White Sox Have an Overlooked Weapon Returning in 2027

The last time we saw Brooks Baldwin play baseball, he was surging through a red-hot second half of the 2025 season that made it feel like the Chicago White Sox could have one of the best young utility men in the sport.

Over his final 54 games of 2025, Baldwin hit .268 with nine doubles, eight home runs, 22 RBIs and an .804 OPS. He turned 25 that August and did it while the White Sox used him at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions throughout the season.

Baldwin was going to be in the mix for the White Sox once again in 2026, likely getting more time in the outfield to fill a team need, while the infield positions were held down by Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth.

Baldwin got off to a strong start in spring training, suiting up for eight games for the White Sox in Glendale with a .286 batting average and .762 OPS before an injury derailed his entire year.

Baldwin suffered a partial tear of his right UCL, which forced him out of game action and prevented him from throwing for a period of time. Ultimately, the White Sox settled on surgery to repair the ligament, and Baldwin began the long road to recovery, which included a 16-week throwing program after the All-Star break.

That's now behind him. And according to a recent report from Scott Merkin of MLB.com, Baldwin is fully healthy and ready to contribute for Chicago in 2027.

“If you told me I could go play in three weeks, I could probably go play,” he told Merkin.

Baldwin considered playing winter ball to get some extra game experience under his belt, but ultimately opted out to spend quality time with his family, as he and his wife are expecting their first child in December.

Baldwin expects to be 100% ready to go for spring training, and his return adds another valuable piece and a name to watch for the White Sox next season.

The emergence of Sam Antonacci might make it more difficult for Baldwin to get regular at-bats in the White Sox outfield. Between Antonacci, Tristan Peters, Braden Montgomery, whatever offseason acquisitions are made, and the eventual arrival of Caleb Bonemer in 2027, there isn't much playing time to go around out there.

There could, however, be an opening on the infield. Outside of the starting infield that's already in place, the White Sox have Graham Pauley, who was recently claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins, and Luisangel Acuña, who had a .537 OPS in his first year with the White Sox.

While Chicago made a conscious effort to push Baldwin toward the outfield in 2025, that was a move made to fulfill a team need and give Baldwin an opportunity to play every day. He'll have to earn that right again moving forward, but maybe the infield is the better path now. hHe'd immediately be more impactful than Acuña, and he's more versatile than Pauley, with more promising stretches of production at the MLB level.

Baldwin appears to have the right mindset about it all, talking about the current core and how his hope is that his versatility and flexibility will allow him to carve out a role in whatever way helps the team most.

I think he's firmly in the mix to do so, especially if he arrives at Camelback Ranch looking like the same player he did in the back half of 2025.

After being without him for a full season, it's easy to forget about Brooks Baldwin and the impact he could have on the White Sox moving forward. But I still think he has the inside track to making the Opening Day roster.

White Sox fans shouldn't forget just how productive Baldwin was the last time we saw him play.