It is September and that means MLB rosters can expand by two players.
The Chicago White Sox selected top-five prospect ,Jairo Iriarte as one of the two prospects they called up.
The #WhiteSox have promoted Jairo Iriarte, their No. 5 prospect, to the Majors.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 1, 2024
Here's a pitch breakdown, highlights and everything to know about Iriarte before he debuts: https://t.co/uatWTVvy3X pic.twitter.com/kaht7jlP5g
Iriarte was one of the two pitching prospects the White Sox got from the San Diego Padres in the Dylan Cease trade before the season started.
Jairo pitched well at Double-A Birmingham to earn being considered the Sox' third-best pitching prospect.
However, he will be asked to work out of the bullpen instead of going into the starting rotation.
The White Sox are calling up prospect right-hander Jairo Iriarte as rosters expand in September, per multiple sources. He’s expected to mostly work out of the bullpen. The 22 year-old native of Venezuela has a 3.71 ERA in 126 IP at Double-A Birmingham.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) August 31, 2024
Now, it should be upsetting that the front office is still choosing to give veteran Chris Flexen starts instead of using September as a tryout to see if Iriarte can be a part of the rotation next season.
On the other hand, Iriarte's floor has always been considered a top-of-the-line reliever. The Sox bullpen has been awful this season, so it could use some reinforcements.
Also, the White Sox have a lot of options in their system to be a part of the rotation. It cannot hurt to see if Iriarte is worth having the bullpen built around him.
Zach DeLoach is the other player getting called up from the minors.
DeLoach had a brief cup of coffee with the team earlier this season. He got into nine games, but did not hit much.
He has been hitting well since July 1st at Triple-A.
Zach DeLoach is slashing .322/.409/.507 in 171 plate appearances since July 1.
— BZ (@SoxInsane) August 31, 2024
Chicago acquired him in the offseason in a trade with the Seattle Mariners.
He plays the game the right way, wearing Chris Getz’s number. A #Whitesox jersey means something to this kid. #FutureSox https://t.co/oUMQgKjeYZ pic.twitter.com/HeN8X95Lnq
DeLoach has a knack for getting on base and hits left-handed. He battled Dominic Fletcher for the starting right fielder spot in spring training.
It would have been nice to see Bryan Ramos back up, but the organization wants to make sure he gets daily at-bats. Since the club still wants to see what Miguel Vargas can do, and interim manager Grady Sizemore has this weird obsession with finding playing time for Lenyn Sosa, Ramos must get those AB's in Charlotte.