The White Sox have several internal options capable of upgrading a struggling bullpen right now, making it difficult to justify keeping Brandon Eisert on the roster.
It's no secret that the Chicago White Sox don't have the most reliable bullpen in Major League Baseball.
Adding relief arms and equipping the bullpen for high-leverage scenarios remains Chicago's biggest need ahead of the 2026 trade deadline. After watching the last week of White Sox baseball, it's never been more clear that the White Sox bullpen needs a facelift, and that should start with some internal roster moves.
A blown lead on Thursday night led to a Brayan Rocchio walk-off home run for the Guardians. Chicago then blew a 3-1 lead on Friday and lost the game in extra innings. While they prevailed 7-6 on Sunday afternoon, an early 6-3 lead was fumbled by the White Sox after the fifth inning.
Then, on Tuesday night against the Red Sox, as the White Sox tried to chip away and claw their way back into the game, a 4-1 deficit turned into an 8-1 deficit after Brandon Eisert allowed four runs in the ninth inning.
Eisert allowing runs on Tuesday likely didn't affect the ultimate outcome of the game. The White Sox offense didn't have much brewing in the series opener with Boston. Had it been one game, I wouldn't think anything of it. But it's been weeks now that we've watched this White Sox bullpen unravel. And there are simply too pitchers on the team who aren't getting the job done. Eisert is one of them.
Over his last 12 appearances, dating back to June 9, Eisert has allowed 13 earned runs on 14 hits, posting an 8.78 ERA. He has a 5.93 ERA on the season, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify keeping him on the roster, especially when you consider the fact that Eisert is the fourth-best left-handed pitcher in the White Sox bullpen right now.
I understand Will Venable wanting to maintain three lefties in the pen at all times, but four feels like a little bit of overkill, especially if one of them simply hasn't been productive.
Eisert's roster spot can easily be replaced by one of the trade acquisitions I'm assuming the White Sox will make. But Chicago may not want to wait around that long. The deadline is still almost four weeks away. So if you can make a move to help you win games now, it needs to be done. Perhaps it's simply time for the White Sox to give somebody else from the minor leagues an opportunity.
Depending who it is, it may not even require the White Sox to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
28-year-old lefty Garrett Schoenle has a 2.20 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP over 32.2 innings for the Charlotte Knights this season. Schoenle has been really effective over his last three minor league seasons and could be worth a shot if the White Sox feel motivated to keep a fourth left-hander and want to see a new face.
Jairo Iriarte, one of the prospects acquired from the San Diego Padres for Dylan Cease who made his debut back in 2024, has had a revival in the minor leagues this season. Iriarte has a 2.38 ERA over 28 appearances between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He's been sharp over 18 innings with the Knights and has been effective in multi-inning outings, which would be a valuable asset for a taxed White Sox bullpen. The 24-year-old is just as deserving of a shot as anyone. He recently earned White Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month honors.
Peyton Pallette pitched in MLB earlier this season for the Cleveland Guardians and has a 3.38 ERA over 10 appearances since returning to the White Sox organization and being optioned to Triple-A. I still think Pallette could be more effective out of the bullpen than Eisert has been, and he brings more swing-and-miss stuff to the table, which could help him escape trouble with runners on base.
The same thing goes for Wikelman Gonzalez. He's currently the only player from the Garrett Crochet trade not on the MLB roster. Gonzalez pitched 20.1 innings for the White Sox in 2025 and, after recently returning from the IL, could be a candidate to get brought up.
Gonzalez is already on the 40-man roster. So is Tyler Schweitzer, Joe Rock, Tyler Davis, and Tanner McDougal. McDougal is another pitcher I'd be open to seeing in a relief role. That's how the White Sox have been using him since he went down with a scary elbow injury.
McDougal returned to game action at the start of July with two outings for the Winston-Salem Dash as part of his rehab. On Tuesday, he made his first appearance for the Charlotte Knights out of the bullpen and threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
This is a big, explosive arm that you'd expect to see at the back end of a bullpen. McDougal could be a legitimate MLB asset for the White Sox in 2026 if they give him an opportunity. It would definitely be worth trying rather than continuing to trot out Eisert to give up runs.
It might not be time for the White Sox to swing a trade just yet. In order to be a buyer, you have to have a seller, and the deadline remains weeks away, with plenty of teams still hoping they can make a push into the playoff picture before it gets here. But that doesn't mean the White Sox should sit on their hands and leave their bullpen untouched in the meantime. Eisert is an example of a pitcher who simply hasn't earned his place on the team. And I'd like to see Chris Getz and the White Sox make a move to get a fresh arm in Chicago.
