Chicago White Sox should claim this former 1st round pick who was DFA’d

The Chicago White Sox have had a hard time keeping their players healthy to start this season and their depth is being tested. Thankfully, they have the depth to sustain these injuries, but if more occur they could run out of players to fill in for other guys who go down.

The White Sox had to place two of their better players, Chase Meidroth and Martín Pérez, on the injured list, with Pérez going on the 60-day IL, which could hurt the White Sox this season. The White Sox will need to find someone to fill those innings that Pérez will leave, and they have a few internal options that could do it.

However, the White Sox could look externally, and that could come in the form of a pitcher they’re all too familiar with and who recently was designated for assignment.

The Chicago White Sox’s internal options for the rotation

The White Sox need to find someone to fill in for Pérez now that he’s out for a good portion of the season and eat his innings. The White Sox have two options on the big league roster such as Brsye Wilson and Tyler Gilbert, who could slide into the rotation and act as spot starters until a permanent starter can be found.

Other options internal options that could fill in are Jairo Irarte, Nick Nastrini, or Owen White, who are at Triple-A Charlotte and who could be called up to fill in as they are on the 40-man roster. However, if the White Sox didn’t want to use any of them, they could look to claim Triston McKenzie off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians, as they recently designated him for assignment.

Guardians reporter for MLB.com Tim Stebbins reported the Guardians made the move to DFA McKenzie to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for right-handed pitcher Zak Kent.

The Guardians have DFA’d Triston McKenzie.

RHP Zak Kent selected from Triple-A Columbus.

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) April 21, 2025

Why McKenzie could be an option

McKenzie was DFA’d by the Guardians after making four appearances this season, where he’s given up seven earned runs, leading to his 11.12 ERA. The other aspect of his game that contributed to his DFA was his inconsistency in throwing strikes, as he walked seven batters in 5.2 innings.

Still only 27 years old, McKenzie is not too far removed from his best season, which came in 2022, when he went 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA in 30 starts. The 2022 season also saw him throw a career-high 191.1 innings and 190 strikeouts.

That player is likely still in him, and the White Sox could be the perfect organization to bring that back out of him. The Guardians are in a “win now” mode and McKenzie needs a low-stress environment to build himself back up and prove he’s the player he was in 2022.

Picking up McKenzie would be great for the White Sox, as he could provide them with the best option to fill in for Pérez. Picking up McKenzie wouldn’t cost the White Sox much financially, as he is making $1.95 million this season and has one more year of control before he becomes a free agent.