The White Sox added another veteran bat on Tuesday, landing outfielder Jake Cave from the Rays for cash, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Cave was in Tampa Bay on a minor league deal, and that detail matters: because his contract had never been selected to the major league roster this year, he was still eligible to be moved after the deadline. Since the Sox got him before the September 1 cutoff, he would also be eligible for the postseason with Chicago, even if he remains in a non-roster role for now.
The move comes on the heels of the White Sox’s earlier acquisition of Tommy Pham from the Phillies. Pham is expected to join the roster when it expands tomorrow, while Cave will likely spend some time in the minors.
Chicago’s outfield/DH mix already includes switch-hitter Braden Montgomery and left-handed Andrew Benintendi, and Cave gives the club another experienced option to sort through that group. Pham, meanwhile, is in the picture as a platoon bat against left-handed pitching.
Cave’s path to this point has been a little all over the map. He started the year with El Águila de Veracruz in the Mexican League, then signed with the Rays near the end of June. At Triple-A Durham, he put up a .712 OPS with three homers and eight steals in 36 games, splitting time between the two corner-outfield spots.
The 33-year-old hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2024, when he hit .251/.290/.396 in 123 games for the Rockies. He drew limited interest that winter and headed to Korea, where he turned in a strong season with the Doosan Bears. In 136 games in the KBO, Cave was 25% better than league average, launching 16 home runs and swiping 17 bags.
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