What The Travis Jankowski Signing Means For White Sox Outfield Depth

With Andrew Benintendi sidelined for 4–6 weeks due to a broken hand, the White Sox front office is bolstering their outfield depth with reinforcements. On Wednesday, the White Sox agreed to a minor league deal with Travis Jankowski, which includes a non-roster invite to Spring Training. 

Jankowski, a ten-year MLB veteran, has played for the Padres, Reds, Phillies, Mets, Mariners, and Rangers. In 2023 he won a World Series with White Sox manager Will Venable. Venable served as the Rangers bench coach during Jankowski’s two seasons in Texas. That connection is one of the things that drew Jankowski to the South Side. 

“Awesome guy.  And the transparency.  He just kind of let me know what they thought coming in and meeting the guys early in camp, it seems like a great group of guys,” Jankowski told reporters. “Obviously there are some injured outfielders so there could be a spot but obviously performance is going to play [a factor]”. 

The 33-year-old is not much of a hitter, with a career slash line of .236/.319/.305. He also doesn’t bring much power, with a career high of four home runs, which came when he was a member of the Padres in 2018. However, Jankowski brings the White Sox valuable range in the outfield and speed on the basepaths. He has also demonstrated his ability to play all three outfield positions effectively.

He had a strong 2023 season with the Rangers, serving as the fourth outfielder on their World Series-winning roster. Over 107 games and 287 plate appearances, he posted a solid .263/.357/.332 slash line and a 97 wRC+ while contributing quality baserunning and reliable defense. That season he swiped 19 bags. However, he struggled to replicate that success in 2024, hitting just .200/.266/.242 with 11 stolen bases across 207 plate appearances in 104 games with Texas.

Adding Jankowski provides much-needed depth to a White Sox roster suddenly thin in the outfield. Benintendi isn’t the only outfielder dealing with an injury—Austin Slater, expected to platoon in right field with Mike Tauchman, recently suffered an oblique strain. He is projected to miss 2–3 weeks, which could land him on the season-opening IL.

The move also signals that Chris Getz is not afraid to move off players he acquired. The White Sox still have Dominic Fletcher in camp, who Getz traded for last offseason. Fletcher struggled in 2024, hitting just .206 with a lackluster .508 OPS over 233 at-bats. With only 100 MLB games under his belt, 2025 seemed like the ideal opportunity for him to earn extended playing time. However, the White Sox’s decision to keep adding veteran outfielders indicates they may not have confidence in Fletcher’s future with the team.