Chicago White Sox Send Former Cardinal on Rehab Assignment

Apr 4, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago White Sox outfielder Austin Slater (15) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox have sent former Stanford Cardinal Austin Slater out on a rehab assignment after he underwent surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus on April 15. While the White Sox site has not updated his timetable for a return just yet, given the injury and the amount of time missed, he's likely looking at a week or two before he's ready to rejoin the club.

Slater was signed by the White Sox in November and made the team's Opening Day roster as a reserve outfielder. He made four starts, three in right field and one at DH, in the 12 games he was on the roster before the injury.

In that time, Slater went 5-for-20 (.250) with two doubles and a home run.

With Slater down, the White Sox have been largely rolling with 29-year-old Joshua Palacios in right field, though Michael A. Taylor has split his time between right and center over the past month. Palacios is 13-for-65 (.200) in his time on the field with one home run, one double, and four RBI. Taylor is 16-for-83 (.193) with a homer, six doubles, a triple, and seven RBI.

It would appear as though there is still room for Slater on this roster, even following his down year in 2024 where he batted .209 with a .321 OBP and two homers. Over the course of his career, he's been a league average outfielder and has been asked to play all three spots as recently as last season.

While the eventual addition of Slater may not be a jolt that will immediately get the Sox into contention, he's certainly a guy that can build up the club's depth and make the at least marginally better, which is what he was brought in to do in the first place.