The White Sox have re-signed infielder Nick Podkul to a minor league contract. The deal was first reported by Rotoworld of NBC Sports on November 24.
Podkul, 27, originally joined the White Sox organization in August 2024 after being released by the Phillies. In 95 plate appearances with Double-A Birmingham, he hit .256/.358/.402 with a 129 wRC+, two homers, and seven RBI. Podkul played 19 of his 22 games at third base, seeing time also as a designated hitter and first baseman for the Barons.
Nick Podkul gets the #Barons on the board in the 6th inning with this solo shot. BHam trails 3-1. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/2u0uZDJ8XW
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) September 18, 2024
A former infielder for Notre Dame, Podkul was drafted by Toronto in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He spent four seasons in the Blue Jays system, not counting the 2020 campaign where he sat out due to COVID restrictions. Podkul managed to work his way up to Triple-A by 2022, though his numbers never quite met expectations and ultimately led to his release that August.
Podkul later signed to a MiLB deal with the Phillies during the 2022 offseason and started to break through the following year, slashing .284/.407/.584 with 14 home runs in 53 minor-league games. While much of this success occurred at Double-A Reading (45 games), the 27-year-old briefly carried these results over to Triple-A Lehigh (8 games) until taking a pitch to his face. The unfortunate injury resulted in facial fractures and landed him on the injured list for the remainder of the 2023 campaign.
Nick Podkul, welcome to the Lehigh Valley 💪 pic.twitter.com/4pHDUx3Ce9
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) July 15, 2023
Heading into 2025, Podkul will again try to return to his 2023 form and could be a fun project for Ryan Fuller. The infielder figures to start the season in either Double-A Birmingham or Triple-A Charlotte, where he’ll serve primarily as minor-league infield depth.
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Garbage picking…. Sox off season in full swing.