The White Sox made a string of roster moves earlier this week to open space on the 40-man roster.

Outfielders Dominic Fletcher and Cory Julks, along with right-handers Elvis Peguero and Owen White, were outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte. Outfielder Will Robertson didn’t make it through waivers — instead of being outrighted, he was claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With those moves, Chicago’s 40-man roster is now down to 35.

So why continue clearing space even after the season wrapped? Simple — this is just the beginning. The White Sox still need room for offseason additions and, more urgently, to protect prospects ahead of the Rule 5 Draft.

Protecting Rule 5 Eligible Prospects

In Major League Baseball, players who spend too long in the minors without being added to the 40-man roster become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. The purpose is to prevent teams from hoarding talent in the minors without giving them a path to the big leagues — and there’s a financial incentive too. Being on the 40-man roster comes with a significant pay bump, even if you’re still in Triple-A.

White Sox fans should be familiar with how impactful the Rule 5 Draft can be. Shane Smith — who posted a 3.81 ERA and earned an All-Star nod in 2025 — was a Rule 5 pickup last winter. Milwaukee signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2021 but never added him to their 40-man roster. Chicago swooped in, took the gamble, and won big.

Here’s how the eligibility works:

• High school draftee: Five years in the minors without 40-man protection
• College draftee: Four years in the minor leagues without protection

Once eligible, another team can draft that player — but if they do, he must spend the entire next season on the active MLB roster or be offered back to his original organization.

It’s rare to hit on a Rule 5 pick the way Chicago did with Smith, but that’s exactly why leaving upper-minors talent unprotected is a risk — especially arms that might be big league ready by April.

White Sox Players At Risk

To protect a player, all a team has to do is add him to the 40-man roster — but that only works if you have spots open. That’s why the Sox are trimming now.

Pitching prospects Shane Murphy and Tanner McDougal are Rule 5 eligible. So is minor league closer Payton Pallette, who many expected to debut in 2025. All three are at real risk of being taken if left exposed.

Mason Adams, Duncan Davitt, Tyler Schweitzer, and Aldrin Batista are also names to watch. 

And that doesn’t even account for free agency. Whether the White Sox spend big or not, new faces are coming — even minor additions require roster space. If Chicago plans to protect their key arms and add, let’s call it 4–5 players from outside the organization, they’ll need to keep clearing spots ahead of the November 19 deadline.

Everything in baseball is a chess move. Very few transactions are random. The more space the White Sox clear, the louder the message becomes: they’re preparing to be active, and they don’t want to get caught flat-footed when it’s time to protect talent or add real pieces this winter.

If the front office follows through, this early roster trimming could be the first real signal that the White Sox intend to do more than just tread water this offseason.