The Chicago White Sox made a series of transactions ahead of Sunday’s rubber match against the Houston Astros and it left the major league roster looking a whole lot different.
It starts with the major league bullpen and radiates all the way down to minor league promotions for some former top prospects.
Bullpen shakeup
Chicago’s bullpen allowed Saturday's game to get out of hand by turning a 3-3 tie into an 8-3 loss in the later innings. Immediately following that implosion, the Sox are switching things up in the pen.
Left-handed reliever Fraser Ellard is back on the Injured List after being reinstated just three days ago. This time, it is a left lat strain for Ellard that is sending him to the 15-day IL.
Tyler Gilbert, who has a 5.59 ERA in 9.2 major league innings this season, is being brought back up from AAA-Charlotte to replace Ellard as an additional lefty in the bullpen.
The White Sox also sent down right-handed reliever Penn Murfee, who has struggled to the tune of a 7.82 ERA this season.
27-year-old Caleb Freeman is getting his shot in Murfee’s place. Freeman was a 15th-round pick by the White Sox in the 2019 MLB Draft. He has never pitched in the major leagues, but earned his shot after throwing 10.1 scoreless innings in Charlotte.
Josh Rojas returns
Veteran infielder Josh Rojas, who the White Sox signed on a one-year, $3.5 million contract during the offseason, is finally back and in the lineup for his Sox debut. Rojas was placed on the Injured List at the end of March with a right toe fracture.
First baseman Bobby Dalbec was designated for assignment to make room for Rojas on the active roster.
Chicago now has Rojas, Chase Meidroth, Lenyn Sosa, Andrew Vaughn, Miguel Vargas, and Jacob Amaya as the infielders on the roster. Vaughn is the DH on Sunday, which could be a more frequent occurrence given his struggles at the plate.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 4, 2025
Jared Kelley earns minor league promotion
White Sox fans may have forgotten about Jared Kelley, a once promising pitching prospect that has been on a roller coaster in the minor leagues since being drafted.
Kelley was selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft with the 47th overall pick out of Refugio High School. Chicago paid Kelley $3 million to forgo his college commitment to Texas, betting on the potential of a big right-hander who was flirting with triple digits on his fastball as an 18-year-old.
Kelley’s professional career has been a complete roller coaster thus far, but it has had a few more lows than highs.
Before the 2025 season, Kelley’s career minor league ERA was 5.38. But now working as a reliever, he delivered 8.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts to being the season with Winston-Salem (A+).
That earned Kelley a promotion. It was reported this weekend that Kelley is headed back to Double-A Birmingham, where he has struggled in the past.
Still only 23-year-old, it’s not too late for Kelley to develop into a major league asset for the White Sox. It’s good to see him having success, regardless of what level he is pitching at.