The White Sox are heading into the offseason with several injured players on the mend, and most of the group should be in position to take part in spring training. A few of them are still working back from major surgeries, though, so 2027 availability will depend on how the rehab goes from here.
Prelander Berroa is one of the more interesting cases. The White Sox first got him in the 2024 preseason deal that sent Gregory Santos to Seattle, and his stuff quickly made it clear why.
Berroa flashed a fastball that could touch triple digits along with a nasty mix of offspeed pitches, then turned in a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings out of the bullpen during his first stint in Chicago. That had him lined up for a bigger role in 2025, but an elbow injury in spring training led to Tommy John surgery and wiped out his season.
He made it back to the mound in July, only to leave his first rehab outing after just a few pitches. The setback kept him shut down for another two months, and while he resumed throwing off a mound in September, he never got into a game.
Berroa should be part of 2027 spring training and have a shot at the big league bullpen early in the year.
Ky Bush is in a similar boat after his own preseason Tommy John surgery in 2025. The left-hander missed the entire season after making his big league debut in 2024, when he posted a 5.60 ERA in four outings.
The White Sox are still hoping he can sharpen his control and compete for a rotation spot. He had been expected to rehab and possibly return in 2026, but a lat strain during bullpen work ended that plan.
If there’s no structural damage that leads to another surgery, Bush should be back for spring training in 2027 and in the mix for a rotation job.
Mike Vasil also spent all of 2026 on the shelf after elbow trouble in the spring led to Tommy John surgery. He was one of the White Sox breakout arms in 2025 and looked set for a bigger role before the injury hit.
He has recently started throwing for the first time since surgery, and while he’s unlikely to be ready by Opening Day, he should start working off a mound and into games relatively early next season. If rehab stays on track, the White Sox could have him back around midseason, either as a starter or out of the bullpen.
Luis Castillo’s situation is less severe for the offseason timeline, even if the 2026 season never went the way the White Sox wanted. Acquired from Seattle at the deadline to steady the rotation and eat innings, Castillo struggled in Chicago, moved to the bullpen, and then landed on the injured list with a shoulder issue.
There was speculation it might not have been a real injury, but GM Chris Getz said imaging showed a shoulder problem. Castillo is under contract for $24 million in 2027 and should be ready for spring training.
The White Sox will be hoping his rough 2026 was just an outlier.
Joey Bart only got a brief look with the White Sox before a hit-by-pitch ended his season after three games. Chicago brought him in at the deadline to help stabilize a catching group that offered very little offense in the first half.
He’s under contract for 2027 and is currently the favorite to back up Kyle Teel. If the White Sox tender him, Bart should be ready for spring training without restrictions and serve as a right-handed complement behind the plate.
Brooks Baldwin also missed the rest of the season after elbow surgery. The 12th-round pick from 2022 debuted in 2024, followed that up with better numbers in 2025, and looked like a candidate for a bigger role in 2026 before the injury struck in spring training.
The White Sox haven’t provided many updates since then, but he appears to be on track for spring training. His ability to move around the diamond should give him a meaningful role in 2027, either in the infield or the outfield.
Tanner Murray rounds out the list. The White Sox picked up the versatile infielder in the same trade that brought in Everson Pereira and sent Yoendrys Gomez to the Rays.
Murray had produced solid minor league numbers, earned a big league call-up, and appeared in 13 games for Chicago, hitting .214 with a home run while seeing time in both the infield and outfield. His season ended in April when he dislocated his shoulder making a diving catch in left field against the Nationals.
Surgery followed, and he spent the rest of the year on the injured list. Murray should be back in time for spring training and offers another useful utility option for the 2027 roster.
In Other News...
White Sox Offseason Blueprint Hints At A Much Bigger Reset
The White Sox are heading into the offseason with a roster that already looks like it could use a few more layers of clarification, from arbitration-eligible players to looming free agents and a handful of moving parts left over from recent transactions. The broader picture in the clubs planning is easy enough to see: Chicago is sorting through depth, role fit and a potential lineup structure for next season, while also weighing how aggressive it wants to be as the front office keeps reshaping the roster around a long-term plan.
Recent trades have only added to the sense that this winter could bring more turnover, with the team already pulling in Braxton Ashcraft and sketching out how players like Freddy Peralta and Alec Bohm fit into the larger discussion. The intriguing part for White Sox fans is how much more movement might still be coming, because the current blueprint suggests the organization is still willing to make bigger, harder choices if it means accelerating the reset. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Link To Superstar Starter Raises A Bigger Front Office Question
As the White Sox head toward free agency, the conversation around their roster fits is already bigger than just plugging a few holes. Starting pitching remains a need, and so does outfield depth, which is why Jim Bowden of The Athletic linked Chicago to Tarik Skubal while ranking the left-hander as the top free agent on the market and putting the Dodgers and Mets in the same bucket of possible suitors.
The tougher question is whether a club still operating under financial constraints and a fairly cautious roster-building philosophy can realistically chase that kind of impact arm. Bowdens broader point was less about a likely chase and more about the kind of decision the White Sox front office has to make if it wants to accelerate the rebuild, because the market for a star starter of this caliber is expected to test every teams appetite for spending. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Rotation Search Just Got Real About One Harsh Limit
The White Sox are already being pushed into the 2026 starting-pitching market, and the early list is a reminder of how hard it is to build a rotation from the top down. Tarik Skubal sits at the center of the conversation because he is the sort of arm every team would want to chase, but the reality is more complicated than the name alone. Chicagos search has also turned toward a handful of other free-agent and trade possibilities, with each one carrying a different mix of cost, risk and fit.
Freddy Peralta is emerging as the more realistic high-end target for the White Sox, which says plenty about where the clubs search may actually lead. Clay Holmes, meanwhile, still lingers as a name worth watching after past trade chatter, but he looks more like a fallback than a front-line answer. Beyond that, Chicago is sorting through left-handed options such as Foster Griffin and Trevor Rogers, trying to find a path that makes sense without overreaching for the wrong kind of help. [Read more 🡒]