The White Sox made three moves this afternoon, only one of which was expected in the exact form it took.
In order of least to most surprising, the White Sox:
- Added Odrisamer Despaigne from Charlotte to take the place of Dylan Covey.
- Placed Jace Fry on the injured list, which opened a spot on the 25-man roster.
- Released Nicky Delmonico, which created the spot on the 40-man roster.
Starting at the top, Despaigne was the evident choice when the White Sox needed a starter to replace Dylan Covey, who went on the disabled list Sunday with shoulder soreness. Covey gutted through five innings at less than 100 percent his last time out, although it was unclear what exactly wasn't feeling well.
Despaigne isn't Dylan Cease, and with a 13-24 record and 4.94 ERA (76 ERA+) over 106 career games, the 32-year-old is not an inspiring alternative to their top pitching prospect. He posted a 6.69 ERA over 19 games with the Marlins and Angels last year, so this might be his last gasp.
That said, he started throwing a slider last year, the White Sox like guys with new sliders, and they haven't had a Cuban pitcher in a while, so that makes him a little more interesting than the numbers alone. One bad start could eliminate all of that interest, but the White Sox will likely need another non-Cease starter at some point this season, so they may as well give him a look. Despaigne did what he could by posting a 3.34 ERA over 59 innings in the International League this year, which is no small feat.
It's not surprising that Fry is the guy to make room, given his season-long struggles finding the strike zone. He has a 5.79 ERA thanks to 15.5-percent walk rate, which made a liability in even LOOGY-type outings, as Friday's game against the Royals showed. It is new that shoulder soreness is the listed reason for moving him off the 25-man roster, although arm problems would be one explanation for the persistent command issues.
Delmonico was already done for the season thanks to surgery on his labrum, and while the White Sox probably could've put him on the 60-day injured list if they wanted to, they just up and cut him instead. That's one striking rise and fall, but give him credit for seemingly enjoying the hell out of every day on the 25-man roster.
