The White Sox have added a former top prospect to their 40-man roster, claiming right-handed pitcher Owen White off waivers from the New York Yankees. To make room for him on the roster, the White Sox moved Ky Bush to the 60-day injured list.
White, 25, is now on his fourth team this offseason. After spending the last four seasons in the Texas Rangers system, he was DFA’d by the team that originally drafted him in late December. The Cincinnati Reds claimed him in early January, only to designate him for assignment just a few weeks later. The New York Yankees then claimed him on February 6, only to designate him for assignment just a week later.
White showed a lot of promise early in his minor league career as a former second-round pick. He finished his second minor league season in Double-A, where he put up strong numbers and looked like he was on a path to the Rangers MLB rotation. His numbers regressed in 2023 as he split time between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, however, and got even worse last year. He did make his MLB debut out of the Rangers bullpen, but failed to record a strikeout and gave up 8 runs in 3 innings.
While White’s recent track record leaves some to be desired, we are only a year and a half removed from him ending the 2023 season ranked 66th in MLB Pipeline’s top 100. As a prospect, he was viewed as a pitcher who had a combination of above-average stuff and plus command, leading many scouts to believe he had a shot to be a front-end starting pitcher. White pitched both in the starting rotation and out of the bullpen in Triple-A last year, so it remains to be seen which way the White Sox will push him toward this season.
Bush, who was expected to compete for a spot in the White Sox starting rotation this Spring Training, underwent Tommy John surgery last week. He is expected to make a full recovery but will miss the entire 2025 season, so the move to the 60-day IL is simply procedural.
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