nine frames. He struck out 27.6% of batters faced, gave out walks at an 8.7% pace and kept 60% of balls in play on the ground.

But he was traded to the Twins at that year’s deadline, with the results falling off from there. From that trade to the present, he has a 5.08 ERA, 18% strikeout rate, 9.8% walk rate and 48% ground ball rate. That includes his 3.76 ERA with the Mets this year prior to his release, though his 17.1% strikeout rate and 44.2% ground ball rate this season are still pretty far from his peak.

Though the numbers haven’t been amazing lately, there’s sense in the Cubs bringing him aboard. There’s no harm in taking a look on a minor league deal and López wouldn’t really cost them anything even if added to the roster. They would only have to pay the prorated league minimum for any time López is on the club, with that amount subtracted from what the Mets pay.

The bullpen has been an issue for the Cubs this year, with the relievers having a collective ERA of 4.47, which puts them 24th out of the 30 clubs in the league. Guys like Adbert Alzolay, Yency Almonte, Julian Merryweather and Keegan Thompson are all currently on the injured list. López can give them a boost if he’s able to make any sort of movement towards his previous form.

White Sox Return Rule 5 Pick Shane Drohan To Red Sox

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The White Sox have returned Rule 5 pick Shane Drohan to the Red Sox, with Chris Cotillo of MassLive among those to relay the news on X. Drohan won’t need to take up a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster.

Drohan, 25, was selected by the White Sox with the fourth pick in last year’s Rule 5 draft. Unfortunately, he underwent shoulder surgery in February and had to begin the season on the injured list. He started a rehab assignment about a month ago but struggled to get into good form, allowing nine earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. He struck out 15 opponents but gave out eight walks.

As a Rule 5 pick with his 30-day rehab window closing, Drohan needed to be added to the active roster but Chicago wasn’t willing to do that. The designated him for assignment last week and any club could have claimed him off waivers, but doing so would have meant taking on the same Rule 5 restrictions. Since they all apparently passed, the Red Sox are able to reacquire Drohan as non-roster depth.

He’ll now look to continue his development in the Red Sox’ system. Through May 10 of 2023, he had thrown 252 1/3 innings in the minors in 56 games, including 54 official starts. He had allowed 3.57 earned runs per nine frames in that time with a 26.3% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate.

Since then, things have been a bit shakier. He was promoted to Triple-A at that point but had a 6.47 ERA in 89 innings at that level, walking 14.9% of batters faced. The White Sox had him working relief outings on his recent rehab but it’s possible the Red Sox will stretch him back out now.

Marlins Reinstate JT Chargois

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The Marlins announced that right-hander JT Chargois has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Right-hander Emmanuel Ramírez was optioned to Triple-A to open an active roster spot for Chargois. The club already had a vacancy on its 40-man roster, which is now full after this move. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com relayed the Chargois move on X prior to the official announcement.

Chargois began the season on the IL due to neck spasms. He began rehabbing shortly thereafter but experienced an unspecified setback at the end of April, per De Nicola on X at that time. He was transferred to the 60-day IL in early May but has now finally gotten himself into game shape and will make his season debut when he first gets into a game.

It’s likely that the next few weeks will be a trade showcase for Chargois, as the Fish are already out of contention. Their current record of 23-43 is the worst in the National League and they already essentially waved a white flag on their season a month ago by trading Luis Arráez to the Padres for prospects, signalling a clear intent to focus on the future.

Chargois is 33 years old and has one remaining arbitration season after this one. That makes him a logical trade candidate with the Marlins not looking at contening in the near future. He’s making a modest $1.285MM salary this year and has a pretty good track record of results. In 195 major league innings, he has allowed 3.55 earned runs per nine.

His strikeout rate has dipped over the years but he has continued to get ground balls. With the Dodgers in 2018 and 2019, he ran strikeout rates in the 30% range but has been hovering around 20% more recently. But he has a 52.9% ground ball rate in his career, including a 54.6% clip last year and a rate of 59.7% with the Rays in 2022.

