Though the high-profile additions of the offseason are almost certainly complete, the White Sox have continued to add to their Spring Training group as they look to round out the ends of their roster. This weekend, the White Sox announced the signing of RHP Austin Voth to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, marking the third player of the offseason to join the White Sox after spending 2025 in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
A fifth-round pick of the Washington Nationals back in 2013, Voth spent parts of five seasons with Washington before being claimed on waivers by the Orioles during the 2022 season. Primarily a starter early in his career, Voth transitioned to the bullpen during the 2021 season, but continued to post middling results. His best season came in 2024 after signing a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners. In 68 relief appearances, Voth posted a 3.69 ERA for the Mariners and posted strong metrics, including a 31.6% whiff rate and an excellent 29.5% hard hit percentage.
Congratulations to Austin Voth on his first career @MLB strikeout! pic.twitter.com/nBh7NUTTve
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 14, 2018
Despite a strong showing in 2024, Voth couldn’t find a deal to his liking in free agency, and opted to head to Japan for the 2025 season, where he posted a 3.88 ERA over 130 innings for the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Voth returns to the US looking to regain 2024 form
Now 33, Voth will head back to the states and join the White Sox in Spring Training. His chances of making the Opening Day roster feel slim, but he could serve as valuable depth at Triple-A this season. Voth’s biggest big league success came as a reliever two years ago, but he was primarily a starter in 2025 in Japan, so it’s unclear exactly what his role will be in White Sox camp. The White Sox used ten different non-opener starting pitchers in 2025 and cycled through quite a few arms in the bullpen due to injuries and underperformance, and the team has already gotten a troubling update on Drew Thorpe, who figured to be part of the plans at some point in 2026.
It’s never a bad idea to add to your pitching depth, and the White Sox have had recent success with players returning from Japan. Voth will join Munetaka Murakami and Anthony Kay as the third player to join the White Sox from the NPB this offseason, a market the White Sox hope will be a regular part of their plans moving forward
Whether Voth becomes a meaningful contributor to the MLB roster or not, there’s no harm in adding to the depth and hoping they can unlock his 2024 form once again.