White Sox Let Us Know Why We Haven't Seen David Sandlin Yet
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On February 1, the White Sox continued their aggressive offseason with the addition of a well-known arm.
Jordan Hicks was headed to the South Side in a surprising trade with the Boston Red Sox. The former St. Louis Cardinals standout had bounced around the league, eventually signing a lucrative contract with the San Francisco Giants. His flamethrowing arm has intoxicated teams for years, but the consistency on the mound and on the injury report has left a lot to be desired.
This is ultimately why his four-year, $44.0 million deal started to look like a nuisance. It was included as a key contract in the Giants' transaction that netted them Rafael Devers. Boston would proceed to give Hicks a try, but his 8.20 ERA ultimately led the front office to send him to another new city. But it came at a price.
As intriguing as Hicks' fastball may be, the White Sox were never going to take him on for free. While they were at least willing to do business, the trade forced Boston to pay for a chunk of the salary and to send back another valuable player: David Sandlin.
To be clear, Chicago still sent a solid prospect in Gage Ziehl to Boston in this trade, but Sandlin ranked as the 8th-best player in the Red Sox system. So while Hicks may have been the biggest name involved, the deal mainly spoke to the Sox' clear interest in adding Sandlin into the mix.
Indeed, this is why he felt like one of the more interesting players to watch this spring. Especially with the starting rotation and bullpen far from set in stone, it felt like Sandlin could have a legitimate chance to compete for an Opening Day roster spot. Nevertheless, fans still haven't seen him take the mound, and we finally know why.
White Sox Taking Thing Slow With David Sandlin
According to Scott Merkin, Manager Will Venable shared this week that David Sandlin arrived at camp with some back issues. This seemingly kept him from having the bullpen sessions necessary to appear in game action, thus leading the organization to opt for a more patient approach in the lead-up to regular season action.
David Sandlin came into camp hampered by some back stuff, per manager Will Venable, and he just hadn't had the bullpens up front. So they are going through a slower plan with him toward the regular season.
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) March 6, 2026
All things considered, with Sandlin struggling to end 2025 on a high note, taking things slow might be the best approach regardless of injury. After putting together a very good run in Double-A, Sandlin's move up the Red Sox system left a lot to be desired. He recorded a concerning 7.61 ERA with a walk rate that ballooned to over 10.0 percent.
The good news is that this came in a relatively small sample size, as Sandlin threw only 23.2 innings for Worcester in a relief role. But it was still a rough enough showing to suggest that some adjustments were needed coming into the 2026 campaign. Add in some back issues, and there is no doubt that a slow build in Charlotte is likely in his best interest.
With that said, it's easy to see why the White Sox went out of their way to add Sandlin. He is a high-velocity righty who has the potential to reach triple digits. Likewise, he offers a surprisingly deep arsenal for someone with such a high-upside fastball. Last season in Triple-A, his slide and cutter were nearly tied for his second-most-used pitch. Sandlin also sprinkled in a sinker and a sweeper pretty regularly.
With so much to offer, we included Sandlin on our list of pitching prospects who could crack the majors sooner rather than later. Was this under the assumption that we would see him more in Spring? Yes, but it doesn't sound like he is too far away from getting back in the swing of things. The White Sox are also clearly pretty darn high on what Sandlin can do, so it could take only a handful of solid weeks in Charlotte to earn the call-up.
Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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