With over six weeks until the July 30 deadline, Chargois has some time to demonstrate his health for rival clubs. Contending clubs are always looking for an extra reliever or two to bolster their bullpens prior to the stretch run, with clubs like the Royals and Orioles already reportedly on the hunt, so Chargois should have plenty of interest if he’s in good form.

Blue Jays Trade Cavan Biggio To Dodgers

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12:15pm: The teams have now announced the trade.

11:16am: The Dodgers are optioning Miguel Vargas to Triple-A to open a spot on the roster for Biggio, reports Jack Harris of the L.A. Times. Vargas has hit well in his tiny sample of work this season, but the Dodgers have moved him from the infield to left field this year and don’t have much playing time available for him at the moment. Vargas has just one plate appearance in the past five days and has only appeared in three games this month despite being on the active roster since mid-May.

Meanwhile, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet adds that the Jays are sending some cash to the Dodgers in the trade. It’s not clear how much, but the Dodgers won’t take on the full $2.49MM remaining on Biggio’s salary. They’ll still pay a 110% tax on whatever portion of his contract they do absorb, however, just as the Jays will pay a 30% tax on any cash included to offset Biggio’s salary.

8:30am: The Dodgers and Blue Jays are in agreement on a trade sending infielder/outfielder Cavan Biggio from Toronto to Los Angeles in exchange for a minor league player, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Minor league righty Braydon Fisher is heading back to Toronto, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Biggio was designated for assignment earlier in the week. The Dodgers have an open 40-man roster spot, so they’ll only need to clear space on the active, 26-man roster for Biggio.

The trade formally closes the book on Biggio’s tenure with the Blue Jays after nearly a decade-long run. Selected in the fifth-round of the 2016 draft, the now-29-year-old Biggio emerged as one of the organization’s better prospects prior to his debut and looked early in his career to be a potential core member of the Jays. From 2019-20, Biggio batted .240/.368/.430 with 24 home runs and 20 steals in roughly one full season’s worth of playing time (159 games, 695 plate appearances). His massive walk rate and blend of power, speed and defensive versatility made him one of the more intriguing young players on the Jays’ roster, setting up a potential core trio of second-generation talents alongside Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

As those high-profile teammates blossomed into All-Stars for the Jays, however, Biggio trended in the other direction. Over the next two seasons, he turned in a tepid .213/.320/.353 batting line with 13 homers and seven steals. His strikeout rate climbed from 2020’s mark of 23% into the upper-20s, and Biggio’s walk rate dropped by three percentage points as well. He rebounded to post roughly league-average numbers at the plate in a limited role last year but has slipped to .200/.323/.291 with a career-worst 32% strikeout rate this season.

Overall, since that promising 2019-20 start to his career, Biggio has batted .219/.327/.351 with a 12.1% walk rate against a 27.5% strikeout rate. That production comes despite a fair bit of platooning. Biggio has mostly even platoon splits in his career, but the overwhelming amount of his production against lefties came back in 2019-20. His bat fell off against southpaws, in particular, in 2021 (.200/.290/.250), and the Jays began limiting his time against lefties more regularly in subsequent seasons.

Flawed as he may have been over his past several seasons, Biggio is a sensible flyer for a Dodgers club that has received minimal production out of second base (and, to a lesser extent, left field) in 2024. The bottom of the L.A. lineup has been an issue throughout the season. Veterans like Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez have struggled immensely, as has former top prospect Gavin Lux, who’s been the team’s primary second baseman but hit just .223/.277/.297 through 188 trips to the plate in his return after his 2023 season was wiped out by a torn ACL.

Biggio passed five years of major league service time earlier this season, meaning he can’t be optioned to Triple-A without his consent. He’ll likely join the big league roster and do so at the expense one of those struggling veterans. Lux has minor league options remaining and could be sent down in order to preserve maximum depth.

Biggio could step in as the Dodgers’ primary second baseman against right-handed pitching, perhaps taking a seat on the bench in favor of star Mookie Betts against lefties. Veteran Miguel Rojas could handle shortstop on those days. It’s also possible that Biggio could see some time at third base, where the Dodgers are currently without Max Muncy (oblique strain). Hernandez has filled in at the hot corner in Muncy’s absence but is hitting just .207/.277/.314 on the season. Biggio has plenty of outfield experience as well, but with Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages and Jason Heyward all healthy at the moment, there’s a greater need in the infield.

