The White Sox announced Thursday that they’ve signed right-handed reliever Dan Altavilla to a minor league contract. The MAS+ Agency client will be in spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Altavilla, 32, has pitched in parts of seven big league seasons but frequently dealt with injuries that have limited his amount of time on the mound. Since making his MLB debut with the 2016 Mariners, Altavilla’s laundry list of injuries includes shoulder inflammation, a pair of UCL sprains (the latter resulting in Tommy John surgery), a forearm strain and a notable oblique strain that sent him to the 60-day injured list just this past season.
In his first three seasons from 2016-18, all coming with Seattle, Altavilla pitched a combined 79 2/3 innings with a 3.28 ERA, 25.3% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate. He’s managed just 40 big league innings since, working to a combined 6.53 earned run average along the way. It’s not as though Altavilla has been consistently healthy in the minors during that stretch, either; he’s totaled 84 1/3 minor league frames in that time, bringing him to a total 120 1/3 frames in a span of six years.
There’s little doubt that Altavilla is talented when his arm is right. Even with his recent injury-plagued seasons weighing down his career numbers, he carries a 4.36 ERA and 26% strikeout rate in the big leagues. He pitched just 3 2/3 MLB innings with Kansas City this past season but averaged a sizzling 96.8 mph on his heater. In 41 Triple-A innings for K.C., he logged a 3.51 ERA, albeit with a 22.2% strikeout rate and 12.9% walk rate — both pedestrian marks.
The rebuilding White Sox will have plenty of room for non-roster players to compete for bullpen jobs this coming spring. Right now, the only relievers with even a year of experience in the Chicago bullpen are Justin Anderson, Jared Shuster, Steven Wilson and Ron Marinaccio. If Altavilla cracks the roster, he could log some meaningful innings and will be controllable through the 2026 campaign, as he currently has only 4.153 years of MLB service.
towinagain
Even the Whie Sox are signing guys.
The Padres mantra for fans this offseason…”No Soup For You”.
Jarred Kelenic's Beer Can
I mean, most of their team is under some big contracts. Kind of hard to make any more big huge adds. I bet they’re trying to bring back Kim or pivoting to Torres to shore up the middle infield though.
tikiagedola
Darvish,Machado,boegarts, and others. Get over yourself, spoiled boy
towinagain
Huh? “Spoiled boy”?! Hahaha. I’m dying. Is this a lost in translation insult?
tikiagedola
How about not buying a ws
TheGr8One
Nobody buys WS every team plays the same 162
bmann300
Going to be a crowded Spring Training locker room- but as their track record shows- most likely wrong guys headed North.
WhiteSx2024
Trying to find lightning in a bottle,This guy is a walking IL STINT…garbage
TheGr8One
So he already fits into the clubhouse that’s fortunate
mlb1225
I mean, what other choice do the White Sox have? They could go out and sign Burnes, Bregman, and Alonso, the three best free agents left from MLBTR’s top 50 list, and would probably still be a 100 loss team.
realsox
Nonsense.
Brick House Coffee Tables Inc
I’m sure he will enjoy Charlotte.
Moneyballer
Oh snap! Now that’s a power grab.
nrd1138
“The Chairman’ really knows how to give the finger to his fan base at every turn, yet people still go to the ballpark…..
cwsOverhaul
It appears fans responded in kind with lowest attendance since 1999. Just shy of 1.4 mil
Dumpster Divin Theo
This years Fedde
The Brokenheart Kid
When does Sox loss 122 happen in ’25?
MLBTR needs to hire editors
There shouldn’t be a comma before “either.”