The White Sox have multiple intriguing bullpen options waiting in Triple-A and four lefties on the MLB team, making Tyler Gilbert's spot on the active roster increasingly difficult to justify.
Over the next few weeks, we could see the Chicago White Sox call up two of their top prospects to provide reinforcements for the 2026 team.
Starting pitcher Hagen Smith has been dominant over his last three outings in Triple-A Charlotte and could provide a boost to a White Sox starting rotation that clearly needs improvement. Outfielder Braden Montgomery is forcing the issue as well. In 29 games since being promoted to Triple-A, Montgomery is batting .315 with a .912 OPS. We are reaching the point where he has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues and could be a clear upgrade to the White Sox outfield.
I do believe both of those moves are on the horizon. But there's a more obvious and immediate roster change for the White Sox to make, and it has to do with fixing the bullpen.
The White Sox are currently wasting a roster spot on left-handed reliever Tyler Gilbert, and it's time for the team to make a change and bring in some reinforcements that could help stabilize the bullpen during a difficult stretch of the schedule.
Gilbert is the fourth lefty in Chicago's bullpen right now. Sean Newcomb has been lights out, allowing just two earned runs over his last 22.2 innings pitched. His ERA for the season is down to 2.35, and he's firmly established himself as a reliable high-leverage arm that Will Venable can turn to.
Bryan Hudson has had a rough go in his last two outings, but his ERA remains at 2.40 through 31 appearances this season. He's not at risk of going anywhere and can still reliably get outs against left-handed hitters.
Then there's Brandon Eisert, who was previously discarded by the White Sox but has been surprisingly stellar since being brought back on May 16. Over his last 11.2 innings pitched, Eisert has allowed just one run on six hits, bringing his season ERA down to 3.21. With lefties in particular looking uncomfortable in the batter's box against him, Eisert has always had tremendous underlying metrics and is now beginning to see the production match the data.
A lot of the musical chairs we've seen the White Sox play with their bullpen this season has been an effort to carry three strong left-handed relievers. That's why Gilbert has gotten a couple of chances on the roster so far this year. He's now appeared in three games this season, once on March 26, once on April 15, and once on June 7, and he's allowed runs in every outing. In 3.1 innings, he's allowed six hits, seven earned runs, two home runs, and three walks.
That's not a guy worthy of occupying a big league roster spot, especially when you consider the fact that, a.) the White Sox don't use him, and b.) they have intriguing options waiting for an opportunity in Triple-A Charlotte.
Peyton Pallette got MLB experience with 16 outings for the Cleveland Guardians at the start of the year. He has since been returned to the White Sox minor league system after being designated for assignment, and in 3.1 innings for the Charlotte Knights, Pallette already has a 2-0 record with only one hit allowed and a perfect 0.00 ERA.
Ben Peoples has a 2.43 ERA in 29.2 innings pitched this season. He's 25 years old and doesn't have anything else to prove in Triple-A.
Even someone like Zach Franklin could be interesting. The production hasn't been great this season, but Franklin has a track record in the minor leagues of pitching in high-leverage spots and has a little bit of Tyler Davis to his profile, another pitcher the White Sox called up and got some production from this year. Franklin can't be worse than Gilbert, and he at least comes with some upside and a potential future in Chicago's bullpen.
I'm not sure what the best move is, and I'm not sure I even care. What I do know is that Tyler Gilbert has no place on this White Sox roster. He hurts them more than he helps them. And if there's an immediate solution to give Chicago's pitching staff a boost, it's making this obvious change to the group of relievers currently on the team.
