The White Sox have found a way to stay above water this season, but the cracks in the pitching staff are getting harder to ignore.
Pitching advisor Brian Bannister told the Chicago Sun Times in a recent interview that he thinks the organization could have one of the best pitching development programs within the next few years. He also made clear they are not there yet. That gap shows up every time the Sox try to piece together a game with a rotation built on Anthony Kay, Sean Burke and Luis Castillo, while the bullpen gets stretched into extra work just to cover innings.
The problem is not just the names. It is the wear and tear.
Davis Martin was the team’s ace earlier this season, but after the All-Star break he made six starts to an 8.03 ERA before going on the injured list. The numbers only hint at how bad it got late; he looked like he could barely get out of an inning.
Chicago has also tried to lean on some of its top young arms. Tanner McDougal, David Sandlin, Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz have all gotten looks this year, either as starters or relievers. None has really fit the bill, though Smith has been effective enough to stick in the bullpen.
The deadline additions were supposed to help steady things. Castillo came in to give the rotation some reliability, and Huascar Brazoban was brought aboard to help the bullpen.
Neither has delivered. Castillo has allowed 12 earned runs in 18.1 innings, while Brazoban has given up six runs in nine innings.
That lack of stability has forced the Sox into ugly pitching chains far too often. On August 9th, after Davis Martin was taken out because of a rain delay, Chicago still managed to beat the Guardians 5-3, but it took seven pitchers to get through the night, and several of them allowed baserunners.
Four days later, the club used four more pitchers after Martin was ejected in the third inning against the Reds, only to lose 9-2 after surrendering nine runs. Martin allowed two runs, and Erick Fedde gave up four over three innings.
Davis Martin has been ejected from today's game vs. the Cincinnati Reds.
Erick Fedde is now in the game. pic.twitter.com/O3PKtnlCdK
- White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) August 13, 2026
Even the better outings have been swallowed up by the bullpen. On August 11th, Sean Burke - who has effectively taken over as the staff’s ace - gave Chicago seven strong innings, allowing three hits and one run while the Sox built a 4-run lead over the Reds. Bryan Hudson and Grant Taylor then let it slip away in two innings, and Chicago lost 5-4.
The struggles kept coming on August 22nd, when Castillo couldn’t make it out of the third inning against the Mets. New York pounded him for eight hits, a walk and two homers, and the relievers couldn’t stop the bleeding as the Mets piled up 10 runs.
What has kept the White Sox afloat is the offense. Chicago’s hitters have scored 618 runs, outpacing a pitching staff that has allowed 527.
That scoring edge has carried the team above .500, but it also masks how much the pitching has deteriorated. The games are tightening up, the depth is thinning, and the Sox are starting to lose the margins.
Bannister’s belief is that offense comes first and pitching comes after. That is a workable idea in the regular season when the bats are rolling.
It gets a lot harder to live by in October. The Sox have already been shut out nine times this year, and there are plenty of pitchers who can quiet them or at least limit the damage.
Chicago sits first in the AL Central and should reach the postseason unless it falls apart, but the competition there will be different.
They’ll be seeing baseball’s best pitchers, and they won’t be scoring at the same pace. They’ll also be facing hitters on their level.
The Mets, who own one of the worst offenses in baseball, still managed a 16-hit game against White Sox pitching. A stronger lineup could do even more damage.
There have been a few favorable breaks along the way. Tarik Skubal was traded outside the division, and the fourth-place Tigers have had a rough season. Chicago swept Detroit in a three-game series earlier this month and also won a recent series against the second-place Guardians.
The White Sox enter Wednesday with a 2.5-game lead over the Guardians and a 5.5-game lead over the third-place Twins. They have also handled the Rays, Dodgers and Yankees well enough to show they can compete with quality opponents.
But October is a different kind of test, and every game, every inning and every pitcher matters. Right now, the Sox still do not have the pitching to match the rest of the roster.
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Davis has already been part of the mix this season, appearing in 24 games with a 4.10 ERA before being optioned to Triple-A on July 13. Bringing him back now suggests the White Sox are again leaning on familiar arms to steady the staff, while the timing of the other moves leaves the roster in a temporary state of flux as the Twins series gets underway. [Read more 🡒]