3 Chicago White Sox players who have proven they don't belong on the roster past May 1

You could argue more players on the Chicago White Sox current 26-man roster do not belong beyond April.

Then the Sox would likely not be able to field a team

At the rate this team is losing games, it might be better if the club forfeits this season. However, there is no simulation mode in real life, so the White Sox have to play these games even if half the roster is career backups and fringe big-league players.

There are three players who it is becoming clear should not be on the 26-man roster after April ends.

Mike Clevinger

Let's put his character issues and injury history aside. Looking squarely at his performance through his first five games, he just can no longer throw strikes.

He walked in the only run in yesterday's 1-0 defeat to the Cleveland Guardians. It was his second game in this young season where he failed to keep the game tied at zero.

You can blame the offense for not scoring any runs as what ruined rookie Shane Smith's stellar second start. However, Clevinger was charged with keeping the game tied in the ninth and failed by his own doing.

He misplayed a throw to first that allowed Carlos Santana to reach and then proceeded to walk the next three batters without recording an out.

He just can no longer throw strikes. Last Sunday, he threw 15 pitches, and only four were strikes. Yesterday, he threw 31 pitches, only 16 went for strikes.

He has walked 16 batters over the past 19 innings he has thrown, going back to those four games he pitched in 2024 before his season was lost with a neck injury. Of the 83 pitches he has thrown this season, 42 have been balls and 41 have been strikes.

That lack of command goes beyond knocking him down the trust tree. He is at the point where he is just wasting everyone's time.

There is precedent of this team thinking a veteran arm still has something left, only to realize it was a bad idea. Bryan Shaw was designated for assignment after five games last season when it was clear he could no longer get big-league hitters out.

Plus, it is not like the White Sox do not have younger options. Gus Varland pitched well in his brief cameo with the club in 2024. A poor spring training sent him to Triple-A.

Adisyn Coffey is 26 and has proven he deserves a look. If the franchise is looking for a veteran looking to have a bounce-back season, Steven Wilson is four years younger and pitching all right for Charlotte. The key is that the Sox have options.

Lenyn Sosa

A hot September and a good spring training earned Sosa a spot on the Opening Day roster. That is all it earned him.

He had to produce to prove he is a big-league player and not a guy who had a hot final month in a historically awful season.

So far, he is hitting like the player who kept getting demoted last season.

He has a .179/.179/.321 slash line in nine games.

He is 1-for-12 over the past seven days. With Brooks Baldwin playing well enough to get a longer runway to develop his big-league game and No. 8 prospect Chase Meidroth raking at Triple-A, it is just a matter of time before those two force him to the bench.

With veteran Josh Rojas' eventual return from a fracture in his big toe, Sosa figures to be the odd man out since Jacob Amaya can still justify his existence on the roster with his amazing defensive ability.

Nick Maton

He had a good camp, but the main reason he made the roster was Brandon Drury fractured his thumb, along with Meidroth not doing enough to win a roster spot.

It is fine that the team is seeing if he can still be something. However, it is trending toward him being a 4A player.

He has just four hits in 23 games. It is nice that two of them were home runs. He could make the case to stay on the roster since he has some pop in his left-handed bat.

However, if Drury is ready to go by the end of the month, it makes more sense to go with a proven hitter like Drury rather than a never-was in Maton, even if Drury is a right-handed hitter.