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.
Do those changes by any chance involve signing Clevinger’s more-talented Eskimo bro?
I hope your boy is paying you to promote him. I’ve never seen someone promote another human being this hard without being paid. You are ready to take a bullet for the guy.
Some people like to see “justice” served.
Definitely isn’t fair Bauer has been blacked balled by the MLB over false allegations made against him, two accusers have already been exposed as lying about events in an attempt to extort him. Usually doesn’t bode well for other “victims”. I’m sure you’d feel the same way if false allegations ruined your career.
Teams were willing to put up with his a hole personality cause he had ace caliber stuff. Dodgers even paid him for it.
Definitely sucks false allegations against him derailed his career all cause he’s into some 50 shades stuff. What consenting adults do is really none of fans or mlbs businesses personally.
I’d like to see Bauer pitch again. If Michael freaking Vick can murder numerous dogs in inhumane ways, spend time in prison, and play QB again in the NFL idk why Bauer can’t find work.
4 sets of false allegations and multiple women with pictures of injuries. Either way the fact he kept fighting the MLB and brought and insane amount of attention to it sealed his fate, dude handled the situation like an idiot
It’s not the only reason Trevor Bauer is black listed.
Yeah, people that are actually innocent of accusations made against them and punishments levied against them based on false accusations do tend to fight back.Innocent people wrongfully convicted of crimes and put in jail also tend to fight back against being wrongfully convicted.
Was he wrong to fight back against MLB? Probably
Do I understand him being upset over everything transpiring and nobody believing him even though he was actually innocent? Yeah I can understand that.
Lindsey Hill faked photos of her “injuries”.. She posted a video of her without the injuries the next morning sleeping next to Bauer after he supposedly assaulted her, no injuries shown.
It’s not promotion. It’s humour with a hint of truth. Roll with it.
Trevor is like that fake Indian in that old commercial rowing through the pollution and having the trash thrown at his feet. So much garbage to get back to MLB!
So, the captain has decided to rearrange the deck chairs
The chairs will be rearranged again soon enough…
Of all the teams that should take a risk on Trevor Bauer the White Soxs should.
All he could do is help them win a few games.
I’m not sure Trevor would want to join a team that’s on pace for over 100 losses. He’d probably prefer a team that’s competing for a playoff spot.
I’m not sure Trevor Bauer is in any position to be picky.
I’m sure he would prefer that but as Soup pointed out that isn’t exactly an option for him.
@Jake1972: But winning a few more games won’t move any needles for the White Sox.
They can lose with or without Bauer, so they should save their money and avoid the controversy.
I bet Bauer would play for cheap. He’s already got money, but he’s very short on MLB opportunities. He’d play for the minimum.
@crise: But you actually have no way to know him or his finances, or how much he wants to play if he is reinstated by MLB.
And the White Sox don’t need him this year under any circumstances.
Neither do you Baron. Bauer has stated he will play for league minimum plus incentives. What you fail to understand (as always), Bauer equals ratings. He is controversial. Those who want to see him pitch will watch and attend. Those who hate him and want to see him fail will watch and attend. He’s not hurting financially; his social platforms will make a ton of money.
You’re wasting your money being a subscriber while having no clue.
And you’re wasting your breath being a condescending blowhard, but somehow that doesn’t make you keep quiet and let us think you’re a fool.
Instead, you open it wide and repeatedly confirm our suspicions.
But you’d better leave. Your village called. It wants its idiot back, so you have a job to do.
Safe travels, happening.
You aren’t smart enough to have a suspicion. If you did you’d say it. Guess you’re also gutless?
My comment is on the money about Bauer. Re-read it again and maybe you’ll understand the game of baseball a little better, troll.
Can’t wait until Bauer sues MLB for collusion keeping him out
The case would get thrown out immediately
People said the same thing about Kaepernicks collusion case the NFL eventually settled.
forgettable season. JR really needs to either divest or invest.
He will do neither at this time. New stadium is what he’s looking for.
Let’s upset the apple cart here. Similar to the French football leagues, set up MLB so there are 16 teams in League 1 and 14 teams in League 2. If you suck in League 1, you are relegated to League 2. If you perform well in League 2, a team can ascend to League 1. Make the financial rewards real. Make sandbagging punishable!
The White Sox are a AAAA team at best right now. They have shown that they cannot compete with the Twins or Royals so far. The Guardians will confine them and the Tigers are gonna eat them alive!
Yeah, that will never happen. It’s not how MLB has ever operated.
It would be fun though. Games would mean something for the teams battling for promotion and against relegation. They still could have games between the two leagues.
WSox are really propping up the other ALC division clubs. Twins 7-0, Royals 6-1 and Tigers 3-0 against them.
Soroka will likely be my top “what could have been” guy. Dude was sooooo good through the minors and first couple seasons with the Braves. Really stinks how injuries really crush that progression …
Only reason why the White Sox are 6-25 are the injuries to Robert and Moncada.
For sure.
With them at full strength, the Pale Hosers would be a strong 8-23.
I think everyone should cool it on the Bauer posts. He’s not coming back and no amount of wishing is going to change that.
Muting is the way to deal with a troll
This site reported the accusations and then radio silence when his accuser gets charged with felony fraud and extortion. Why is that? Don’t give me that “she’s not a MLB player.” She wasn’t when she accused him either.
Maybe Crochet should get skipped every third start or even every other start. He can get extra time between starts to work on some things in side sessions, and it will naturally depress his innings limit.
Soroka and Flexen both suck, but it’s a lost season anyway. Keep throwing them out there and save the service time on the young pitchers. At the very least, Clevinger, Keller, and Fedde will take the ball every fifth day and give you enough innings to save the bullpen.