Dustin Harris is back on the open market after opting out of his minor league deal with the White Sox, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Chicago granted him his release instead of putting him on the MLB roster, which made him a free agent.
Harris had been at Triple-A Charlotte for the last couple of months after signing a minor league contract in May. That was his second run in the White Sox organization.
He originally joined Chicago on a non-roster deal over the offseason and got a big league call in early April, but the Sox lost him on waivers to the Astros. Houston then let him go a few weeks later, and Chicago brought him back.
The left-handed hitter has put together a strong Triple-A season, batting .312/.396/.490 with six home runs in 183 plate appearances. Over nearly 1,500 trips to the plate across four seasons at the top minor league level, he owns a .281/.370/.429 line.
His MLB résumé is still limited: .225 with two homers in 38 games. Before this year’s combined 17 games with Chicago and Houston, he spent the first couple seasons of his career in the Rangers system.
Harris is out of minor league options, which helped push him off the 40-man roster in both Chicago and Houston. He’s 26, turns 27 next week, and has long been regarded as a pure hitter.
The question marks have been in center field and in the power department, where he doesn’t have the plus pop usually expected from a corner bat. Even so, his Triple-A production should get him another minor league opportunity soon.
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What makes McDougal especially interesting is the possibility that his next step might not be the straight line most prospects take. The White Sox have precedent for easing talented arms in through relief before stretching them out later, and there is at least some logic to that path for a pitcher whose workload still needs to be managed. Whether that becomes a short-term bridge or something more meaningful for his development is the question hanging over his comeback. [Read more 🡒]
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For a Chicago club still sorting through arms, the timing matters as much as the results. Smiths return gives the White Sox another chance to monitor a pitcher trying to reestablish himself, and McDougals outing arrives with the possibility that his path back could be shaped by what the organization needs most in the final weeks. The next few appearances should show whether these are just encouraging first reps or the beginning of something more useful for the big league picture. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Could Be Pulled Into A Brutal Crosstown Pitching Chase
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For the White Sox, the timing matters because they are in the same conversation for the same kind of help. Any pursuit of rotation depth can quickly turn into a race, and the possibility of both Chicago clubs chasing the same arm only adds another layer to a deadline that already figures to be busy. The question now is whether the Sox are willing to push hard enough to keep pace if the market starts moving faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]