White Sox fans following general baseball news got a blast from the past on Wednesday morning, as a familiar face has resurfaced after a few years. Right-hander Vince Velasquez, who appeared in 27 games for the White Sox in 2022, had his contract selected by the Chicago Cubs and will return to the big league mound. Velasquez, 34, hadn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2023 prior to this season, but injuries to the Cubs pitching staff have created an opportunity.
Velasquez was originally a second-round pick by the Houston Astros in 2010, where he made his big league debut in 2015 before a trade to the Phillies in 2016. He spent the next five and a half years in the Phillies rotation, where he posted middling results. The White Sox signed Velasquez to a one-year deal in 2022 coming off the worst season of his career and thrust him into a significant role, hoping to unlock his potential. Velasquez made 27 appearances, nine of them starts, for the White Sox, and posted an ERA of 4.78 in 75.1 innings. His addition was nothing short of a reclamation project for the White Sox, who were hoping to be competitive that season but ended up underachieving and finishing 81-81.
2019 PitchingNinja Award for Best Fielding Performance by a Pitcher (in a non-traditional role). 🏆
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 30, 2019
Winner: Vince Velasquez pic.twitter.com/5TGJONIg5V
Vince Velasquez's big league career has gotten off track since 2022
In the time since his departure from the White Sox, Velasquez made eight starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023, finishing with a 3.86 ERA. He suffered an elbow injury in May of that season and ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery, missing the remainder of 2023 and the entire 2024 campaign. Velasquez joined the Cleveland Guardians on a minor league deal for 2025 and made 18 starts at the Triple-A level. His contract was selected by Cleveland in April, but he never appeared in a game for the Guardians before being sent back to Triple-A. Prior to the start of 2026, Velasquez signed a minor league deal with the Cubs. He made one appearance on April 25th, firing 2.1 scoreless innings in a relief role. Despite a 6.15 ERA in the minor leagues, Velasquez will now return to the majors and get another opportunity to revive his career.
For me, the name Vince Velasquez will always be associated with the disappointing 2022 season and the beginning of the end of the White Sox first rebuild. Instead of going out and adding an established starting pitcher, the White Sox instead chose to go for a reclamation project, and the move backfired. This was par for the course for that era of White Sox baseball.
As the White Sox once again transition from a rebuild to a competitive window, these are the kind of moves they can’t afford to make to fill significant roles on the roster. There’s nothing wrong with a reclamation project, but they can’t be trusted to fill a major role.
With the trade deadline approaching and a miniscule payroll, the White Sox should be aggressive in improving the team over the next several months, and they can use the reminder of Vince Velasquez as motivation to set their sights higher.
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