The White Sox may be past the trade deadline, but they are not out of options.
With waiver claims now the avenue for teams still trying to patch holes, Chicago has a chance to add help without giving up anything in return. That matters now, because the roster still has some soft spots - especially in the outfield and in the rotation - even after the team made moves to improve.
Two names already on waivers stand out: Jorge Soler and Zack Littell.
Soler is the more obvious bat. He’s been around the league for years, and the calling card has always been the same: power.
His best season came in 2019, when he blasted 48 home runs for the Kansas City Royals and played all 162 games. He hasn’t touched that level since, though he has still put up homer totals of 27, 36 and 21 in the years after that.
The downward slide has shown up more clearly since an offseason trade sent him to the Angels before the 2025 season. He played 82 games that year, hit 12 homers and finished with a .680 OPS.
Through 86 games in 2026, he has again hit 12 home runs, with a .664 OPS. After the Angels couldn’t find a trade partner, they designated him for assignment earlier this week, opening the door for every team in the league to make a claim.
For the White Sox, the fit is pretty easy to see. Austin Hays and Everson Pereira were both designated for assignment this week, which has left the outfield group thin.
If the depth chart takes another hit, Chicago could be forced into regular at-bats for Junior Perez or Rikuu Nishida in the middle of a playoff push. Soler isn’t the player he once was, but he could still give the Sox a veteran voice and some bench power, and that’s something the current roster is short on.
A move like that could also create some lineup shuffling, with Brenton Doyle or Tristan Peters potentially getting optioned and Braden Montgomery moving into center field.
Littell is a different kind of target, but the logic is just as straightforward.
His offseason was unusual, going from a 3.81 ERA in 32 starts to sitting unsigned as spring training approached. He eventually landed with the Nationals on a one-year deal, but the results haven’t matched his previous two seasons.
In 23 outings, he has a 4.97 ERA over 112.1 innings, and the underlying numbers suggest he’s been helped by some good fortune because his fastball grades as one of the worst pitches in MLB. Washington designated him for assignment earlier this week as it turns toward a younger pitching staff.
Chicago already added Luis Castillo to the rotation, but the club did not land a second starter, and that leaves a real workload concern as the innings limits on some of the younger arms come into play. Littell has a connection to White Sox pitching director Brian Bannister from their time in San Francisco, and to AGM Carlos Rodriguez from Tampa, which gives the Sox a possible lane to try to get him back on track.
The ask wouldn’t be huge. They wouldn’t need him to pitch like an ace.
They’d just need him to cover innings and ease some pressure on the young starters.
And if there’s a mechanical fix to be found, the White Sox are in position to try.
In Other News...
White Sox Suddenly Have A Catching Problem They Didn't Expect
The White Sox were hoping Joey Bart would help steady the catching mix after being brought in to supply depth while Kyle Teel works back from injury, but his latest setback leaves the position thinner than expected. Bart left the game against Boston after taking a pitch off his hand, and the club quickly had to turn to Drew Romo to finish behind the plate.
For a team already trying to patch together the position, the timing is particularly rough because Bart was expected to be part of the solution right away. Now the White Sox have to sort through the next stretch without him, and that likely means more opportunities for Edgar Quero as the catching picture gets reshuffled again. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Set For An Ozzie Guillen Moment Fans Wont Forget
Ozzie Guilln is set for another defining White Sox moment on Aug. 8, when the club retires his No. 13 before its game against the Guardians. The ceremony will bring him back to the ballpark with several former players and staff joining in, while CHSN carries the event for fans watching at home.
The organization is treating the night like a major occasion, with early parking and gate openings planned for a sold-out crowd and a Guilln replica jersey waiting for the first 15,000 fans. It figures to be one of those rare South Side evenings where the memory of a manager who helped shape a generation of White Sox baseball takes center stage, even before the first pitch is thrown. [Read more 🡒]