The concept of a sophomore slump has been debated by fans for years. Some would argue that it’s not a real thing, and there are plenty of examples of players who had an excellent second major league season. But I tend to believe in its existence. It’s not that there’s a curse on baseball’s second-year players, but rather a tendency for MLB players to make adjustments to counter strengths, and players who haven’t gone through much big league adversity often don’t know how to counter it. For 2025 all-star Shane Smith, it’s certainly been a sophomore slump through his first three starts of the season, and it led the White Sox to a difficult but necessary decision.
White Sox are optioning opening day starter Shane Smith. Tyler Schweitzer is coming up to take his roster spot.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) April 8, 2026
Smith, who just turned 26, was given the honor of starting Opening Day after his remarkable 2025 season. Unfortunately, he didn’t get off to the start he was looking for. Spring training control issues carried over into regular season games, and Smith couldn’t make it out of the second inning in his Opening Day start. His attempt at a rebound in Miami was even more disastrous, as Smith allowed eight runs and could only get through three innings. Smith’s third outing of the year was a step in the right direction. He didn’t allow any runs and struck out eight, but walked five and still could not finish the fourth inning due to his pitch count. His early season control issues led to the difficult decision to send him to Charlotte.
Shane Smith's option was necessary but won't last long
I’m fully confident that Smith will be back soon. He still has the stuff to be a frontline starting pitcher, but the White Sox needed to do something to protect their bullpen. Having a starter who can’t go farther than the 4th inning is going to cause what we’ve already seen from the White Sox: a struggling and tired pen. Hopefully, Smith can work out his control problems and get back to the pitcher we know he can be.
In the meantime, Tyler Schweitzer joins the White Sox as an extra bullpen arm, but what the team will do with Smith’s rotation spot is not yet known. Smith’s next scheduled start is Sunday in Kansas City, so the White Sox will need to figure out what to do by then. One option could be a bullpen game with Schweitzer, Sean Newcomb, and Grant Taylor all potentially able to do multiple innings. Another option is turning to Charlotte for reinforcements. Jonathan Cannon’s start days are lined up with Smith’s, so he could be the simplest move, but Cannon has struggled in his first two starts in Charlotte. The least likely, but most exciting, option is the promotion of one of the White Sox young starting pitchers. Tanner McDougal went five innings in his last outing and his start date most closely aligns with Smith’s, so he could be the most natural choice.
Regardless, it’s not the start to the season the White Sox envisioned for their ace from a season ago, but it’s an obstacle that Smith and the White Sox will need to work through. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll see Smith back on the south side looking stronger than ever, and I think it’ll be sooner rather than later.