Despite a compelling profile, Alexander Alberto’s spring performance made the White Sox’ decision an easy one. Now he's back with the Tampa Bay Rays after a failed Rule 5 experiment.
The Chicago White Sox have officially returned right-handed pitcher Alexander Alberto to the Tampa Bay Rays.
After selecting him in the Rule 5 Draft this past December, Alberto was one of two players the White Sox took, and despite being a second-round pick in the MLB portion of the draft, I thought he had a legitimate chance to crack the roster based on his profile.
Alberto has never pitched above High-A in his minor league career, but the physical tools are hard to ignore. At 6-foot-8 and over 200 pounds, he brings a fastball that can touch 100 mph.
Last season, he made 42 appearances across two levels in the Rays organization, posting a 2.59 ERA over 48.2 innings with 64 strikeouts. Yes, it came at the A-ball level, but when you can reach triple digits with movement, there’s a baseline level of intrigue. It felt like the kind of profile the White Sox might try to nurture—especially if they could carve out a way to stash him in the bullpen early in the season.
Ultimately, it became difficult to justify that path based on his performance in spring training. Over seven appearances in big league camp, Alberto threw 6.2 innings with a 10.80 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. Even if the organization remained optimistic about his long-term upside, it became clear this spring that he simply wasn’t ready for the major leagues.
And that’s the reality of the Rule 5 Draft. If a team can’t keep its selection on the active roster for the entire season, the player must be waived and offered back to his original club. So after spending the offseason developing within the White Sox organization, Alberto now returns to Tampa Bay.
This outcome is far more common than not. White Sox fans were somewhat spoiled in 2025, when both Shane Smith and Mike Vasil emerged as key contributors and solidified themselves as part of the team’s future core. But historically, most Rule 5 picks don’t stick. Many are returned to their original organizations before the season even begins.
That leaves one lingering question: how much does Chicago believe in the upside of Jedixson Paez? Will they find a way to keep him on the roster, or will he follow a similar path back to the Boston Red Sox?
As for Alberto, the writing had been on the wall for a while. It’s unfortunate, but in the end, it just wasn’t the right fit—at least not yet.