As the White Sox balance upside, depth, and roster rules, minor league options may decide which players stick — and which are exposed to waivers.
As is the case with any team emerging from a rebuild and stacking young talent, the Chicago White Sox will face several difficult roster decisions before Opening Day.
The organization has prioritized building depth and acquiring players with untapped upside, hoping to uncover value on the margins. The best teams in baseball excel at this. They identify undervalued talent in other organizations, acquire those players, and turn them into legitimate MLB contributors.
But there’s a cost to that approach.
Roster churn requires tough cuts, and getting those decisions wrong can be costly. It can mean losing a valuable asset for nothing — something the White Sox have learned the hard way in recent years.
In January 2024, Chicago designated infielder Romy González for assignment. He was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox just days later and went on to become a key contributor. Over the last two seasons in Boston, González played meaningful innings on a playoff team. In 2025 alone, he appeared in 96 games, hit .305, slugged nine home runs, added 23 doubles, and posted an .826 OPS.
That’s a miss. Plain and simple.
Later that same year, the White Sox designated left-handed reliever Tim Hill for assignment and released him on June 18. Two days later, Hill signed with the Yankees. Since then, he has made 105 appearances out of New York’s bullpen with a 2.68 ERA, re-establishing himself as one of the more reliable left-handed specialists in the game.
Hill was in the organization. The White Sox failed to maximize his value — and then let him walk. Maybe one they'd like to have back.
And it goes both ways.
Giving Rule 5 Draft pick Shane Smith a roster spot in the starting rotation to open the 2025 season turned out to be a franchise-altering decision. Smith developed into an All-Star as a rookie and is now a frontline arm in Chicago’s rotation. Had the White Sox not committed to carrying him on the roster, Smith almost certainly would have been returned to Milwaukee — and thrived elsewhere.
Just ask the Mets, Phillies, and Rays how they feel after watching Mike Vasil break out in Chicago.
The Phillies selected Vasil in the Rule 5 Draft, then traded him to Tampa Bay. When he failed to make the Rays’ Opening Day roster, he was placed on waivers and claimed by the White Sox. 101 innings later, Vasil finished his rookie season with a 2.50 ERA and emerged as one of the most valuable arms on the White Sox staff.
That’s the balance teams must strike.
And in 2026, the White Sox will be navigating that balance once again.
Why Minor League Options Matter
Chicago’s 40-man roster is currently full and loaded with young, controllable talent. In many cases, particularly at the back of the roster, there is no clear hierarchy separating players. When the talent gap is narrow, decisions often come down to one thing: minor league options.
Players on the 40-man roster who still have minor league options can be sent down without being exposed to waivers. They remain in the organization and preserve depth.
Players without options must be designated for assignment to be sent down — exposing them to waivers and creating a real risk of losing them altogether.
When the difference between two players is marginal, teams often err on the side of caution and keep the player who is out of options.
That could heavily shape Chicago’s Opening Day roster decisions.
Below are several roster battles that could be decided less by performance and more by roster mechanics.
Left-Handed Relief Pitching
It’s safe to assume the White Sox will carry three left-handed relievers on their 26-man roster, mirroring Will Venable’s bullpen structure from 2025.
Despite getting a look as a starter this spring, veteran Sean Newcomb profiles best as a bullpen arm. He fits cleanly as a long-relief option and a left-handed counterpart to Mike Vasil.
Chris Murphy also appears locked into a roster spot. He was highly productive with Boston in 2025, and the White Sox surrendered a catching prospect to acquire him this offseason — a clear signal of their intent to roster him.
With Newcomb and Murphy likely secured, that leaves one remaining left-handed bullpen spot — and three candidates on the 40-man roster.
Brandon Eisert pitched in 72 games for the White Sox in 2025, posting a 4.39 ERA with strong underlying metrics. On performance alone, he looks like the favorite.
But Eisert has two minor league options remaining. He’s the only candidate in this group with that flexibility — which may actually work against him.
Tyler Gilbert made 46 appearances in 2025, throwing 51 innings with a 3.88 ERA. His metrics are less encouraging, but he has no minor league options remaining.
