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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 17: David Sandlin #54 of the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on February 17, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox rotation, after a great month of April, has taken a step back of late.
Chicago has taken a step to remedy that.
According to Elijah Evans of Future Sox, the White Sox are calling up pitching prospect David Sandlin.
A corresponding move will likely be announced before Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
Sandlin, 25, has pitched to a 0.75 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 12 innings in Triple-A since returning from injury.
What Will Sandlin Bring to the Chicago White Sox?
The Kansas City Royals selected Sandlin in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
Kansas City would trade Sandlin to the Boston Red Sox after the 2023 season for reliever John Schreiber.
He would grow in the Boston system, and despite mediocre numbers in 2024 and 2025, experts considered him to be a top prospect in the Red Sox system.
In February, Boston traded Sandlin to Chicago, along with reliever Jordan Hicks, in an effective salary dump.
Boston would only receive pitching prospect Gage Ziehl and a PTBNL in return.
Sandlin immediately became a top 30 prospect in the White Sox system. According to MLB Pipeline, Sandlin ranks 18th on their prospect list.
Sandlin’s fastball sits at 95-97 mph, and can touch 100. However, he has issues due to the fastball’s inconsistent run and carry.
He has a slider and a cutter as his secondary pitches that are average to above-average.
Sandlin has command issues, but more so with not locating pitches and getting punished for it, rather than walks.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander will hope for better results in the major leagues, but it is encouraging that he was consistent in a hitter-friendly Triple-A ballpark.
But how will he fit on the White Sox roster?
How Will Sandlin Fit on the Roster?
Since we don’t know a corresponding move quite yet, we can’t determine with 100% certainty who he will replace.
However, starters Erick Fedde and Noah Schultz have had a rough month of May.
While Fedde and Schultz have different circumstances surrounding their roster security, Fedde has had the rougher month.
Fedde had a 3.24 ERA going into May, but has given up 18 runs in 16 innings this month, while surrendering seven home runs.
Chicago signed Fedde to a one-year deal during the offseason, and they may cut bait soon if he continues his struggles.
Meanwhile, Schultz had a 3.52 ERA going into May. However, the young flamethrower has struggled with his command, walking 13 batters in 23.1 innings this month.
It seems more likely that if any pitcher were to lose his spot in the rotation, it would be Fedde.
The White Sox will likely want Schultz to work things out at the major league level and continue to get an extended look.
Sending him back down to Triple-A serves absolutely no purpose at this point.
If the corresponding move is a current starter, Sandlin will start alongside Cy Young candidate Davis Martin, Anthony Kay and Sean Burke.
However, if he isn’t in the rotation, he could be a useful long reliever from the right side.
White Sox fans have plenty to look forward to as their team is above .500 for the first time since 2022 at this juncture in the season, and Sandlin could be a part of that.
Matthew Singer Matthew Singer is a sports reporter covering MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2025, and has two years of experience covering local professional, collegiate and high school sports, including writing for Cronkite News and Arizona PBS. More about Matthew Singer