Biggio is earning a $4.21MM salary this season and has about $2.49MM of that sum left to be paid out. The Dodgers are in the top luxury bracket and will pay a 110% tax on that salary, meaning they’re effectively spending a bit more than $5MM to acquire Biggio. He’s controlled through next season via arbitration, so if he’s able to turn things around following the change of scenery, Biggio could be a multi-year piece for the Dodgers. The Blue Jays are also luxury tax payors at present, so they’ll save not only that $2.49MM but also a 30% tax hit on that sum.

In addition to sheer cost savings, the Blue Jays will pick up a 23-year-old righty whom the Dodgers selected with their fourth-round pick back in 2018. Fisher is a pure relief prospect who has missed bats in massive quantities throughout his minor league tenure but as also regularly battled subpar command. He’s worked to a combined 5.68 earned run average between Double-A and his first taste of Triple-A work this season. Nearly all of the damage against him came in one meltdown outing that saw him yield six runs in just 1 2/3 innings late last month.

This season, Fisher has struck out exactly one-third of his opponents (30 of 90) but also walked one-sixth of them (15). The 6’4″ Texas native punched out 30.8% of his opponents in 2022 and 32.7% of them last season but also logged walk rates of 17% and 13.4% in those respective seasons.

Given that Fisher has climbed to Triple-A this season, he could be an option for the Blue Jays in the short term. His walk rates are an obvious red flag, but it’s hard not to be intrigued by a relief prospect who’s regularly whiffed 30-33% of his opponents while posting gaudy swinging-strike rates along the way.

Brewers Sign Joel Kuhnel To Minor League Deal

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The Brewers signed righty Joel Kuhnel to a minor league contract yesterday, as first indicated on the transaction log at MLB.com. He got to work quickly, making his first appearance for the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville last night. Kuhnel pitched an inning and allowed a pair of runs on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

The Brewers organization is the third stop of the season for Kuhnel, who’s also been with the Astros and Blue Jays this season. He allowed four runs in two big league frames for Houston, but the bulk of Kuhnel’s time has been spent in Triple-A. Between Sugar Land, Buffalo and now Nashville, he’s pitched a combined 21 innings of Triple-A ball with a 3.00 earned run average. Kuhnel has only struck out 10.1% of his opponents in Triple-A but also sports a strong 6.7% walk rate and a massive 60.3% ground-ball rate.

This year’s brief look with the ’Stros was the fifth season in which Kuhnel has seen work at the MLB level. In 85 2/3 innings, all spent with the Reds or Astros, the 6’5″ righty has a 6.30 ERA with a 19% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate and 52.5% grounder rate. He’s averaged just under 96 mph on both his four-seamer and sinker in the majors, typically pairing those two fastballs with a mid-80s slider and a changeup that’s averaged 90 mph.

Milwaukee has a slew of pitchers on the injured list, although they’ve been hit hardest in the rotation. That’s taken an indirect toll on the relief corps, however. The mountain of injuries has pushed reliever Bryse Wilson back into a starting role, and it’s also prompted the Brewers to use their relievers more heavily than any team in the sport. Brewers starting pitchers have the fewest innings of any team in MLB (316 1/3), while their 277 innings from the bullpen are naturally the most in MLB. Add in that star closer Devin Williams has yet to pitch this season due to a back injury, and stockpiling bullpen depth becomes all the more critical.

Kuhnel will give the Brewers another experienced option the next time they need to pull a fresh arm up from Nashville on the back of a bullpen day or short start from their patchwork rotation.

Twins Designate Diego Castillo For Assignment

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The Twins announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Diego Castillo for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to righty Jay Jackson, whose contract is being selected from Triple-A St. Paul. Right-hander Louie Varland was optioned to St. Paul to open an active roster spot for Jackson, who’ll be up for his second stint of the year in Minnesota.

