The Chicago White Sox currently have a few players on the injured list, like Andrew Benintendi and Austin Slater, who are both likely to miss the start of the season.
Benintendi has been out for a couple of weeks now, recovering from a broken hand after getting hit by a pitch, and Slater has been on the shelf with an oblique strain.
Since Benintendi and Slater will miss the start of the season, the White Sox could use a little more depth in the outfield, given most of their outfielders on the 40-man are inexperienced.
To fill that need, the White Sox are bringing in a former World Series Champion to add depth and a winning mentality to the Team.
Chicago White Sox sign former World Series Champion
The White Sox made a shrewd signing to add to their outfield depth by signing outfielder Travis Jankowski, a former 2023 World Series Champion with the Texas Rangers.
White Sox agree to terms with OF Travis Jankowski on a minor-league contract which includes a non-roster invite to spring training, per team.
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) March 12, 2025
Jankowski, a 33-year-old from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, signed a minor-league deal with the Sox's crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cubs, but opted out after being left off the roster for when they travel to Japan to kick off the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now with the Sox, Jankowski has a legitimate chance to make the Opening Day roster and be an effective bench bat for the South Siders.
He is a nice player to have off the bench.
Signing Jankowski was a smart decision for GM Chris Getz to make, given the White Sox injury situation. Jankowski would be an effective bat off the bench for the White Sox and be a nice fill-in in leftfield until Benintendi returns.
However, he is coming a miserable 2024 season at the plate after he posted a slash line of .200/.266/.242 and OPS+ of 48. This was a significant drop-off from his 2023 season, where he his slash line was .263/.357/.332 and OPS+ of 93.
Jankowski also provided a not-so-great highlight last season when he robbed Andrew Vaughn of a potential walk-off homer, which capped the Sox historically awful season.
In seven games this spring with the Cubs, Jankowski played to his career averages, hitting .231/.375/.231 with an OPS of .606.
Jankowski would be an upgrade over Dominic Fletcher and Michael A. Taylor, who FanGraphs projects to be on the bench to start the season. Jankowski would provide more of a power bat than Fletcher, and he's a better overall offensive player than Taylor is.
A winning mentality in the clubhouse
The most important thing that Jankowski brings to the White Sox is a winning mentality. The White Sox are a very young and inexperienced team that could benefit from a veteran presence and someone who has been there and done that.
It also appears that Getz is bringing players who played for manager Will Venable during his time in Texas to help usher in a winning culture in the clubhouse.
Entering his 11th year in Major League Baseball, Jankowski has been around the block and knows a thing or two about the game and how to be a big leaguer. That knowledge and experience he brings could be shared with some of the younger players on the roster.
Overall this was a great signing by Getz and the White Sox, and hopefully, in the limited number of games left, Jankowski can make a good impression and make the team.