The White Sox are turning to two of their most electric young arms for help in the middle of a playoff race.
A source confirmed that Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith are being called up ahead of Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, a move that comes on the heels of a Schultz-Sandlin piggyback game unraveling Friday night after a procedural mistake made by Will Venable.
It’s a far cry from the version of this season the Sox could have imagined in spring. Back then, the idea was that a deep crop of hard-throwing prospect starters in Triple-A Charlotte might be ready to form a midseason wave into the rotation if the big-league group stumbled. Instead, injuries and uneven performance - often tied to those injuries - have left Noah Schultz as the only one of that group to settle in as a rotation regular, and even he’s carrying an ERA over 6.00.
Smith and McDougal, now working out of the bullpen after their own injury interruptions, give Chicago a different kind of jolt. The Sox need one, too. Despite a four-game losing streak, they still lead the AL Central by two games over the Guardians, which has turned this into a real August pressure test rather than a clean development year for a bunch of young starters.
Chris Getz hinted at the possibility on Friday, though he didn’t say it outright. “They are pitching well out of the bullpen, they are,” he said.
“We anticipate that they will be helping us at some point. We don’t know exactly when.
But those guys are transitioning well. It’s power stuff on both sides.
I know Hagen’s case, throwing his cutter is going to be really important for him against right-handed hitters. He’s starting to utilize that in his favor.
"Trying to position these guys well; when a need arises, we’ll go and grab those guys. At this point, we feel very comfortable they are in a position that can help us, but it’s a matter of the mechanics of bringing those guys up when a need arises.”
Smith’s route to this moment has been stop-and-start. He missed a month with shoulder impingement while also working through a higher arm slot, but since returning he’s looked sharp in relief.
Over his last five outings, he has struck out eight across 5⅓ scoreless innings, allowed only two baserunners, and averaged more than 95 mph on his four-seamer. The former fifth-overall pick still has a long way to go in the command department - he’s walked more than 16 percent of the pro hitters he’s faced - but these innings matter now, and they could change how the Sox view his progress.
Smith is not on the 40-man roster, which is full even after Austin Hays was officially released on Friday. His addition will require a corresponding move, though that move has not yet been announced.
McDougal’s path has been just as bumpy, only in a different way. One of the White Sox’s early bets on prep talent in 2021, he had Tommy John surgery shortly after the draft and then had trouble finding consistent command until a breakout 2025 season.
Through his first six Triple-A starts this year, he posted a 3.00 ERA and struck out 27.8 percent of hitters, but a flexor strain cost him two months. When he returned, he was still searching for the best feel for his slider during his initial work in relief for Charlotte.
Lately, though, he’s looked much more like the version Chicago has been waiting on. McDougal has struck out six over four scoreless innings in his last three appearances with Charlotte, while sitting at 98 mph.
Even after the Sox added right-hander Huascar Brazobán at the trade deadline, Smith and McDougal still stand out as potential boosts for a bullpen that could use them. They bring pure stuff that can fit into the high-leverage mix before the season ends, even if both still need more reps and refinement before that door fully opens.
For a team coming off its worst skid of the year and still feeling the effects of a 13-inning getaway night game Thursday, this is the kind of swing they’re making now: two risky arms, plenty of upside, and an immediate need all meeting in the same moment.
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 🡒]
White Sox Still Have Two Roster Holes The Deadline Didnt Fix
The trade deadline came and went, but the White Sox still look like a club with a couple of obvious openings to sort through. Their outfield and starting rotation both remain areas where extra help would make sense, and that means the post-deadline waiver wire still has some relevance for Chicago as it tries to keep the roster from feeling thin.
One option is Jorge Soler, who was designated for assignment by the Angels and is now available on waivers. Another is Zack Littell, who found himself in the same position with the Nationals. For a White Sox team still looking to patch more than one spot, both names fit the kind of low-cost, short-term conversation that can linger after deadline day, even if the eventual answer is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]