With the bullpen struggling early in 2026, Brandon Eisert being called up gives the Chicago White Sox a more reliable left-handed option and a clear upgrade over what they’ve been running out there.
Prior to kicking off a four-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium this weekend, the Chicago White Sox made a series of roster moves to shuffle their pitching staff.
As previously reported, the White Sox recalled No. 30-ranked prospect RHP Duncan Davitt for his first taste of MLB action while optioning LHP Tyler Schweitzer back to the minor leagues just one day after his MLB debut.
While that decision wasn’t received particularly well by fans, many of whom felt Schweitzer deserved a longer stay, it ultimately came down to innings. With Shane Smith now in the minor leagues, the White Sox needed another starting option.
But that wasn’t the only move Chicago made. The team also placed left-handed reliever Chris Murphy on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow impingement. The stint is retroactive to April 8, and taking Murphy’s place is Brandon Eisert, a 28-year-old who made 72 appearances out of the bullpen for the White Sox in 2025.
In my opinion, Eisert is a clear upgrade over Murphy, and even over Brian Hudson. He immediately becomes the second-best left-handed reliever on the roster behind Sean Newcomb.
If early-season roster decisions were based purely on merit, Eisert likely would have made Chicago’s 26-man roster out of camp. The only reason he didn’t is because he still had minor league options remaining. That made it easy for the White Sox to send him to Triple-A while holding onto pitchers they otherwise risked losing.
Rule 5 draft pick Jedixson Paez was one of those arms, and Hudson fits that category as well after being claimed off waivers from the New York Mets.
All you have to do is look at what Eisert did last season to understand how much of an upgrade he can be for a struggling bullpen. He posted a respectable 4.39 ERA across 72 appearances, recording 74 strikeouts over 69.2 innings. His expected ERA (4.10) suggests he may have been even better than the surface numbers indicate, and he ranked in the 80th percentile or better in average exit velocity allowed, chase rate, whiff rate, and extension.
Eisert mixes a slider, four-seam fastball, and changeup, throwing each pitch roughly one-third of the time. He keeps hitters off balance, misses bats, and generates soft contact—all while working with a fastball that averages below 90 mph.
The one thing to note is that Eisert isn’t your prototypical lefty specialist. Hitters performed about the same against him in 2025, regardless of handedness. It didn’t matter if he was facing lefties or righties.
He’s still an effective arm, but it’s something worth monitoring—especially given how questionable some of the White Sox’s bullpen management has been this season. There’s no real benefit to playing the matchup game with Eisert. Keep him out of high-leverage spots and trust that he can consistently get outs better than someone like Murphy did early in the season.