Jordan Leasure's struggles and remaining minor league options made him the odd man out as Trevor Richards comes in and the White Sox continue searching for bullpen answers.
We have our corresponding move, as right-handed pitcher Trevor Richards was added to the Chicago White Sox bullpen via trade earlier this week, but it's not the corresponding move many were expecting.
Chicago added Richards to the 40-man roster by placing right-handed pitcher Drew Thorpe on the 60-day injured list as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery. However, simply adding Richards to the 40-man roster wasn't enough. He does not have any minor league options remaining, so if the White Sox intended to keep and use him, they needed to add him to the active roster rather than assign him to the minor leagues.
It seemed inevitable that Osvaldo Bido would be designated for assignment by the White Sox. Moving on from Bido feels long overdue, and I've been advocating for it to happen since the moment he pitched in his first game in a White Sox uniform.
When the White Sox had him throw 2.1 innings on Wednesday afternoon, it felt like they were squeezing the last bit they could get out of him before cutting ties. But instead, the White Sox optioned right-hander Jordan Leasure to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday while assigning Richards to the active 26-man roster.
There were some high expectations for Leasure coming into the 2026 season. He was really strong during the second half of 2025 and was a candidate to be used in high-leverage situations when you looked at this bullpen on paper. He hasn't pitched up to those expectations, though.
In 16 appearances and 16.1 innings this season, Leasure has a 6.06 ERA. He has also allowed a very concerning five home runs in those 16 appearances.
The White Sox have been rotating through bullpen arms for most of the 2026 season, searching for the mix of talent that will best serve them late in games. Richards is the latest addition to that group, and Leasure clearly needs a reset.
Minor league options were very likely a factor here. Leasure had options remaining, which allowed the White Sox to add Richards while keeping their hands clean. Bido would have required a DFA, and while I still think that's a move the White Sox should make, it seems the team prefers preserving depth and innings right now.
As I stated previously, the White Sox have not hesitated to mix things up with their bullpen all season long, and they're continuing to shuffle the deck in an effort to find a group that can best serve this team and help them win games. The leash will remain short on Bido, and if Richards doesn't cut it, he won't be long for the team either.
Wikelman Gonzalez was having a tremendous season before landing on the injured list and could be a candidate to come up once he's healthy again. Ben Peoples is another candidate forcing the issue with his performance this season.
The White Sox have officially reached that stage as an organization where players cannot be granted opportunities simply because of potential or flashes of success. And while there's still some clear upside with Jordan Leasure, he hasn't pitched well enough to deserve his place on the roster.
Maybe that changes as he goes to work on some things in the minor leagues, but I have no issues with the White Sox making this move right now, even though I'd still like to see Bido off the roster as soon as possible.