Can the White Sox Fix Their Starting Rotation Before It's Too Late?
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If any fans didn't have concerns about the Chicago White Sox's starting pitching going into the postseason, they certainly should now.
Sean Burke, who has been Chicago's ace for much of the season, has been nothing short of terrible in his last few games. It all culminated in a complete meltdown on Tuesday. In just 1.1 innings, Burke gave up eight hits and seven runs. It seemed that everything the Pittsburgh Pirates hit off of Burke was hard-hit, and his pitches were flat.
His fastball velocity was somewhat down; his curveball, which has been so good at getting hitters out this season, was not breaking, and his control has been all over the place. All of this points to a concerning trend among the young White Sox pitchers.
It seems the rotation is falling apart as the regular season comes to a close. Many of the starters are breezing past their career high in innings, leading to what can only be described as arm fatigue. Burke isn't the only one. Davis Martin and Anthony Kay, who were reliable in the first couple of months of the season, have plateaued as they exceed their career high in innings. Not to mention that veteran Luis Castillo has been a massive disappointment.
So, what can be done about this?
What Can Chris Getz Do With White Sox Rotation??
Sean Burke clearly needs rest as we approach the playoffs, but how do you replace an arm like that? The answer is you can't. However, the White Sox may not have much of a choice. The only way to get Burke back into the groove may be to reduce his workload for the time being.
Speaking of which, this also begs the question of why certain White Sox pitchers have yet to be called up as we approach the end of the season. Drew Thorpe has had nine rehab starts in the minors as he finishes his recovery from Tommy John surgery. That's a lot of rehab starts to not be called up when the need is clearly there.
And there's no doubt Thorpe is ready and has been for weeks. In his last seven starts, he has a 2.20 ERA. On Tuesday night in Charlotte, he threw five scoreless innings. His changeup has looked marvelous, and his control has been elite. It's not quite clear what Getz is waiting for at this point with Thorpe, and it almost feels like malpractice not to call him up.
Drew Thorpe for Triple-A Charlotte:
— Adrian White (@AdrianWhiteSox) September 9, 2026
24.2 IP | 19 H | 7 ER | 4 BB | 22 K | 2.55 ERA | 0.93 WHIP
Sunday in St. Louis is one to watch. @scottmerkin notes Thorpe could line up there if the #WhiteSox give starters an extra day. pic.twitter.com/oiMKzO96yG
David Sandlin and Noah Schultz have also been pitching quite well. In 16 games in Charlotte, Sandlin has pitched to a 2.08 ERA with 75 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Schultz has a 2.01 ERA in Triple-A this season, which has been bolstered by allowing only 4 earned runs in his last 21.2 innings of work. Especially when we factor in the experience he gained in the rotation earlier this season, it could be worth giving him a shot.
Nevertheless, with the White Sox pitching clearly in need of rest, why not consider shaking this up a little? What do you have to lose when the rotation is already falling apart before the postseason? If the White Sox are serious about going on a run, now is the time to test out some of these young arms and see if you can fix things by the time October rolls around.
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Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.