White Sox: Jake Petricka Non-Tendered after Injury Riddled 2017

The White Sox have non-tendered Jake Petricka. The right-hander only appeared in 27 games in 2017 due to injuries.

The Chicago White Sox have non-tendered Jake Petricka, making the right hander a free agent. He managed just 27 appearances after an injury-riddled 2017. Petricka, 29, pitched just 33.2 innings in the past two seasons. MLBTraderumors.com projected him to make $1.1 million in arbitration.

Petricka was once a key cog in the White Sox bullpen. His best season came in 2014 when he made 67 appearances and had a 2.96 ERA. Injuries have slowed him down the past two seasons. He once was a solid reliever for the organization.

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The bullpen is a point of concern for general manager Rick Hahn heading into this offseason. The White Sox were hoping Petricka could be a key contributor, after missing 2016 recovering from hip surgery. However, he dealt with a series of injuries and most of 2017 was lost. Because of that, it’s not a surprise to see them non-tender him.

It would stand to reason the White Sox could potentially bring him back. It’s not uncommon for guys who are non-tendered to get resigned by their organizations. However, other teams will be able to compete for his services. Due to injuries, he may struggle to find a team willing to take a chance on him. Especially because the injuries have been over the past two seasons.

When he was healthy in 2017, he wasn’t a very effective pitcher. He was 1-1 with a 7.01 ERA in 25.2 innings. He allowed 20 runs on 39 hits in 2017 and opponents hit .342 against him. Definitely not good numbers by his standards. Petricka is another guy Hahn will have to replace in a depleted bullpen. He had a good run with the White Sox but unfortunately, he couldn’t stay healthy.

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It may not be a bad idea for the Sox to try and bring him back on a minor-league contract. He’s shown he can be effective if healthy. It also helps the organization is familiar with him. Petricka could potentially compete for a bullpen spot. And they could do it without spending a lot of money.