White Sox Reunite With Jacob Amaya, Claim Infielder Off Waivers From Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles opened the door for Jacob Amaya to return to the Chicago White Sox by designating the shortstop for assignment and placing him on waivers.

Anaheim, California, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Jacob Amaya (18) in the dugout after scoring a run in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox have claimed infielder Jacob Amaya off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, the team announced Monday afternoon.

The Orioles designated Amaya for assignment on Jan. 27 in order to make room on their 40-man roster for outfielder Dylan Carlson, who they signed out of free agency. They had only just claimed Amaya off waivers on Jan. 16, a week after the White Sox designated Amaya for assignment themselves.

Amaya is now returning to Chicago's 40-man roster after a four-week hiatus. Outfielder Zach DeLoach is the roster casualty on the White Sox's side, getting designated for assignment to free up space for Amaya.

The Chicago White Sox have claimed infielder Jake Amaya off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.

To make room for Amaya on the 40-man roster, the White Sox designated outfielder Zach DeLoach for assignment.

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 3, 2025

Amaya, once a top-10 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system, was dealt to the Miami Marlins in exchange for veteran infielder Miguel Rojas in 2023. He made his MLB debut later that year, only to get designated for assignment and traded to the Houston Astros at the start of the 2024 campaign.

The Astros didn't hold onto Amaya for long, either, designating him for assignment in August. The White Sox scooped Amaya up off waivers and trotted him out in 23 big league contests down the stretch.

Amaya proceeded to hit .179 with three RBI, one stolen base, a .419 OPS and a 0.0 WAR in that limited action. In the field, however, Amaya racked up three defensive runs saved at shortstop.

In his minor league career, Amaya is a .251 hitter with a .741 OPS, averaging 15 home runs, 80 RBI and 11 stolen bases per 162 games.

The 26-year-old is now in line to compete for an Opening Day roster spot in Chicago once again. The White Sox signed Josh Rojas to take over at third base, but second baseman Lenyn Sosa and shortstop Brooks Baldwin don't exactly have firm grasps on their starting jobs.

Veteran utility man Nick Maton was extended a non-roster invitation to Spring Training, as were top prospects Chase Meidroth and Jacob Gonzalez.

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