It feels like it’s been forever since White Sox fans have seen Drew Thorpe pitch in a big league game. His last major league start was over two years ago, on July 31st, 2024. Thorpe was shut down for the final two months of the 2024 season after a surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. After reporting to spring training in 2025, Thorpe suffered a UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2025. Now, on the doorstep of a return, a day for a decision from the White Sox is coming.
What a performance for Drew Thorpe in his @MLB debut! pic.twitter.com/XbLdGWSjBq
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 12, 2024
Tuesday, September 15th will be 60 days since Thorpe officially began a rehab assignment on his way back from Tommy John. By rule, Tommy John rehab stints are allowed to be a maximum of 30 days, but teams are allowed to ask for three 10-day extensions, capping the total allotted time at 60 days. With Thorpe having reached that threshold, the White Sox will now either need to add him to the MLB roster or option him to Charlotte. Regardless, he must be activated from the 60-day IL, meaning the team will need to open up a 40-man spot for him. It feels like the White Sox have been putting off this decision, but they’ll no longer be able to do that.
If it were up to me, Thorpe would join the White Sox rotation for the season’s closing stretch. The 25-year-old has picked up right where he left off in his return from Tommy John. Through nine rehab starts, he’s posted a 2.70 ERA and a 35/9 K/BB ratio. His fastball velocity is similar to where it was prior to his injury, and his changeup, which has always been his out pitch, is generating whiffs effectively in the minor leagues. The White Sox rotation has been inconsistent and hasn’t consistently pitched late into games, so auditioning Thorpe for a spot in the playoff rotation makes a ton of sense.
Drew Thorpe could audition for a playoff role amid rotation uncertainty
If the season ended today, I’d expect the White Sox to run some combination of Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, Davis Martin, and Erick Fedde for bulk innings in a playoff series, but things can still change. Right-hander David Sandlin took a perfect game into the sixth inning on Sunday against the Cardinals, and he appears to be sticking around for another start. Sean Newcomb, Hagen Smith, and Jose Urquidy have been bulk inning options out of the bullpen. Trade deadline acquisition Luis Castillo is still around, though at this point it’s tough to justify even putting him on the postseason roster. The White Sox have options, and it makes sense to have Drew Thorpe be among them.
If the White Sox don’t immediately want to throw Drew Thorpe into a pennant race after a major injury, I get it. But in my opinion, it’s worth giving him a shot down the stretch. Regardless, we’ll know within the next 24 hours or so if Drew Thorpe is going to be a contributor for the 2026 White Sox. If not, I expect him to be a big part of the plans for 2027 at the very least.
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