White Sox Rotation Taking Shape As Battle for Final Spots Heats Up

The picture of what the White Sox starting rotation is going to look like became a bit clearer on Wednesday. The team announced that Micael Soroka will get the ball in game two while Erick Fedde will take the mound in game three. This comes after the White Sox already announced Garrett Crochet as their Opening Day starter. 

Pedro Grifol initially named Dylan Cease as the White Sox Opening Day starter before he was dealt to the San Diego Padres for a handful of prospects. After the trade, many assumed that the honor Opening Day starter would go to Soroka or Fedde. Crochet has yet to make a start in the MLB, so it is a bit odd to have him slated as the team’s number-one starter to kick off the season. However, his performance this spring has made a compelling case for why he deserved the job. 

Michael Soroka

Soroka has also looked sharp in his four games of Cactus League action. In 10 innings he owns a 1.80 ERA with 14 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP. It is an encouraging sign for the White Sox who was the headliner in the Aaron Bummer trade. 

Soroka is just 26 years old and was once considered a top-of-the-line starter. White Sox general manager Chris Getz is banking heavily on the fact that Ethan Katz can work some of his magic to revive his career. 

During his rookie season in 2018, he made five starts and posted a 3.51 ERA in 25.2 innings. He built off that initial success with a breakout 2019 campaign in his first full season as an MLB starter. 

Soroka went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA and a career-best 1.11 WHIP. His efforts earned him an appearance in the All-Star game, second place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year Vote, and a sixth-place finish in the Cy Young voting. 

That is when injuries began to catch up to the Canadian right-hander. He missed the entire 2021 and 2022 seasons after tearing his right Achilles tendon. Upon his return to the mound this season he did not look the same. Soroka had a 6.40 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 32 ½ innings in the seven games back he pitched in 2023. 

Soroka does deserve the benefit of the doubt considering he was shaking off some major rust after not pitching for two full seasons. Given that he has a track record of success in the MLB it makes sense why the White Sox slated him higher in the rotation than Fedde. 

Erick Fedde

Fedde spent the last season in South Korea with the NC Dinos. The 30-year-old was named the KBO MVP for the Dinos, after posting a 2.00 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 180 1/3 innings of work. He managed to log 21 quality starts in 30 games.  Fedde also racked up 209 strikeouts resulting in a 29.5% strikeout rate while limiting his opponent’s walk rate to under 5%. 

His season in Korea was enough to earn him a contract with the White Sox, however, his MLB resume doesn’t paint a rosy picture. 

Fedde is a former first-round pick who was drafted by the Nationals 18th overall in the 2014 draft out of UNLV. He probably would have been drafted inside the top 10 if not for the Tommy John surgery that delayed his professional debut to 2015. 

He reached the big leagues before the 2017 season ended in a temporary starter role with the Nationals. Fedde struggled in his big league debut. The right-hander allowed 25 hits in his first 15.1 MLB innings and was tagged for a 9.36 ERA in three games before getting sent back to Triple-A. 

In 2018 he missed significant time due to shoulder inflammation. He did start 11 games for the Nationals but posted a 5.54 ERA while opponents batted .286 off of him. After bouncing between Triple-A and the big leagues he earned a permanent spot in the Nationals rotation in 2020. It was a role that he held for three seasons. 

The 2020 season was the only year he held an ERA under 5.00. However, in 2021 he did post a career high in innings pitched (133.1) and strikeouts (128). The Nationals declined to tender him an arbitration contract following the 2022 season which forced him to test his luck in the KBO.

This spring he owns a 5.00 ERA in three starts. He has thrown nine innings throughout those three games and has allowed 13 hits to just four strikeouts.

Battle For The Final Two Spots

Now the attention turns to the final two spots in the rotation. Chris Flexin and Nick Nastrini have the inside track position. A rotation of Crochet, Soroka, Fedde, Flexen, and Nastrini would cost the White Sox just $13.79 million in salary this season, according to the Chicago Sun-Times Daryl Van Schouwen. 

Nastrini has been vying for a spot in the rotation all spring. Despite entering camp as a non-roster invitee the White Sox No. 6 prospect has pitched like a seasoned veteran. In four appearances he has thrown 11 innings, struck out 11, and allowed just one run. During that stretch, he has allowed just four hits and four walks. 

Flexen has looked serviceable in his nine innings of action this spring, posting a 2.00 ERA with four strikeouts and a 1.56 WHIP. 

The six-year MLB veteran owns a career 1.4 WAR, 4.95 ERA, and 1.485 WHIP. He is coming off a rough season that saw him allow more runs (81) than he had strikeouts (74). Flexen made 29 appearances and started in 16 games split between the Mariners and Rockies last season. He posted a 6.86 ERA during that stretch. Only two pitchers in the MLB who threw more than 100 innings, allowed earned runs at a higher rate than Flexen. 

While his overall career numbers are ugly, he was brought in to eat innings which is why he will likely make the rotation. Crochet is in his first year as a starter and will be dealing with restrictions. If Nastrini makes the team he will also likely be on a limited innings count since he is considered part of the White Sox long-term plans.

Chad Kuhl, Touki Toussaint, and Jake Woodford are also still in the running. If they don’t make the rotation they are also in the mix for a long-term reliever role