Despite a dominant six-strikeout performance against the Royals, the rookie right-hander returns to Triple-A as Chicago reshuffles its rotation to accommodate a looming star's injury return.
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher David Sandlin didn’t last long in his second big league stint.
The White Sox optioned Sandlin back down to Triple-A Charlotte after just calling him up to start Friday’s series opener against the Kansas City Royals. Chicago has recalled left-handed pitcher Tyler Schweitzer to replace him on the active roster.
It might come as a surprise to most to see Sandlin being optioned back down to the minors on Saturday, especially since he pitched well against the Royals less than 24 hours before. The young right-hander threw six innings of one-run ball with three hits allowed, three walks, and six strikeouts in that outing.
Sandlin looked poised on the mound for the most part in his fourth career start. He sat down nine of the first 10 batters he faced, and pitching with a massive lead really helped the rookie.
The only trouble that Sandlin got himself into was in the top of the fourth inning. He was a bit wild to start that frame, as he walked the first three batters in the inning. The White Sox starter threw just one strike in his first 13 pitches that inning.
But the 6-foot-4 right-hander settled down and got out of it with just one run allowed. He induced a groundball that started a 4-6-3 double play and then struck out veteran Salvador Perez on a nasty sweeper in the lower portion of the zone.
After two poor starts in early June, it’s nice to see Sandlin pitch well. He generated nine swings and misses, totaled 15 called strikes, and his six strikeouts tied his career-high. His 31% chase rate in this outing was also encouraging.
Unfortunately, Sandlin will not be able to follow up on that solid outing in the big leagues. He will head back to Charlotte to continue developing in the minors.
The White Sox simply didn’t need Sandlin's services any longer. His next start would have been on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles, but Noah Schultz should be a candidate to return from the 15-day injured list to start that game.
Schultz pitched 4 ⅔ innings of two-run ball with the Charlotte Knights on Friday evening. That lines him up perfectly to start that game.
With Schultz’s return on the horizon, the White Sox have decided to bring in an extra bullpen arm for the next couple of days. Schweitzer has allowed four runs across four innings pitched (9.00 ERA) in his four appearances in the majors this season.
