The Chicago White Sox have passed the midway mark of the season and are on track to lose over 110 games. However, the 2025 season has not be entirely bad for the Sox.
There have been some nice surprises this season, such as Miguel Vargas' emergence. He was trending toward being a major bust after being acquired at last year's trade deadline in a huge three-team deal. He turned things around in late April with a swing adjustment and has not looked back since.
Shane Smith's stellar April and May have been a welcome surprise, as well. Not many teams get a starting pitcher out of the Rule 5, let alone a potential All-Star. However, Smith's last two outings have been rough, but it might be because he is running out of gas. He has never thrown more than 94.1 innings in his professional career. He is already at 74.2 innings in 2025.
At the halfway point, the best part about the White Sox has been the core pieces have emerged that the franchise can build a competitive team around. But just because there are bright spots does not mean everything has been all sunshine and rainbows.
The Sox are still losing a lot. The White Sox are still the second-worst team in baseball. They might be competitive in more games, but the team is 4-20 in games decided by one run.
This young core still needs to learn how to win, and the veteran supporting cast is not helping much in that area. Being so close to pulling out some wins has made these losses disappointing to see, even if the club was not expected to win much this season. Three veterans have been particularly disappointing at the midway point.
Biggest White Sox disappointments
Luis Robert Jr.
The front office gambled by not trading former All-Star centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. in the offseason. Chris Getz was hoping he could reclaim his 2023 form, and the club would get better trade offers by the deadline.
Instead, Robert Jr. is having the worst season of his career by a wide margin and the White Sox would now be lucky to get just one decent prospect back rather than a rebuild-accelerating return like the team got for Garrett Crochet.
He has a .185/.270/.313 slash line with a wRC+ of 64. The only reason Luis Robert Jr. still has some trade value is that he can play good defense in center and steal bases. Since he is struggling to hit, his output this season hasn't been that much different from teammate Michael A. Taylor. Not many contenders are going to offer a difference-making prospect to acquire that production.
To make it all worse, Robert left Wednesday's game with hamstring tightness, bringing up those injury concerns once again.
Andrew Vaughn
Andew Vaughn was so bad in 2025 that he played his way off the White Sox roster. Vaughn was demoted to Triple-A after posting a .189/.218/.314 slash line with a -1.3 fWAR.
Vaughn was then traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for veteran starting pitcher Aaron Civale. Vaughn is still at Triple-A with Milwaukee fighting to get back in Major League Baseball.
Chicago's former No. 3 overall pick being a bust not only impacted 2025, it also had a profound impact on the rebuild. The team now must find a long-term solution at a historically iconic position for this franchise. Rookie Tim Elko showed power when he was called up with four home runs, but he also struggled to make contact consistently and was sent back to Triple-A Charlotte.
First base is no longer the premium position that it used to be and cheap stopgaps can be used until a promising young player can be acquired. But Vaughn was supposed to provide the White Sox with a reliable middle-of-the-order bat that they no longer have.
Ryan Noda has not been good at all, with three hits in 12 games since replacing Elko in the lineup. When Miguel Vargas plays first, it means Josh Rojas has to play third, who has also been awful at the plate this season. If Lenyn Sosa plays first, he struggles defensively and Vinny Capra has to play shortstop with his sub .200 average.
Bryse Wilson
Bryse Wilson was one of the veterans the White Sox signed to a Major League deal in the offseason. At the very least, Wilson was expected to fill the swing role between the starting rotation and bullpen.
He was bad as a starter with a 6.23 ERA. He was even worse in relief with a 7.61 ERA. Wilson was replaced in the swing role by rookie Mike Vasil, who has been a pleasant surprise after being claimed off waivers before the season started.
Instead of possibly being traded at the deadline for a decent prospect, Bryse Wilson was designated for assignment.
It was a missed opportunity to add more pieces for the rebuild, but at least Vasil's emergence as a long-term pitching piece mitigates it.