Chicago clears 40-man roster space for new closer Seranthony Domínguez, potentially ending Bryan Ramos’ tenure with the organization despite his once-promising offensive upside.
The Chicago White Sox made the signing of right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez official on Thursday afternoon.
The deal is for two years and $20 million, with Domínguez projected to serve as Chicago’s closer for the 2026 season.
However, with a full 40-man roster, the White Sox needed to make a corresponding move to free up space to add Domínguez.
They did so by designating infielder Bryan Ramos — a former highly touted prospect — for assignment.
Ramos was the No. 3 prospect in the White Sox system entering both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
He impressed with an .826 OPS at Double-A with the Birmingham Barons as a 21-year-old in 2023.
While his defensive future was always somewhat uncertain, there was real confidence in Ramos’ bat and overall offensive upside. But as he advanced to the upper levels of the minor leagues — and eventually made his MLB debut in 2024 — the consistency simply wasn’t there.
It hasn’t been awful. Over 169 career games with the Charlotte Knights, Ramos owns a .725 OPS with 24 home runs.
But he has also struck out 154 times in 614 at-bats and carries a batting average of just .235. Ramos draws walks, but he hasn’t made enough consistent contact to fully tap into his raw offensive potential.
He’ll turn 24 years old soon, and while he remains an interesting offensive profile, it became increasingly difficult to see how he fit into the White Sox core given the crowded infield picture that has emerged.
He wasn’t going to get at-bats over players like Miguel Vargas or Colson Montgomery at the major league level.
And unless he were to move to the outfield — and prove capable of playing adequate defense in a corner — it was hard to see where he could help the White Sox in the short term.
Ramos has always been the type of player you find at-bats for if he’s dominating at the plate. And he’s been on the cusp of a big-league breakthrough multiple times. But whether due to injuries or slumps, there has always seemed to be a setback. And at some point, roster math is simply roster math.
He’s a player the White Sox would certainly like to keep in the organization if he clears waivers. But there could very well be a team out there with the roster space — and opportunity — to give Ramos an MLB look that the White Sox can’t.
And that could spell the end of his time with the organization.
The natural reaction to a move like this is disappointment. Ramos being DFA’d signals another prospect White Sox fans once had high hopes for potentially falling short with the organization.
But if you want to put a positive spin on it, the reason Ramos has been squeezed out of opportunity is because the White Sox organization has moved toward something bigger and better.
He was the No. 3 prospect in the system at a time when the farm system was weak. Anyone who showed legitimate offensive upside immediately looked like part of the future.
But as Chris Getz has taken over, restructured the front office, rebuilt the player development staff, and replenished the farm system, players like Ramos have become less essential to the long-term plan.
In 36 career MLB games between 2024 and 2025, Ramos hit three home runs with a .577 OPS.
If he clears waivers, the hope is the White Sox can continue working on his swing and development. But there is a very real chance another organization sees enough upside to give him a fresh opportunity.