White Sox End the Jedixson Paez Experiment – Who Did They Call Up to Replace Him?

The Chicago White Sox have officially moved on from both of their Rule 5 Draft picks.

Alberto Alexander was the first to go, leaving spring training relatively early in the process. Pulled away from the Tampa Bay Rays, the AL East team now had a chance to welcome him back, which they promptly did. He is now pitching for the Rays' Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits.

As for Jedixson Paez, 22, he somewhat shockingly made the Opening Day roster. The Boston Red Sox prospect had never pitched above High-A ball, and his spring training run left a lot to be desired. He tossed a 6.35 ERA over his seven appearances, which included allowing 8 earned runs. Could things have been even worse? Sure, but was it enough to warrant a fast-track to the bigs?

I think it's safe to say we know the answer! Paez has been designated for assignment, which means the Red Sox will have an opportunity to welcome him back into their system. Paez appeared in three of the Sox' first five games after repeated shaky starts from the rotation. In those 3.0 innings pitched, Paez looked out of his element. He allowed 6 earned runs and gave up two long balls. He also walked three batters and failed to record a single strikeout.

You could understand why the Sox wanted things to work out. Giving up on Paez meant that he would likely end up back with the Red Sox due to the Rule 5 guidelines. Chicago was also fresh off witnessing a major success story with Shane Smith's All-Star rise after his Rule 5 selection. At the same time, Smith was sitting in Triple-A with the Brewers. He proved worthy of a big league tryout. Paez was still very much a work in progress, and Chicago may have only set him up for failure by forcing the issue.

Indeed, it's ultimately a bizarre look for GM Chris Getz and his brain trust. They went with Paez over several other seemingly qualified arms, only for the inexperienced righty to play a pretty significant part in their early struggles.

Who Will Replace Paez On the Active Roster?

Lucas Sims of the Nationals — May 6, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Lucas Sims (39) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

With Jedixson Paez headed out the door, the White Sox have selected Lucas Sims from Charlotte to join the squad's bullpen. The 31-year-old has nine years of MLB experience under his belt, most recently playing for the Washington Nationals in 2025.

Sims has undoubtedly had an up-and-down career, which continued last season with a 13.86 ERA in 18 appearances with Washington. The righty initially signed a minor league deal with Chicago in February and proceeded to pitch in six games during spring training. While it was a small sample size, Sims didn't allow a single run and struck out eight batters. He's only appeared in one Charlotte game thus far, but he found similar success with two punch-outs.

Someone who has most recently leans on his fastball and sweeper, Sims does have a few more pitches up his sleeve and has been relatively decent at limiting hard contact at times. The problem, though, has seemingly been his command at times. He had a concerning 19.4 percent walk rate with the Nationals last season.

Nevertheless, it's clear the White Sox want some experience in the bullpen as they try to get their season back on the right track. You can't really blame them for that.