Chicago White Sox Send Starting Pitcher Down To Minor Leagues

Sean Burke has been optioned to Triple-A and replaced by fellow right-hander Owen White.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Sean Burke (59) throws against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Changes to the White Sox starting rotation continued ahead of Monday's 6:15 p.m. CT game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.

The White Sox optioned right-handed pitcher Sean Burke to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. To fill his spot, they recalled right-handed pitcher Owen White.

Burke, 25-year-old rookie, had a 4.28 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP with 110 strikeouts and 54 walks across 117.2 innings and 24 appearances. He was named the White Sox 2025 Opening Day starter and had some positive moments, totaling seven quality starts, but he hadn't been as sharp of late.

Burke did not make it past 3.2 innings in either of his last two starts, and he was inefficient with 85-plus pitches in each outing. He has taken a loss in each of his last three decisions, and the White Sox are 1-7 in the last eight games Burke has pitched.

"I thought I was pretty bad,” Burke said after Saturday's game, per MLB.com. “I think the last two starts have just been embarrassing with how I’ve been throwing the ball. I just got to figure it out and piecing together some better outings again.”

Burke is the second starting pitcher the White Sox have demoted in the last two weeks, joining right-hander Jonathan Cannon. That leaves the team with starters Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Aaron Civale and Yoendrys Gomez, whose five-inning effort in a win over the Tigers on Aug. 12 earned him another start Monday against the Braves. Martín Pérez pitched out of the bullpen 3.1 innings out of the bullpen in his return from injury on Aug. 13 and could also be a candidate to start games.

The White Sox may also give a starting opportunity to White, who's made 15 starts with Triple-A Charlotte this season. Across 69.1 innings, he has a 4.93 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP with 56 strikeouts and 38 walks. He threw four scoreless innings in his last start on Thursday. White briefly joined the White Sox in June and pitched seven innings across two relief appearances, allowing nine hits and three earned runs with three walks and six strikeouts.

Related stories on the Chicago White Sox

• ROB MANFRED ON EXPANSION: Adding more teams to MLB could lead to a shift in the division format. CLICK HERE

• MEIDROTH RETURNS: The White Sox activated Chase Meidroth from the injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Royals. CLICK HERE

• NEW FACILITY: The White Sox are building a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic that cost $12 million and will help train and develop young baseball players. CLICK HERE

• GOMEZ EARNS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY: After being promoted from Triple-A, Yoendrys Gomez pitched five solid innings on Tuesday as the White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers. CLICK HERE