A former White Sox top prospect has called it quits.
According to MiLB.com, right-handed pitcher Jonathan Stiever announced his retirement from professional baseball on Monday. The decision ends what has turned out to be an injury-plagued career.
Stiever, 27, was a fifth-round selection in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Indiana University. During his time with the Hoosiers, he became the team’s No. 1 starter as a sophomore and was considered the state’s best pitching prospect in nearly a decade. Once he joined the White Sox organization, Stiever ranked 29th on the team’s Top 30 Prospects list according to MLB Pipeline. As he progressed and others graduated off the ranking, the righty climbed to as high as fifth in 2020.
During the COVID-shortened season, Stiever got the call from the team’s alternate training site and made two September starts for the Sox. He didn’t manage to make it beyond the fourth inning in either, posting a combined 9.95 ERA over 6.1 innings pitched. Stiever went on to appear in one last big-league game the following season, giving up three earned runs on four hits before getting pulled.
Jonathan Stiever recorded his first career strikeout and retired the last nine batters he faced in his major-league debut. pic.twitter.com/SdS423io7L
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 14, 2020
From there, Stiever spent the rest of his time in Triple-A Charlotte where multiple injuries derailed any chance of a return to the majors. He first underwent surgery on his lat muscle in August 2021 to prematurely end his campaign. Stiever was then placed on the 60-day IL to begin the 2022 season and appeared in just three games for the Knights. He would make two more starts in 2023, before undergoing his second lat surgery to miss the rest of the season and keep him out of action in 2024.
Stiever would have entered the 2025 season nearly two years removed from professional competition had he attempted one last comeback effort. With his decision to retire, he instead ends his eight-year professional career with a 4.02 ERA, 8.7 K/9, and 1.244 WHIP over 542 innings pitched.
On behalf of our team at Sox On 35th, we would like to wish him the best in his future endeavors.
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