The White Sox are sending Luis Castillo to the bullpen, and rookie David Sandlin will get the ball tomorrow against Detroit.
Manager Will Venable made the move public on Thursday, a notable shift for a club that brought Castillo in at the deadline to help steady the rotation. Chicago paid a real price to get him, sending mid-tier prospect catcher/outfielder Boston Smith to Seattle and taking on roughly $15MM in the difference between Castillo’s contract and reliever Seranthony Domínguez’s deal, which went back to the Mariners as part of the salary offset.
The idea was simple: Castillo would give the White Sox the kind of veteran stability they were missing. Instead, the results unraveled fast.
He was hit hard in his first start for Chicago, giving up five runs in four innings against Tampa Bay, then flashed briefly with a seven-inning, 10-strikeout shutout of Cincinnati. Since then, though, he hasn’t gotten through five innings in any outing.
Over his next four starts, opposing offenses tagged him for 18 runs in 15 1/3 innings. Chicago tried to patch things up by opening with Sean Newcomb against St.
Louis last weekend, but that plan went nowhere. Newcomb allowed three runs on four hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.
General manager Chris Getz was blunt earlier this week about what he’s seeing from Castillo. “The quality of pitches has definitely gone in the wrong direction,” the GM said on Monday (relayed by Brian Dulik of MLB.com).
“We’ve got to solve it. … It has been surprising.”
The numbers back that up. Castillo’s velocity has dipped this month, especially on his four-seam fastball, which is averaging 93.2 mph in September after sitting in the 95-96 range all season. He’s also lost 1-2 ticks on his sinker, slider and changeup, and the spin rate on the four-seamer has fallen as well.
Even before the trade, this was already shaping up as a rough year by Castillo’s standards. The three-time All-Star posted a 5.04 ERA with a 19.4% strikeout rate over 20 appearances for Seattle, so Chicago was betting on a bounce-back from the start.
For now, the White Sox will keep moving without him in the rotation. They opened the series with a win over Detroit on Thursday, getting one-run work from Erick Fedde and three relievers - Bryan Hudson, Jordan Hicks and Grant Taylor. That pushed Chicago to 78-75 and back into first place in the AL Central, with the tiebreaker over the Guardians after Cleveland entered the day with a half-game lead and was off.
The schedule ahead gives Chicago a real chance to keep climbing. The White Sox still have three games left against Detroit, then finish with series against Kansas City and Colorado that look very manageable on paper. Cleveland has moved back into the final Wild Card spot, two games ahead of the Rangers and Blue Jays, while Chicago sits one game ahead of the Astros for the No. 2 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it.
That crowded race leaves plenty on the line over the final stretch. The playoff setup means only one of the American League’s three best teams - the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox - is likely to get through the Division Series, which makes the last 10 days of the regular season especially important.
Sandlin, who has a 5.64 ERA in his first six major league appearances, will be in the middle of that pressure. Sean Burke and Davis Martin are lined up for the rest of the weekend, and the White Sox haven’t announced anything beyond that.
Anthony Kay and Fedde are the likeliest candidates for two of the starts against Kansas City, while Sandlin could get another turn or Chicago could try to piece together the fifth spot with bullpen games. Burke and Martin are the top two starters on paper, but neither has been at peak form lately.
The pitching issues are obvious, and they’ll matter even more once October arrives. Chicago should be active in the offseason rotation market, and Castillo is under contract for $22.75MM next year.
In Other News...
White Sox Lose Veteran Arm As Another Contender Pounces
The White Soxs pitching depth took another hit when the Phillies claimed Jose Urquidy off waivers, removing a veteran arm who had already bounced through two other teams this season. For a club still sorting through its pitching mix, losing a starter with playoff pedigree only underscores how quickly experienced depth can disappear in August.
Urquidys resume still carries weight, especially after his role in Houstons 2022 World Series run, and that is part of what made him appealing to a contender looking for stability. Philadelphia made the move by shifting Caleb Kilian to the 60-day injured list, a reminder of how one roster shuffle for a contender can leave the White Sox watching another useful piece land elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox May Have One Last Infield Gamble For More Offense
The White Sox are still sorting through ways to patch an offense that has lagged and a roster that could use another layer of depth, and Oswaldo Cabrera has emerged as a possible fit. Recently designated for assignment by the Yankees, Cabrera would bring major league experience and the kind of defensive versatility clubs value when they are trying to cover multiple infield spots without getting thin elsewhere.
For Chicago, the appeal is obvious enough: he is a switch-hitting infielder who could help stabilize the bench while giving the lineup another bat to try. The timing complicates the picture, though, because the August 31 postseason eligibility deadline has already passed, which means any addition would be about the stretch run and not a playoff roster if the White Sox make a late push. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Make A Surprising Lineup Call With Montgomery Out
With Colson Montgomery sidelined by a wrist contusion, the White Sox are making a noticeable adjustment as they open a four-game set against the Tigers at Rate Field. Chicago is leaning into a righty-heavy lineup against left-handed starter Framber Valdez, a choice that stands out on a night when the club is also trying to keep pace while navigating a few moving parts in the order.
The matchup adds another layer of intrigue because both starting pitchers have been trending well, with Erick Fedde getting the call for Chicago and Valdez drawing the assignment for Detroit. The White Sox have some recent production to weigh along with the injury news, but the larger question is how this lineup construction plays out against a quality left-hander in a series that could shape the tone of the week. [Read more 🡒]