Castillo inked a minor league deal during spring training and was selected to the MLB roster late last month. He’s only allowed two runs in seven innings of relief but has also issued an unsightly seven walks in that span. The veteran Castillo has pitched quite well in Triple-A, logging a 2.50 ERA with a 29.7% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 54.5% ground-ball rate in 18 innings. He also saw his average fastball velocity jump back to 95.7 mph after sitting at 94.2 mph in 2023. The Twins will have a week to trade Castillo, attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him.

From 2018-22, the now-30-year-old Castillo was excellent out of the bullpens in Tampa Bay and Seattle, pitching to a combined 3.12 earned run average (3.69 FIP, 3.38 SIERA) with a strong 28.1% strikeout rate and an 8.9% walk rate that’s barely north of the league average. He kept the ball on the ground at an impressive 50.7% clip as well, and Castillo yielded just 1.07 long balls per nine frames.

A series of three shoulder injuries looked to have taken their toll on him, as last year’s 94.2 mph average fastball was a career-low and he was rocked for six runs in 8 2/3 innings with Seattle (while walking 17% of his hitters and plunking another one). It’s feasible that his track record and this year’s rejuvenated fastball could lead to interest from a bullpen-needy club, be it via a minor trade or a waiver claim.

Jackson, 36, signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Twins over the winter but was hit hard in his initial stint with the club. In 22 1/3 innings, he pitched to a 6.85 ERA, yielding runs in 10 of his 17 appearances along the way. He’s allowed one run in three Triple-A innings since being designated for assignment, clearing waivers and being sent outright to St. Paul. Jackson worked mostly in low-leverage spots with the Twins and figures to do so again, unless he can more closely resemble the 2022-23 version of himself — wherein he combined for 31 innings of 2.03 ERA ball.

Because of his contract, this could become a frequent cycle for Jackson. His remaining salary makes it unlikely he’ll be claimed on waivers, so the Twins could designate him, pass him through waivers, outright him and then re-select him to the big league roster multiple this this year — whenever the need for a fresh arm arises. Of course, if Jackson can indeed begin to recapture some of his form from recent seasons, he could also pitch his way into a more permanent role in manager Rocco Baldelli’s bullpen.

Pirates Sign Luis Cessa To Minor League Contract

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The Pirates have signed right-hander Luis Cessa to a minor league deal, as first reported by Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (X link). Cessa was released from a pact with the Royals on June 1.

It’s the second non-roster rotation pickup in as many days for Pittsburgh. The Bucs added Jake Woodford on a minor league deal last night shortly after he was outrighted by the White Sox. Unlike Woodford, Cessa hasn’t seen any major league action in 2024. He pitched fairly well in Triple-A, working to a 3.89 ERA through 39 1/3 innings for Kansas City’s top farm team in Omaha. Cessa had a modest 16.8% strikeout rate against a 9.2% walk percentage while starting 10 of his 11 appearances.

Cessa probably wouldn’t have had a chance to crack the K.C. rotation no matter how well he pitched. The Royals have gotten good work from each of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Alec Marsh and Brady Singer. Wacha hit the injured list the day after Cessa was cut loose; the Royals have turned to Daniel Lynch IV to take the vacated rotation spot. Perhaps Cessa could’ve pitched his way into a shakier K.C. bullpen, but he doesn’t generate the kind of swing-and-miss that teams are generally seeking in the later innings.

The 32-year-old has been an effective long reliever in the past, running a 3.39 ERA over 112 appearances with the Yankees and Reds between 2019-21. He struggled to a 4.57 ERA in 80 2/3 frames in 2022 and had a particularly tough season last year. Cessa was tagged for 26 runs in as many innings over seven appearances (six starts) for Cincinnati. Subsequent minor league contracts with the Rockies and Nationals each resulted in an ERA above 8.00 and unsurprisingly kept him from returning to the majors.

Cessa and Woodford join Domingo Germán, Josh Fleming and Michael Plassmeyer as non-roster rotation depth in Indy. Braxton Ashcraft and Daulton Jefferies occupy 40-man roster spots and are optional assignment. The Pirates have Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Bailey Falter in the rotation after losing Quinn Priester to the injured list. They’ll need a fifth starter or to use a bullpen game during this weekend’s series in Colorado.

