The White Sox have gotten enough from their young core to feel a lot better about the direction of the franchise, but not everybody in the organization is making the same case for a place in 2027. A few players have turned what looked like building blocks into open questions, and that makes the next stretch of development especially important.
Edgar Quero is probably the biggest disappointment on that list. The 23-year-old catcher was pushed into a starting job after Kyle Teel was injured in spring training, and the White Sox were hoping a winter emphasis on bat speed would help him turn more contact into damage.
Instead, Quero has gone the other way. After showing some promise in a 111-game rookie season, when he hit .268 with solid on-base skills, he’s managed only a .541 OPS in 69 games this year.
The bat hasn’t taken the step forward the club wanted, and the defense remains a problem too, with Quero still grading as one of the worst defensive catchers in the game. With Teel offering a much stronger offensive profile and other defensive options in the system, Quero’s hold on a future roster spot is shaky.
Luis Castillo was supposed to be the veteran fix at the 2026 trade deadline, the kind of arm who could steady things and eat innings for a taxed bullpen. Chicago sent a big swing to Seattle for the 33-year-old right-hander, hoping a change of scenery could bring back the form that made him a three-time All-Star.
He flashed it once, dominating in his second start with the White Sox, but the rest has been rough. His outing against the Reds is the only time he’s finished five innings in seven starts with Chicago, and that’s not nearly enough from a pitcher with that kind of contract.
The White Sox may not have a clean way to move on from him this offseason, so the more realistic path is trying to repair him. Even so, if 2027 opens the same way, the margin for patience figures to be thin.
Noah Schultz entered 2026 with the kind of buzz that makes a rotation feel like it’s coming together. Alongside Hagen Smith, he was viewed as one of the left-handed arms waiting to become a future anchor.
The path got bumpy fast. Schultz had an injury-hit 2025, then came back healthy and earned a big league call after only three strong outings in Charlotte.
But the results in Chicago never really followed. He made 15 appearances, 14 of them starts, and put up a 6.06 ERA before a knee tendinitis flare-up sent him to the injured list.
More troubling than the ERA was the command, which never got to a level where he could consistently get big league hitters out. He did post strong numbers back in Charlotte, but the lack of strikeouts is a real red flag.
Schultz is not the rotation certainty the White Sox once imagined, and if he doesn’t make a clear step forward, his place in the 2027 plan could be in danger.
In Other News...
White Sox Lose Veteran Arm As Another Contender Pounces
The White Soxs pitching depth took another hit when the Phillies claimed Jose Urquidy off waivers, removing a veteran arm who had already bounced through two other teams this season. For a club still sorting through its pitching mix, losing a starter with playoff pedigree only underscores how quickly experienced depth can disappear in August.
Urquidys resume still carries weight, especially after his role in Houstons 2022 World Series run, and that is part of what made him appealing to a contender looking for stability. Philadelphia made the move by shifting Caleb Kilian to the 60-day injured list, a reminder of how one roster shuffle for a contender can leave the White Sox watching another useful piece land elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox May Have One Last Infield Gamble For More Offense
The White Sox are still sorting through ways to patch an offense that has lagged and a roster that could use another layer of depth, and Oswaldo Cabrera has emerged as a possible fit. Recently designated for assignment by the Yankees, Cabrera would bring major league experience and the kind of defensive versatility clubs value when they are trying to cover multiple infield spots without getting thin elsewhere.
For Chicago, the appeal is obvious enough: he is a switch-hitting infielder who could help stabilize the bench while giving the lineup another bat to try. The timing complicates the picture, though, because the August 31 postseason eligibility deadline has already passed, which means any addition would be about the stretch run and not a playoff roster if the White Sox make a late push. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Make A Surprising Lineup Call With Montgomery Out
With Colson Montgomery sidelined by a wrist contusion, the White Sox are making a noticeable adjustment as they open a four-game set against the Tigers at Rate Field. Chicago is leaning into a righty-heavy lineup against left-handed starter Framber Valdez, a choice that stands out on a night when the club is also trying to keep pace while navigating a few moving parts in the order.
The matchup adds another layer of intrigue because both starting pitchers have been trending well, with Erick Fedde getting the call for Chicago and Valdez drawing the assignment for Detroit. The White Sox have some recent production to weigh along with the injury news, but the larger question is how this lineup construction plays out against a quality left-hander in a series that could shape the tone of the week. [Read more 🡒]