The White Sox went into the 2026 trade deadline with one clear mission: fix the rotation. Landing three-time All-Star Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners looked like the big answer, but the job still isn’t finished. A week later, with Erick Fedde moved to the bullpen and Noah Schultz sent back to Triple-A Charlotte, there’s still an opening in the fifth-starter spot.
That’s where Drew Thorpe comes back into the picture.
Thorpe, the centerpiece of the package Chicago got from the Padres in the Dylan Cease deal, is nearing the end of his minor-league rehab assignment and could be back with the White Sox pitching staff soon. Before the recent roster shuffling, it wasn’t even obvious there would be a place for him. Now the path is much cleaner, and there aren’t many internal choices with a stronger case.
He’s scheduled for an extended outing with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on Wednesday after working through the Arizona Complex, High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. His two Birmingham starts have stood out the most: a 1.13 ERA across eight innings, plus strong whiff and ground-ball numbers. Chicago may want another look or two, but after Wednesday he could be activated from the IL at any point.
Thorpe’s case starts with the simple fact that he already proved he belonged in the White Sox rotation. In 2024, after posting a tiny 1.35 ERA in 60 innings for Double-A Birmingham, the Sox skipped him over Triple-A and sent him straight to the majors.
He rewarded that faith immediately, putting up a 3.03 ERA and 3.76 xERA over 38.2 innings in his first seven starts, and stringing together five straight quality starts. The last two outings went sideways as he pitched through an elbow injury that eventually ended his season.
The setback didn’t stop there. Thorpe spent the offseason rehabbing for what was supposed to be his push to become a rotation fixture in 2025, only to suffer another major injury that led to Tommy John surgery and wiped out that entire season.
Even with the injuries, the résumé is strong. Thorpe was dominant in the minors from the start, earning MiLB Pitcher of the Year honors in his first pro season in the Yankees organization in 2023. Chris Getz clearly valued him enough to make him the main piece in the Cease trade, and that belief still matters now that Chicago needs someone to take the ball every fifth day.
The stuff still fits, too. Thorpe works at 90-92 mph with his four-seam fastball, but the pitch plays up because of how well he commands it.
During rehab, he’s also shown a sinker, another heater that sits in the same range and may fit his style even better. His calling card remains the changeup, long considered a plus-to-double-plus pitch, and it played at the big-league level because of how well it tunnels off the fastball.
He also throws a cutter and slider, both with a bit more spin, though neither has matched the changeup’s effectiveness.
That new sinker could be a big help for a pitcher who has always lived on weak contact. Thorpe has been viewed as a pitch-to-contact arm, and opposing hitters managed just an 87.5 mph average exit velocity against him. The added sinker should help him get more grounders and more soft contact, and it gives his mix a feel closer to prime Kyle Hendricks or current Giants ace Logan Webb than to the usual power arm.
The questions are obvious, though. Health is the biggest one after back-to-back elbow injuries, on top of an emergency appendectomy, kept him out for about two full years.
The velocity is another issue, especially in a game where low-90s fastballs are a tougher path than they used to be. Command will have to carry the load, and that was shaky at times during his MLB stint, when he posted a 4.26 BB/9 rate.
Still, his control was never a problem in the minors, and that should settle down with more innings.
Thorpe probably isn’t going to become the ace of the staff. But he doesn’t need to. He has the profile to be a legitimate mid-rotation starter who can give Chicago innings and help win games.
The White Sox do have other options at Triple-A. Shane Smith, their 2025 All-Star, is healthy again, though he’s still fighting command issues in Charlotte. Jonathan Cannon, another former rotation regular, has had a rough 2026 but has made recent adjustments and has dominated his last three starts.
Those names are in the mix. But with his recent success, his proven big-league track record, and the upside still attached to his arm, Thorpe looks like the best answer for the White Sox’s rotation hole right now.
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