Randal Grichuk has turned a cheap White Sox pickup into one of the team’s most useful bats, and Chicago now has a real reason to think about keeping him around.
What started in early May as a low-risk move has become a legitimate success story for Chris Getz, even if other decisions before the trade deadline deserve plenty of scrutiny. Grichuk arrived after a rough start with the New York Yankees, where he went homerless in his first 16 games and hit just .194/.212/.323 in 31 at-bats before being designated for assignment. At 34, he looked like a player whose best offensive years were probably in the rearview mirror.
Instead, he has become exactly the kind of timely hitter the White Sox have leaned on all season.
Grichuk has delivered in some of Chicago’s biggest moments, including a game-tying home run when the White Sox were down to their final out in June and a two-run, game-winning blast in St. Louis with the club down to its final strike. In late-and-close situations - plate appearances in the seventh inning or later when the game is tied, the White Sox are ahead by one, or the tying run is at least on deck - he is hitting .341 with a 1.045 OPS.
He’s also been dangerous in high-leverage spots, where he is slashing .292/.300/.604 with four home runs and 18 RBIs. Six of his 14 home runs have come in the sixth inning or later, which tells the story pretty clearly: this is a hitter who has repeatedly shown up when the game is on the line.
And it hasn’t been just clutch moments carrying the case for a return. Grichuk has been producing real damage in the middle of the lineup.
More than half of his batted balls have left the bat at 95 mph or harder, a sign that this isn’t a streak built on soft contact or luck. His expected slugging percentage, expected batting average, average exit velocity, bat speed, and sweet-spot percentage would all sit near the top of MLB if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.
That kind of production gives the White Sox a clear path forward, especially with Will Venable already using him in a platoon with Andrew Benintendi and targeting left-handed pitching. Grichuk owns a 1.022 OPS against lefties and a .662 mark against righties, while Benintendi has posted a .740 OPS against right-handers and a .511 OPS against lefties.
Put those splits together, and the White Sox could keep rolling out a DH mix that has produced a .288/.339/.541 line. That .880 OPS would rank ahead of both Ben Rice and Kyle Schwarber this season and third in MLB, behind only Yordan Alvarez and Shohei Ohtani.
Grichuk’s value has gone beyond the box score, too. He has become a respected veteran voice in a young clubhouse, with younger teammates calling him “Unc.” After more than a decade in the majors and 15 games of postseason experience, he brings a level of seasoning that few players on this roster can match.
Of course, strong production can change the market. Grichuk has played well enough that he could price himself out of the White Sox’s plans. But there’s also a reasonable chance Chicago can keep him on a manageable deal, since he hasn’t commanded an average annual salary above $5 million since 2024.
The White Sox do not need to overpay to make this work. If Grichuk is open to a reasonable contract, there’s little reason for Getz to let one of his best low-risk pickups of 2026 walk away.
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