The White Sox made 10 roster moves Friday, reassigning nine players to minor league camp and optioning Duncan Davitt to Triple-A Charlotte in the first round of spring training cuts.
After Friday afternoon’s spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Chicago White Sox made their first round of roster cuts ahead of the 2026 regular season.
Nine players were reassigned to minor league camp, with some of the more notable names including left-handed pitcher Shane Murphy and former first-round pick Jacob Gonzalez.
Murphy remains one of the more underrated prospects in the White Sox organization and a potential candidate to see MLB time in 2026. He made two appearances in big league camp this spring, totaling 2.2 innings with one hit and one run allowed.
Even though Murphy looked sharp in his brief appearance, it was always clear he was not a legitimate candidate to make the big league club out of camp. That became evident the moment Chicago chose not to protect him with a spot on the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft.
In addition to the nine players reassigned to minor league camp, the White Sox also optioned right-handed pitcher Duncan Davitt to Triple-A Charlotte.
Davitt was in the opposite situation as Murphy. The White Sox did place him on the 40-man roster to protect him from Rule 5 poaching. He threw four scoreless innings in big league camp this spring, but the 26-year-old will now head to Charlotte, where he is expected to anchor the Triple-A rotation. He’s another pitcher who could find himself in Chicago at some point this season.
The White Sox now have 57 players remaining in camp, including 30 pitchers, five catchers, 11 infielders, and 11 outfielders. That group will need to be cut nearly in half with Opening Day now less than three weeks away.
The most interesting position battles continue to revolve around the final outfield spot, whether the White Sox keep an extra infielder such as Curtis Mead instead of a third catcher like Korey Lee, and how the final bullpen spot shakes out.
Neither of the Rule 5 draft picks from this past winter — Jedixson Paez and Alexander Alberto — have done themselves many favors in camp so far. The same can be said for right-handed pitcher Wikelman González, who owns an 8.10 ERA and a 3.30 WHIP this spring.
At this point, I feel comfortable projecting seven of the eight bullpen spots going to Seranthony Dominguez, Jordan Leasure, Grant Taylor, Tyler Gilbert, Jordan Hicks, Mike Vasil, and Sean Newcomb.
But who gets the eighth and final spot?
Is it a starting pitcher turned reliever? An additional left-hander such as Chris Murphy? Or do the White Sox give a non-roster invitee a chance to make the club?
Expect more cuts — and more answers — in the coming days. Now that the process of trimming the roster has begun, the White Sox will start forging their final group for Opening Day.
Manager Will Venable is also expected to name the team’s Opening Day starter in the coming days.