If the MLB season ended today, the Chicago White Sox would win the AL Central and earn a first round bye to the American League Division Series. There aren’t a ton of questions regarding White Sox roster down the stretch. Most spots on the field have a clear solution, with the exception of the starting rotation. The White Sox added Luis Castillo in a deadline trade, giving them a top four of Castillo, Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, and Davis Martin, but the team’s decision to option both Noah Schultz and David Sandlin to Triple-A leaves the fifth spot wide open. After Wednesday night’s minor league action, I believe the solution for the White Sox is obvious.
Right-hander Drew Thorpe, who the White Sox originally acquired in the trade that sent Dylan Cease to the Padres, is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and looks to have returned to form. The 25-year-old made his fifth rehab outing Wednesday night, firing five innings and allowing one run on three hits. In five outings between four levels, Thorpe has a 2.65 ERA with 19 strikeouts and just five walks. His velocity on his fastball is back to 91-92, which matches his pre-surgery range, and his changeup looks as filthy as ever.
Drew Thorpe had some success before undergoing Tommy John surgery
When people discuss the White Sox starting pitching options, Thorpe is often forgotten, but it’s worth remembering his contributions from 2024. Thorpe’s overall 5.48 ERA in nine starts isn’t terribly impressive, but that number is inflated by three blow-up outings, two of which came immediately before his injury. Removing those three starts, Thorpe allowed six earned runs over 35.1 innings in his other six outings, good for a 1.53 ERA. Obviously, you can’t just remove all bad outings from a pitcher’s resume, but Thorpe has shown the ability to be a productive big league starter more often than he isn’t.
The most important part of Thorpe’s rehab outing Wednesday was reaching the 76-pitch mark. As he builds back up to handle a starter’s workload after Tommy John surgery, that pitch count is expected to keep expanding, but Thorpe is almost at the point where he should be able to give you five or six innings in a big league game, so it’s almost time to start asking whether or not it’s time to promote him.
The White Sox will need a fifth starter on Friday in Detroit, but Thorpe just pitched Wednesday, so that is much more likely to be someone like Jose Urquidy. It wouldn’t surprise me, however, if Thorpe returns to the big league mound sometime in the next couple weeks. I’d encourage White Sox fans to not overlook Drew Thorpe when thinking about starting pitching options for the White Sox down the stretch. He’s a former top 100 prospect who was completely dominant in the minor leagues during his last full season, and he’s demonstrated the ability to get major league hitters out. He could very well be a big piece of the White Sox rotation very soon.
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