Starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon may be pitching himself out of White Sox future plans

Had you asked me before 2025 Spring Training about the biggest strength of the Chicago White Sox organization, I certainly would’ve mentioned the young starting pitching depth.

Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon, Sean Burke, Shane Smith, Drew Thorpe, Mason Adams, Ky Bush, and Juan Carela were just a few of the many young arms at or near the Major League level for the White Sox.

Unfortunately, the injury bug struck the White Sox, and several of the aforementioned names went down for the season before it even began.

While losing all these young starters (Thorpe, Adams, Bush, and Carela) to injury is less than ideal, the silver lining is the extended opportunity it has given Martin, Cannon, Burke, and Smith. All four have been in the big league rotation since Opening Day, and are likely to remain there for the rest of the season. 

For Martin, Burke, and Smith, there have been some highs and lows, but it’s easy to see why the White Sox believe in them. Looking ahead to 2026, it feels like a given that all three will be part of the future plans in the starting rotation.

Unfortunately for Jonathan Cannon, 2025 hasn’t been the step forward that he, or the Sox, were hoping for. It may leave him as the odd man out in next year's rotation.

Jonathan Cannon showed promise as a rookie

A 3rd round pick out of Georgia in 2022, Cannon moved fairly quickly through the White Sox system, and made his Major League debut on April 17, 2024.

After three rough starts, he was sent back to Charlotte, but was called up again in June and remained on the big league roster for the rest of the season. Cannon's rookie season wasn't perfect, but he often showed so much promise, never more than during his scoreless June outing against Houston where he came just one out from a complete-game shutout.

Cannon finished the season with a 4.49 ERA, and the White Sox hoped a full offseason and some development would set him up to take a step forward in 2025. 

2025 has been a step backwards for Cannon

Unfortunately, 2025 has only been worse for Cannon. Much like he did as a rookie, Cannon got off to a rough start with a 5.33 ERA in April.

May was a bit more promising, but he has never really settled in since. A back injury caused Cannon to miss nearly all of June, and he posted a 5.20 ERA in July upon his return.

Cannon's first start of August was his worst of the year, allowing seven (7) earned runs in just 1.2 innings against the Mariners this week. It brings his ERA for the season up to 5.34. The underlying metrics aren’t too encouraging, either.

With a fastball averaging just 93.2 MPH, location is the key to success. Cannon is a sinker-baller, and keeping the ball down in the zone to induce ground-balls is very important, but he has a 38.3% ground ball percentage, which is in the 32nd percentile in baseball.

In other words, Jonathan Cannon is a sinker-baller who doesn’t get enough ground balls. He’s allowed 18 homers this season, which is a lot considering he missed almost a full month of starts.

Cannon’s xERA is 5.35, right in line with his actual 5.34 ERA, meaning there hasn’t really been bad luck involved whatsoever. 

Honestly, when you look at Cannon's advanced metrics, there's not much to like. He doesn't get swings-and-misses, he doesn't miss barrels, he doesn't generate ground balls, and the average exit velocities from opposing hitters are over 90 MPH.

Cannon is significantly below average in every pitching category.

White Sox may not have room in their 2026 rotation for Cannon

It’s been a disappointing season for Cannon, who hasn’t taken the step forward that was necesary to cement his place in the White Sox rotation. Chicago's front office may need to seriously consider whether or not he’s part of their plans moving forward.

With Drew Thorpe and others set to return in 2026, the Sox will be looking for a place to give them innings. Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith could also make their Major League Debuts next season. Shane Murphy could be up as soon as 2025. Davis Martin, Sean Burke, and Shane Smith have all shown enough to warrant another opportunity, but in my opinion, Cannon has not.

Let's not forget that Chris Getz has expressed a willingness to add during the offseason, and an established veteran starting pitcher could be high on the list of team needs.

With several years of control remaining, the White Sox could explore trades for Cannon this offseason, or even send him down to Charlotte and keep him in the organization as depth. He has not earned a full-time rotation spot. 

As the White Sox move into 2026, they’ll soon start to shift from rebuilding into building. Last place teams with no playoff hopes can afford to give regular starts to a struggling young pitcher for the sake of development, but winning teams cannot.

The White Sox need to find someone who’s going to give them productive innings in 2026, and at this point, Jonathan Cannon doesn’t seem like the answer.