The White Sox shouldn't rush pitching prospect Hagen Smith when he returns from injury

Rumors about MLB Pipeline's 47th-ranked prospect, Hagen Smith's call-up in recent weeks were quickly put to bed when the southpaw was shut down with a nagging shoulder injury. It seemed like his call-up was imminent with an open spot in the White Sox rotation that lined up with his minor league start date. Hagen Smith's overall numbers aren't anything special, and his start to the season in Charlotte has been a bit of a roller coaster. Because of this, I don't believe there should be any rush to get Smith to the big leagues, and patience should be the White Sox chosen path.

Smith was selected fifth overall by the White Sox in the 2024 MLB Draft, emerging by many experts as either the best or second-best pitching prospect in the whole draft (Chase Burns being the other). Burns ended up going second overall as expected, but the White Sox had their eyes set on Smith the whole time, giving him a hefty bonus of $8 million for signing, and choosing him over top hitting prospects like JJ Wetherholt, Jac Caglianone, and Konnor Griffin in part because of his perceived proximity to the big leagues.

Now let’s flash forward to the present day, where Smith toils in Triple-A, still awaiting his major league call-up, while contemporaries like Burns and other top ten picks like Travis Bazzana, Caglianone, and Wetherholt have seen major success this season. Their play has created factions of White Sox fans that call for Smith’s immediate call-up to the majors, arguing that he should figure it out against big-league talent rather than wasting away in the minors. While I understand this arguments, I disagree that this is the right path.

White Sox should prioritize Hagen Smith's development in decision to call him up

With unremarkable numbers in the minor leagues and clear control issues, the White Sox need to focus on getting Smith's strong pitch mix under control before bringing him to the highest level.
As of right now, the White Sox are shocking the baseball world by sitting in a playoff position in a year that many people believed was too soon. Yes, some people think Smith’s promotion could be a huge boost to the pitching staff, but it’s worth considering that these other teams in contention are more poised to make a playoff run than Chicago. Adding an unproven rookie to the staff and asking him to get meaningful outs down the stretch may not be productive for a team trying to make the postseason.

Another counterargument for forcing his big league call-up is the control factor. He's 22 years-old and the White Sox could gain an extra year of control by keeping Smith in the minor leagues until early in the 2027 season. The impending lockout and new CBA deal could affect that, but the current structure would give them that option. Unless Smith returns

While the White Sox have been impressive this year, they need to be careful not to force the issue with Smith to force the issue in 2026. The best course of action could be to wait on calling Smith up until next year, thus giving the team more control over him in the future, and trusting the process of a proper rebuild. Both Smith and the White Sox will be better for it.

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