White Sox Bring in Secret Weapon to Help in AL Central Race

On Friday afternoon, the Chicago White Sox claimed veteran catcher Jake Rogers off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.

On Saturday, prior to an afternoon game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, the White Sox activated Rogers to the roster and optioned catcher Edgar Quero back to Triple-A Charlotte.

The move comes after the White Sox lost Joey Bart to a fractured hand just three games into his White Sox tenure following a trade at the deadline. For Rogers, Chicago will be his fourth team of the 2026 season. He started the year with the Detroit Tigers before being designated for assignment on July 28. That was just over two weeks ago, and he's bounced around to three different MLB organizations since.

On July 30, the Tigers traded Jake Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles. He stayed with the Orioles until August 3, when he was moved to the Boston Red Sox along with Adley Rutschman in a larger deal. Rogers then played in three games for the Red Sox before once again being designated for assignment and claimed by Chicago. After 36 games for the Tigers, three games for Baltimore, and three games for Boston, Rogers has a .617 OPS on the season.

The real intrigue comes from his ability against left-handed pitching. Rogers is batting .273 with a .801 OPS and a 123 wRC+ against lefties on the season. From 2023-2024, he was worth +18 Statcast catching runs and was considered a great defensive catcher, even though his metrics have fallen off over the last few seasons in a limited sample size.

Then, of course, there's Rogers' familiarity with the Tigers. Detroit currently feels like the biggest threat to the White Sox in the AL Central, and Rogers comes with six years of experience on the Tigers' active roster. He has caught almost every member of the current pitching staff and should prove to be somewhat of a secret weapon for the White Sox in advanced scouting meetings. 

It's not hard to see why the White Sox thought Rogers could be a valuable member of the organization as they await the return of Bart and Teel from the IL. The only real concern I have regarding the move is that Chicago once again optioned Edgar Quero to the minor leagues despite the clear adjustments he's made at the plate recently.

Earlier in the year, it made sense for Quero to be the guy on the outside looking in. The White Sox preferred Romo's defense, and rightfully so. They also think it's important for Quero to get regular plate appearances, which he can do in the minor leagues, to continue developing. But over his last eight games dating back to July 27, nearly three weeks ago, Quero is batting .370 with a .933 OPS at the plate. He started to work counts and produce much better at-bats. And I do think there's some risk in killing a young player's confidence when even his production is met with a demotion.

Still, the White Sox clearly prefer Romo against right-handed pitching, despite his .467 OPS against righties this year.

We will likely see Rogers every time the opponent tosses a left-handed pitcher, but that won't be his exclusive use. The Tigers are going with young right-hander Troy Melton on Saturday afternoon, but Rogers is in the starting lineup for the White Sox, catching Anthony Kay for the first time in his career.