White Sox May Need Minor League Help for Cubs Series

As the Chicago White Sox sit with a 65-58 record and a 5.5 game lead in the AL Central, it's another big series this week as they head to Wrigley Field for part two of the Crosstown Classic against the Chicago Cubs.

The White Sox took care of business at home against the Cubs back in May. They won the series on a memorable walk-off home run by Edgar Quero in the series finale, but will now have to face a Cubs team that is one of the best in the National League and is hungry to get back into the division race.

It won't be easy, especially not with the current pitching matchups for the three-game set at Wrigley Field.

On Monday night, it will be Shota Imanaga for the Cubs and Luis Castillo for the White Sox. A pretty equitable pitching matchup, especially after Castillo threw seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in his most recent start.

But for Tuesday and Wednesday, the White Sox do not currently have a starting pitcher listed. And they may need to call upon some help from the minor leagues to match up with Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes of the Cubs.

Davis Martin is on the 15-day IL. Both Noah Schultz and David Sandlin were optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on August 8 and therefore must remain in the minor leagues for at least 15 days. They won't be available for this series either. Anthony Kay and Sean Burke pitched the final two games against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend, leaving the White Sox without many options.

Jose Urquidy made his White Sox debut on Friday night against Detroit, coming out of the bullpen as the bulk inning relief pitcher. Urquidy would line up to pitch again on Wednesday. So it's possible the White Sox repeat the plan to use an opener for Urquidy, or possibly let him serve as the regular starting pitcher. But what of Tuesday?

With the bullpen already taxed and the White Sox not having another off day until August 27, it seems unlikely they'll deploy an unnecessary bullpen game on Tuesday, especially if an outing by Urquidy is to follow. Erick Fedde could be an option if the White Sox decide to transition him back into the rotation for the time being. But what about calling up someone like Shane Smith or Drew Thorpe?

Smith was an AL All-Star in 2025 and Chicago's Opening Day starter in 2026. He pitched in just three games at the start of the season and struggled with his control before being optioned to Triple-A Charlotte and spending time on the injured list. It hasn't been a great season for Smith in the minor leagues either, with a 5.32 ERA combining his time in Triple-A Charlotte and High-A Winston-Salem. But his last outing for the Knights was a really strong one. Smith threw six innings with one run, three hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. That's the Shane Smith the White Sox came to know in 2025.

Giving Smith another opportunity in MLB could be huge for his confidence, and if he pitches well against the Cubs, perhaps you keep him in the starting rotation for the home stretch of 2026.

Thorpe is the other option, and probably my preferred choice for the White Sox. The 25-year-old right-hander missed all of 2025 and the first half of 2026, recovering from Tommy John surgery and the complications that came during his rehab. But ever since Thorpe returned to the mound, he's looked incredibly promising.

Over two starts in Double-A Birmingham, Thorpe threw eight innings with one earned run and eight strikeouts. His most recent outing came for Triple-A Charlotte on August 12, and he threw five innings of one-run baseball with six strikeouts. If Thorpe were called up to pitch on Tuesday for the White Sox, he'd essentially be operating on normal rest with one extra day of rest built in.

This is a young, very talented pitcher who showed flashes earlier in his MLB career when he debuted back in 2024, and is 21-3 with a 2.20 ERA over his minor league career. I'm still bullish on Thorpe's future and ability to help this White Sox core. And what better time to test the waters than with the MLB team desperately needing a starting pitcher against the Cubs?

It's been all hands on deck for the 2026 White Sox, as made evident by their 15 MLB debuts this season. And while it wouldn't be a debut for either Smith or Thorpe, it would be a creative move by Chris Getz and the White Sox to call upon their pitching depth that we didn't know if we'd see again this year.