As pitchers and catchers continue their workouts in Glendale, here are the latest storylines from the first two days of camp.
White Sox sign 1B/OF Joey Gallo to minors deal
The White Sox have signed veteran slugger Joey Gallo to a minor league deal, the team announced on Thursday. The agreement includes a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
Gallo, 31, has always been a polarizing baseball player, no matter the fan base. Some will point to his career .194 batting average and be prepared to look in another direction. Others will point to his career .775 OPS and 14.6% walk rate and see a player who can cause damage and find ways on base, even if it’s not via a hit. Gallo is a three-true-outcome hitter, with 38% of his plate appearances ending in a strikeout, 14.6% ending in a walk, and 208 career home runs across 939 games. His best seasons came in Texas in 2017 and 2018 when he hit 41 and 40 homers, respectively.
It’s not necessarily a flashy move, but it certainly is one with some upside for Chris Getz, Will Venable, and Director of Hitting Chris Fuller.
Noah Schultz to make spring debut on February 26
MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports that left-hander Noah Schultz is expected to make his first Cactus League appearance during the Tuesday, February 26 exhibition vs. the Padres.
Schultz, 21, ranks as the White Sox’s top prospect and No. 16 overall in MLB Pipeline’s league-wide prospect ranks. Also touted as the top left-handed prospect in the game, Schultz has an incredibly high ceiling that helped earn him a promotion to Double-A Birmingham last season.
While sticking to a college-style schedule that saw him only pitch once a week, Schultz logged just under 90 innings in 2024. He held a 1.48 ERA across 61 innings with the Barons, while owning a 2.24 ERA with 115 strikeouts overall. To make his campaign even more impressive, Schultz kept his walk rate down to 2.45 per nine innings, exhibiting a level of command that should be unthinkable given his youth and lanky build.
The Oswego native will be one of the key names to follow throughout Spring Training and the upcoming season, as he very well could make his Major League debut if all goes well.
Drew Thorpe aiming to throw off mound next week
Drew Thorpe’s health will be something to monitor over the next couple of months.
The key return piece of the Dylan Cease trade is coming off surgery for a bone spur in his right elbow. CHSN’s Chuck Garfien reports that Thorpe is planning to throw off a mound next week and is eyeing full health by the end of Spring Training. Chris Getz echoed a similar sentiment on Wednesday, telling the media that he expects Thorpe to be a little behind schedule compared to the other starters but still active in camp.
Thorpe, 24, debuted this past season and made nine starts for the White Sox. In those games, he posted a 5.48 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 21 walks. While in Double-A Birmingham, where he spent most of his season, Thorpe owned an impressive 1.35 ERA over 60 innings.
White Sox to have a rotating DH
White Sox skipper Will Venable says the team will not have one set player who will serve as the designated hitter.
“We are not going to have someone designated for that role. We are going to use it to get guys off their feet, to be able to match up defensively and to kind of leave that open as a way to do all those things.”
Outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. could be among the players seeing more time in this unfamiliar role, especially after the recent signing of Michael A. Taylor.
Braden Montgomery back to full health after broken ankle
One of the key pieces of the Garrett Crochet trade is back to full health.
CHSN’s Chuck Garfien sat down with outfield prospect Braden Montgomery who is coming off a broken ankle last summer. The former Aggie has resumed all baseball activities and says he feels great.
Montgomery, 21, was ranked as the No. 5 player in Boston’s farm system and currently comes in as MLB Pipeline’s No. 55 prospect overall. Drafted 12th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M, Montgomery profiles as a right fielder with a plus-plus arm and plus-power as a switch-hitter playing to all parts of the ballpark. His development in what hopefully ends up being a healthy 2025 campaign will be something to closely watch.
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2025 White Sox Spring Training Preview
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