The biggest question surrounding the 2026 Chicago White Sox for the rest of the season is about their starting rotation. The offense remains one of the best in baseball, and their bullpen enters Tuesday with the 6th-lowest ERA in the majors despite leading the league in innings. The starting rotation, however, is the furthest thing from stable. With each of Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, and Erick Fedde flashing strong production but struggling with consistency at points, there are a lot of questions as the team approaches its final stretch. Trade deadline acquisition Luis Castillo was supposed to bring length and reliability, but he’s provided neither in his first month in Chicago. The answer, it seems, has been staring the White Sox in the face for a long time, but so far they’ve refused to take advantage of it.
Right-hander Drew Thorpe, who is working his way back from a spring 2025 Tommy John surgery, is set to make his ninth rehab start on Tuesday night with Triple-A Charlotte. If nine rehab starts seems like a lot, that’s because it is. Taking a look at other pitchers that have returned from Tommy John this season indicates as much. Tigers righty Jackson Jobe made five rehab starts before returning to Detroit. The Astros brought Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesnesky back after five rehab starts apiece. Gerritt Cole made six rehab starts before making his season debut with the Yankees. Meanwhile, Drew Thorpe is getting set for his ninth rehab start with no end in sight.
Drew Thorpe has looked both productive and healthy in rehab outings
It’s not like Thorpe has been pitching poorly either. Through his first eight starts, he’s posted a 3.13 ERA in 31.2 innings. He’s struck out 31 hitters and walked just eight, so it’s not a matter of control issues. Thorpe’s fastball velocity has been back to where it was before the surgery, and he’s still generating whiffs on his changeup at a solid rate. From a baseball perspective, there’s no reason he shouldn’t have been called up weeks ago with the uncertainty surrounding the White Sox starting pitching.
Fans might see Thorpe’s 5.48 ERA from 2024 and be unimpressed, but his numbers really spiked from a couple bad outings just before he was placed on the injured list. Thorpe went at least five innings and allowed two earned runs or less in six of his nine Major League starts. Perhaps his arm wasn’t feeling 100% healthy, leading to a pair of blow up outings before his placement on the IL. There’s no reason to believe he can’t be a productive starting pitcher at the big league level with his body of work and arsenal, and that seems like something the White Sox would love to have right now.
What a performance for Drew Thorpe in his @MLB debut! pic.twitter.com/XbLdGWSjBq
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 12, 2024
Time is running out for Drew Thorpe to make his return to the big league mound before the season ends. The White Sox have just 19 games remaining of the regular season. With uncertainty surrounding the 2027 season amid concerns about a lockout, it’s tough to tell when Thorpe will return to the mound in Chicago, if he even does at all.
I’m certainly not privy to all the discussions in the White Sox front office, but something isn’t adding up here. Hopefully, we find out an answer soon.
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