White Sox Suddenly Need Rotation Help As New Arm Gets A Shot

As Davis Martin hits the IL with a blister, the White Sox call on seasoned Jos Urquidy to bolster their pitching roster.

The White Sox made a pair of pitching moves Friday, placing right-hander Davis Martin on the 15-day injured list because of a blister on his right middle finger and bringing José Urquidy up from Triple-A Charlotte.

Chicago also added left-hander Tyler Schweitzer from Charlotte and sent righty Tanner McDougal down.

Martin’s season has been a mix of strong stretches and rougher ones. He’s 9-6 with a 4.32 ERA overall, but his latest outing ended early Thursday against the Reds.

He was ejected in the third inning after hitting rookie Sal Stewart with an up-and-in pitch, and by then he had already given up four runs, three earned, in just over two innings. The blister that surfaced in that game is what sent him to the injured list.

His first 11 starts were a different story entirely. Martin posted a 2.00 ERA in that span, but since the start of June he has not found the same rhythm, working to a 7.06 ERA across 13 starts through Thursday.

Urquidy arrives with a solid run in Charlotte after the Pirates acquired him before the Trade Deadline. He has gone 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings for the Knights, and across 20 Triple-A starts this season between Indianapolis and Charlotte he is 6-4 with a 3.48 ERA. The right-hander also logged five relief appearances for Pittsburgh, allowing an 8.53 ERA in 6 1/3 innings.

The 31-year-old has spent parts of seven seasons in the majors with the Astros, Tigers and Pirates. In 86 career appearances, including 70 starts, he is 21-17 with a 4.07 ERA.

In Other News...

White Sox Make Another Catching Move That Raises A Bigger Question

The White Sox have already moved on from another catching experiment, releasing Eric Haase from a minor league contract shortly after bringing him in. Haase got into seven games with Triple-A Charlotte, but the organization never pushed him onto the major league roster, even with the catching picture shifting around at the big-league level.

For now, Chicago is back to leaning on Drew Romo and Edgar Quero behind the plate, with Korey Lee standing as the top depth option. It leaves the front office with a familiar question for a club that has spent plenty of time sorting through its catching options: whether the current group is enough, or whether another move is still coming. [Read more 🡒]

White Sox Fifth Starter Battle May Be Turning Toward One Return

The White Sox have an opening in the fifth spot of their rotation after sending Noah Schultz and David Sandlin to Triple-A, and the picture there may be starting to clear. Drew Thorpe is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and has continued to look encouraging in his rehab assignment, giving the club a potential internal answer if it wants to keep the job in-house.

Thorpes latest step was a solid one, and it came at a time when Chicago could use some stability behind the top of the staff. There is still a recovery path to navigate and a decision to make, but the return of a pitcher who was trending well before the injury would give the White Sox a meaningful option as they sort through the back end of the rotation. [Read more 🡒]