The Chicago White Sox are in the middle of a full-blown outfield overhaul-and not by choice. After trading away Luis Robert Jr., the team added a promising young piece in Luisangel Acuña and cleared enough payroll to bring in reliever Seranthony Domínguez. But the cost of that deal was steep: the outfield now ranks among the thinnest in the league.
To help stabilize the situation, GM Chris Getz made a low-risk, potentially high-reward move by signing LaMonte Wade Jr. to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. It’s the latest in a string of depth plays that also includes Dustin Harris and former first-rounder Jarred Kelenic.
Right now, the outfield depth chart is more of a question mark than a plan. Brooks Baldwin, Andrew Benintendi, Derek Hill, Everson Pereira, and Tristan Peters are the only outfielders currently on the 40-man roster. That group comes with more concerns than certainties.
Hill, a veteran of six MLB seasons, owns a career .629 OPS-numbers that don’t exactly scream “everyday starter.” Baldwin has shown some versatility but hasn’t yet locked down a defensive home, and Benintendi’s diminishing range in the outfield has shifted him closer to a designated hitter role. That leaves Pereira as the likeliest option in center field, though the team may look to mix him in with Acuña, depending on how the infield shakes out.
That uncertainty opens the door for Wade, Harris, and Kelenic to make a real push during camp-and Wade might have the inside track.
Unlike Harris and Kelenic, Wade brings a longer track record at the big-league level. Over 1,600 career at-bats, he’s put together a respectable .731 OPS.
His best season came in 2021, when he slashed .253/.326/.482 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs for the Giants, even earning down-ballot MVP votes. That year, he looked like a legitimate everyday contributor.
Wade, now 32, spent the last three seasons as San Francisco’s go-to first baseman-another area the White Sox were looking to shore up before landing Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. With Murakami expected to take the bulk of reps at first, Wade’s path to playing time likely comes as a corner outfielder or left-handed bench bat. His ability to platoon and play multiple positions could be valuable, especially in a lineup that leans heavily right-handed.
And when Wade is locked in, he knows how to get on base. In 2023, he posted a .373 OBP, and followed that up with a .260/.380/.381 slash line in 2024.
Over that two-year stretch, his .380 on-base percentage ranked 11th in the majors among hitters with at least 800 plate appearances. That kind of plate discipline doesn’t just grow on trees-especially for a team looking to add consistency to a lineup in flux.
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Wade is coming off a tough 2025 campaign, where he hit just .167 over 50 games before being designated for assignment.
The Angels scooped him up, but the change of scenery didn’t spark a turnaround. He hit .169 in 73 plate appearances and struck out in over 30% of his trips to the plate before being released in August.
Now, he gets a fresh start in Chicago-and the timing might be just right. The White Sox outfield is wide open, and the AL Central isn’t exactly stacked.
If Wade can rediscover even a fraction of his 2021 form, he could carve out a meaningful role. But let’s be real: this is still a patchwork group.
Between minor-league flyers and former top prospects still trying to find their footing, there’s not a lot of certainty in this outfield mix.
For Wade, it’s a chance to prove there’s still something left in the tank. For the White Sox, it’s another bet in a season full of them.