Angels Sign Keston Hiura To Minor League Deal

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The Angels informed reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that they’ve signed infielder Keston Hiura to a minor league contract. He’ll report to Triple-A Salt Lake after being released by the Tigers last week. He is a CAA client.

Hiura is a Southern California native who starred at UC-Irvine. The Brewers selected him ninth overall in the 2017 draft. Hiura was a top prospect who looked like a budding star when he hit 19 homers in 84 games as a rookie for Milwaukee during the ’19 season. That huge debut showing came with a 30.7% strikeout rate that unfortunately previewed massive swing-and-miss problems. Hiura’s strikeout rate increased in each subsequent season, leading to a cumulative .205/.293/.394 slash between 2020-22.

The Brewers outrighted Hiura off their 40-man roster on the eve of the 2023 season. He spent the year in Triple-A and qualified for minor league free agency at year’s end. Hiura signed a minor league deal with Detroit and played in 49 games for their top farm team. He slumped to a .232/.312/.401 batting line across 199 trips to the plate. Hiura walked at a strong 10.6% clip but fanned 28.1% of the time and only hit six homers. The Tigers released him in conjunction with their decision to option former first overall pick Spencer Torkelson, who’ll play regularly at first base in the minors.

While Hiura didn’t have a great couple months with the Tigers, he has a strong minor league résumé. Hiura owns a .289/.382/.550 batting line in nearly 1100 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of five seasons. He blasted 23 homers in 85 contests as recently as last year.

Initially drafted as a second baseman, Hiura scuffled defensively and has moved primarily to first base. The Tigers played him exclusively at first base or designated hitter. Whether the Angels will give him any work at the keystone isn’t clear, but Hiura offers an alternative to struggling first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Last year’s #11 overall pick is hitting .211/.279/.333 over 231 plate appearances in his first full professional season.

Pirates Claim Dennis Santana, Designate Jose Hernandez

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The Pirates announced they’ve claimed reliever Dennis Santana off waivers from the Yankees. Pittsburgh designated Jose Hernandez for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot. The Bucs also recalled Ryder Ryan from Triple-A Indianapolis to take the bullpen spot opened by yesterday’s designation of Ben Heller.

Santana, 28, signed a minor league deal with New York over the offseason. He cracked the Yankee roster within the first week of the season. Santana tossed 27 1/3 innings, typically in middle relief, in the Bronx. While he had a decent run through the season’s first month, he’s run into harder times since the calendar flipped to May. Santana allowed 6.26 earned runs per nine while striking out a personal-low 16.5% of batters faced altogether.

The right-hander has posted an ERA above 5.00 in three consecutive seasons. Santana has nevertheless caught the attention of various teams as a middle innings target. Pittsburgh will be his fifth team dating back to 2021. Santana throws relatively hard, sitting in the 95-96 MPH range with his sinker and four-seam fastball. Until this season, that had generally translated into average swing-and-miss rates against MLB hitters.

Santana has exhausted his minor league options. He’ll step directly into Pittsburgh’s bullpen once he reports to the team. The Pirates need to keep him in the majors or again send him into DFA limbo. Santana surpassed the four-year service threshold this season and would be eligible for arbitration for two more years if he pitches well enough to hold the roster spot.

Hernandez, a 6’3″ southpaw, was the third pick in the 2022 Rule 5 draft. The Bucs stashed him in low-leverage relief last season to gain his long-term contractual rights from the Dodgers. While Hernandez struggled to a 4.97 ERA across 50 2/3 innings, his 27.8% strikeout percentage was reason for optimism that he could be a long-term bullpen piece.

The 26-year-old has had a tough follow-up season, most of which has been spent in Indianapolis. Hernandez has allowed 12 runs over 15 1/3 Triple-A frames. He has fanned 21 of 75 batters faced (a solid 28% clip) but walked nine. Hernandez has been limited to 5 1/3 frames of two-run ball at the MLB level this season. His 81.6 MPH average slider velocity and 93.1 MPH fastball speed are each down more than a mile per hour relative to last year.

