With Noah Schultz having already made his MLB debut earlier this year, all eyes down turned to Hagen Smith as the Chicago White Sox's top pitching prospect down on the farm. Armed with a ridiculously overpowering fastball-slider combination, most expected the 22-year-old to get a look in the majors at some point during the first half.
Unfortunately, those dreams need to be put on hold, at least for now. Sox Machine's James Fegan has confirmed that Smith is dealing with a left shoulder impingement, which will require him to go two weeks without throwing. In a best-case scenario, it looks like he'll return to Triple-A Charlotte right around the All-Star Break.
White Sox say Hagen Smith has left shoulder impingement.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) June 16, 2026
Initial plan is two weeks of no throwing, followed by two more weeks of ramping up throwing before he returns to game action. So, total projection that he's out four weeks.
For a team that currently ranks 16th in starting pitcher ERA (4.34) and is already without Ky Bush, Drew Thorpe, and Schultz due to injury, this is a tough blow to the White Sox's pitching depth. Though Schultz is set to begin a rehab assignment this week, the White Sox are very thin on major-league-ready starters.
Hagen Smith's shoulder injury will require White Sox to change trade deadline strategy
Astute observers probably recognized that something was wrong in Smith's last start, as he got roughed up by the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate over 4.1 innings. In that outing, he surrendered eight runs (seven earned) to go with four home runs and three walks.
His stuff was noticeably not as effective as usual, hence this trip to the injured list. Shoulder impingements can be trick injuries for young pitchers, though an initial timeline of a four-week recovery does offer optimism that this isn't a serious setback.
Delaying his hype train by any length of time is frustrating -- his 33.9% strikeout rate matches last year's mark and leads all Triple-A starters -- but Smith isn't exactly a finished product quite yet. His command remains a huge point of contention (his 15.9% walk rate ranks second-to-last in Triple-A), and he has yet to turn any of his tertiary offerings (changeup, splitter, or cutter) into a reliable third pitch.
In other words, it wouldn't hurt if the White Sox could give him a little more time to prepare for the big leagues. To do so, they may need to give someone like David Sandlin or Duncan Davitt another chance, as the team has been without a true No. 5 starter pretty much all year long.
Alternatively, the current AL Central leaders [how crazy is that to say?] could also turn to the trade market, pursuing a short-term veteran to complement a group headlined by 29-year-old Davis Martin and 26-year-old Sean Burke. Don't expect a blockbuster for someone like Freddy Peralta, but this team has played well enough to justify splurging on a solid mid-rotation veteran.
Either way, Hagen Smith's injury will require the front office to change their thinking leading up to the trade deadline, knowing that we likely won't see his MLB debut until August.
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