The White Sox got plenty of negative injury news prior to the start of the 2025 season, as we learned Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush, Mason Adams, Prelander Berrora, and a plethora of of minor league arms went down with season ending injuries.
This was disappointing to hear, as Thorpe was the main piece in the Dylan Cease trade and looked very good in limited action in 2024. Bush, Adams, and Berrora were all set to make impacts in Chicago as well. Now, as we approach the 2026 season, each should be able to get a good amount of playing time this season.
Thorpe should make the biggest impact in the 2026 season for the White Sox, as he should slot back into the rotation and hopefully pitch most of the year. Thorpe had a very good debut for the White Sox, as in his first career start, he pitched five innings of one run ball against the Seattle Mariners. He struck out four, giving up just three hits, while walking two. This was a fantastic debut and Thorpe showed why he was a consensus top-100 prospect.
What a performance for Drew Thorpe in his @MLB debut! pic.twitter.com/XbLdGWSjBq
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 12, 2024
Thorpe had a rough second start as he gave up seven runs in just three innings against the Diamondbacks. After that he settled down and had five straight quality starts. Right before his injury, Thorpe had two bad starts, but that was likely because he was dealing with the injury that has now made him miss a season and a half.
Drew Thorpe, Nasty Changeups. 👌 pic.twitter.com/piSNbC6XT1
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 21, 2024
Now, looking into 2026, Thorpe looks to regain his 2024 form, as he showed flashes of being a true frontline starter. It may take him a few months to regain his form however, as it is tough to come back from Tommy John. However, Thorpe never relied on velocity, so that may help him in getting back to his old self quicker than usual.
When you look at the projections on Baseball Reference, they project Thorpe to have a solid season. Their model projects Thorpe to throw 64 innings of 4.36 ERA baseball. This would be a very solid season for Thorpe, as it is always very tough to get back into a groove after missing a full season. If Thorpe is around this ERA that would be very impressive, as the ERA and other statistics are typically inflated after a return from Tommy John.
I would expect Thorpe to likely throw more than 64 innings, as he had his surgery in early March. We haven't gotten much news on his return, but I would expect Thorpe to be back at some point in the first half of the season. The White Sox may be careful with his return, but he should throw a good amount of innings for the White Sox this year.
Overall, I would expect some growing pains, but Thorpe will showcase his nasty changeup and continue to show why he was regarded as top pitching prospect. As the season goes on, we could see Thorpe in a rotation that features Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz, and Shane Smith, which would be one of the best young rotations in the league.