Pittsburgh will trade Hernandez or put him on waivers within the next few days. He’s in his first of three option years and has a solid track record of missing bats in the minors, so it wouldn’t be surprising if another team takes a low-cost flier.

White Sox Promote Drew Thorpe For MLB Debut

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June 11: The White Sox have officially announced Thorpe’s selection today. Left-hander Sammy Peralta was optioned to open a spot on the active roster. To open a spot on the 40-man, right-hander Dominic Leone was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Leone was put on the 15-day IL about three weeks ago due to inflammation in his throwing elbow and it now appears the Sox aren’t expecting him to return in the near future.

June 9: The White Sox are planning to promote top pitching prospect Drew Thorpe to the majors on Tuesday, manager Pedro Grifol told reporters (including James Fegan of SoxMachine). The right-hander will make his MLB debut against the Mariners in Seattle.

Thorpe, 23, was the headliner of a four player package the White Sox received from the Padres in the deal that sent ace righty Dylan Cease to San Diego back in March. It was the second time Thorpe had been traded that offseason, as the Padres acquired Thorpe from the Yankees as part of the Juan Soto package back in December. As one might expect from a prospect that was part of the return for two superstars in separate blockbusters during the same offseason, Thorpe is a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport. The righty currently ranks #41 at Baseball America and #54 at MLB Pipeline.

Prospect evaluation services universally praise Thorpe’s excellent command, ability to eat innings, and the devastating changeup that he complements with a 92-94 mph fastball that’s generally regarded as average and a average-or-better slider that sits in the mid-80s. Aside from his three main pitches, BA also notes that Thorpe mixes in a high-80s cutter and a low-80s curveball. That arsenal allowed the 2022 second-rounder to tear through the lower minors during his first taste of professional ball with the Yankees last year. Thorpe dominated to the tune of a 2.81 ERA with a 32.4% strikeout rate in 18 starts at High-A last year before earning a late season promotion to Double-A.

Thorpe’s star really began to rise with that promotion. The then-22-year-old impressed with a sparkling 1.48 ERA across five starts. The righty racked up a whopping 44 strikeouts in just 30 1/3 innings of work while walking just five. Punching out 40% of batters faced while walking just 4.5% in your first taste of Double-A action is a surefire way to get plenty of attention, and so it’s hardly a surprise that both the Padres and White Sox front offices coveted Thorpe enough to make him a key piece of the trade returns for their star players.

Upon joining the White Sox organization, the right-hander returned to Double-A for the start of the 2024 campaign and has continued to dominate hitters at the level, with similar surface-level numbers in 11 starts this season to his five-start taste of Double-A last year. Thorpe has pitched to a 1.35 ERA in 60 innings of work this year, though his strikeout rate has dipped to a more pedestrian 25% this year while his walk rate has crept up to 7.6%. Even with those diminished peripherals, however, Thorpe has more than proved himself capable at the Double-A level and figured to be in line for a promotion in the near future.

What’s surprising, then, isn’t so much the promotion but that he will skip Triple-A entirely and jump directly into big league action. The White Sox optioned right-hander Nick Nastrini to the minors earlier today, leaving them with just a vacancy in a starting rotation that lost Mike Clevinger to the injured list and now features only Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Chris Flexen, and Jonathan Cannon. Rather than call up a veteran at the Triple-A level such as Chad Kuhl or Touki Toussaint to fill out the rotation, the White Sox will instead turn to Thorpe in a bold move to get the righty a taste of big league action.

It’s a decision that could come with financial implications for Thorpe, as he’ll be in a good position to earn a fourth arbitration year as a Super Two player if he remains with the big league club going forward without returning to the minor leagues. Thorpe could theoretically earn himself a full season of service time by finishing in the top 2 in AL Rookie of the Year voting this season, although that would be quite the feat given the massive head starts afforded to players like Luis Gil of the Yankees and Mason Miller of the A’s who have been dominating in the majors all season.

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