The same is true for Bryan Hudson. Hudson was excellent for Milwaukee in 2024, struggled in 2025, and was eventually designated for assignment. He appeared in just four MLB games after the White Sox claimed him in August.
One spot. Three pitchers. Options will matter.
Right-Handed Relief Pitching
The rest of the bullpen is just as crowded.
Jordan Leasure, Mike Vasil, and Grant Taylor feel like locks. If the White Sox carry these three along with three lefties, that leaves only two bullpen spots for other right-handed arms.
There’s still a strong possibility Chicago adds a veteran reliever with leverage experience — Scott Barlow remains a logical fit. If that happens, only one spot remains.
That reality likely pushes Zach Franklin and Ben Peoples to Triple-A, as neither is on the 40-man roster and there’s no risk in sending them down.
Jairo Iriarte struggled mightily in 2025 and still has one minor league option remaining. That alone likely sends him to Charlotte to open the year.
The real dilemma comes with Wikelman González.
Acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade, González made his MLB debut on June 20, 2025 and posted a 2.66 ERA over 20.1 innings. The White Sox love his upside. He misses bats at an elite rate and has legitimate future closer potential.
On talent alone, González belongs on the Opening Day roster.
But he has one minor league option remaining — and that complicates things.
If Chicago plans to carry Rule 5 selections Alexander Alberto and Jedixson Páez, roster space becomes extremely tight. Neither pitcher has thrown above High-A. Neither is truly MLB-ready. But both must remain on the roster all season or be returned.
That’s what makes these Rule 5 selections so fascinating — and so risky.
Can the White Sox justify keeping them over a more polished, deserving arm like González simply to protect upside? That will be one of the defining questions of spring training.
Bench Bats and Position Players
Assuming no trades, the White Sox have a fairly clear top nine on offense. For this exercise, that includes Brooks Baldwin in right field and Edgar Quero at DH.
Even if Chicago adds a veteran outfielder, Baldwin feels like a lock after what he showed in the second half of 2025.
That leaves just three bench spots for a total of 13 position players — and things get complicated quickly.
Korey Lee makes things very difficult.
At 27, Lee offers athleticism, positional flexibility, and some pop. Carrying the third catcher allowed Will Venable to keep both Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero in the lineup last season. But Lee has no minor league options remaining.
If he’s designated for assignment, it’s unlikely he clears waivers.
If the White Sox want to keep him, they probably need to carry him on the Opening Day roster — and that has ripple effects.
That decision may force Chicago to choose between Derek Hill, Everson Pereira, and Tristan Peters for one bench outfield spot. Peters has two minor league options remaining, putting him at a disadvantage. Hill and Pereira have none.
Hill is on a split contract — $900,000 in the majors, $450,000 in the minors — but that contract structure does not override MLB option rules. The White Sox would still need to designate him for assignment and pass him through waivers to send him down.
Hill’s defense and veteran reliability or Pereira’s upside? It's a tough call.
Sending Brooks Baldwin down is technically possible — he has two options remaining — but doesn't make much sense functionally after his 2025 second half breakout.
The infield is another challenge.
Chicago may be forced to choose between Curtis Mead and Lenyn Sosa. Neither has minor league options. Sosa is the more likely keeper on-paper, but that leaves the White Sox with limited defensive versatility off the bench. Mead would help in that area.
This is why trading Sosa still makes sense. He doesn’t have a clear role on this roster, his defense is detrimental, and his value may never be higher.
No matter how this plays out, the White Sox are going to lose someone who played a meaningful role in 2025 — unless they’re willing to designate Lee for assignment.
Dustin Harris, Tanner Murray, and Oliver Dunn will all get looks, but they face long odds. Murray has three options remaining, while Harris and Dunn are on minor league deals.
There’s still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the White Sox roster heading into spring training. Every signing from here on out will tighten an already crowded picture.
But when crunch time arrives, keep minor league options in mind.
They may not be the most exciting part of roster construction — but they often decide who stays and who goes.