The White Sox appear ready to give David Sandlin another opportunity after changes to Charlotte's rotation hinted at his impending return.
This weekend, the Chicago White Sox will go for their 10th consecutive home series win as they take on the Kansas City Royals for a three-game set and look to expand their lead in the AL Central.
The White Sox, however, find themselves in need of a starting pitcher for Friday's game, and an ailing bullpen no longer gives them the ability to roll out a full bullpen game, even after an off day on Thursday.
All signs currently point to Chicago bringing right-handed pitcher David Sandlin back up from Triple-A Charlotte to start against the Royals.
Sandlin last started for the Knights on Saturday, June 20, tossing five innings and allowing just one run while striking out five. That lowered his Charlotte ERA to 1.57 over six starts this season and put him in line to make another start for the Knights on Friday evening.
However, Charlotte has since changed up its starting rotation, taking Sandlin out of the mix and scheduling left-hander Noah Schultz, who is wrapping up a rehab stint in Triple-A, to start Friday night.
That perfectly lines up for Sandlin to be well-rested and rejoin the White Sox rotation on Friday night against Kansas City. It will be a second opportunity for Sandlin to contribute and establish himself at the MLB level after a promising debut followed by a pair of rough outings.
Sandlin debuted for the White Sox on May 27 against the Minnesota Twins, throwing six innings and allowing just one run on one hit. He also retired 18 consecutive batters to finish his debut and needed only 61 pitches to get through those six innings. That made MLB history, but Sandlin failed to repeat that success in his next two starts.
He faced the Twins again on June 1 and got tagged for eight (8) earned runs over four innings before giving up three runs in 3.1 innings against the Phillies on June 7.
Both of those outings, however, came on the road, and on Friday night he'll look to bounce back with another start in front of the home crowd at Rate Field.
Sandlin is nowhere near a finished product, and the White Sox have made that clear with the way they've managed his development in 2026.
But just because Sandlin was sent back down to the minor leagues didn't mean he couldn't have future with the White Sox or contribute to the team when he was ready. Chicago needs innings. Their pitching depth has been tested by injuries, and they have little choice this week but to lean on Sandlin's upside to help them win another important game against a division rival.
