The White Sox don’t have the record to show for it, but they are playing much better baseball than last year and the record will reflect that at the end of the season.
One of the biggest reasons for the struggles both this year and last year is the play form the bullpen, but with some of the White Sox most recent roster moves, it has been better, and the future of the unit is starting to take shape.
As of right now, the White Sox bullpen features Jordan Leasure, Brandon Eisert, Mike Vasil, Steven Wilson, Dan Altavilla, Tyler Alexander, Tyler Gilbert, and Grant Taylor. This is a solid mix of veterans and rookies, as two players have never played in the MLB before this season.
Mike Vasil, Wikelman Gonzalez, and Grant Taylor have all made great impressions in their first major league action, as all three of them should be on the next good White Sox team in some capacity. There is reason to believe that Vasil or Taylor could start at some point in the future, but as of right now they are slotted in the bullpen.
Since the White Sox have gotten some very solid play out of Brandon Eisert, Steven Wilson, Dan Altavilla, Tyler Gilbert, and Tyler Alexander, it is likely that they will be taking trade calls on them and attempting to move them at the deadline. Since they have pitched well, there is likely to be interest from teams looking to add an arm or two for a playoff push.
This will open a few slots in the bullpen, which can allow for the youth takeover for the rest of the season. Wikelman Gonzalez was just recently sent down for Jonathan Cannon, but he will likely be back up sooner rather than later, as he looked solid in his first major league action.
Jairo Iriarte, one of key players in the Dylan Cease trade, will likely step in and take on a large role, as he has been very good since returning from a break working on mechanics in Arizona.
Jairo Iriarte with a 3K scoreless B7. 3 straight sliders to end this AB. Not one ounce of wood touched any of the 3. We might be back. #Knights pic.twitter.com/6UpYg96Nau
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) June 25, 2025
Adisyn Coffey and Peyton Pallette have also shown flashes of dominance in the minor leagues, as Coffey has a 13.5 K/9 ratio while Pallette has a 11.76 K/9 ratio. This should bode well for a transition to the MLB, as getting swings and misses at that rate can translate well to the MLB.
This would give three more rookies an opportunity to show what they can do to prove they belong in the MLB. In a season where the White Sox won’t be competing for a spot in the playoffs, the White Sox can use this as an extended tryout for a lot of guys who could be on the roster bubble in the next year or so.
While the White Sox will likely need to be active in the bullpen market in free agency, as they can easily flip players that are having a good season, the young arms in the bullpen are coming together to make the unit much more respectable and there is help on the way.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Noah Schultz made a few appearances out of the bullpen towards the end of the season, as I’m sure they would love to see him against major league pitching when it means nothing.
While the bullpen in Chicago hasn’t been good in a few years, the future is looking much brighter.
