White Sox Get Former Top 30 Prospect Back After Guardians Go in a Different Direction

Peyton Pallette is back with the White Sox after the Cleveland Guardians chose to waive him.

Apr 6, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Peyton Pallette (41) waits for Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen (22) to run the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | David Dermer-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox made a shocking decision in December to not protect relief pitcher Peyton Pallette in the Rule 5 Draft. He was subsequently drafted by the Cleveland Guardians, who would place him on their major league roster.

In 16 games with Cleveland, Pallette had a 5.23 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 16 walks. However, after the underwhelming start to his career, Pallette is now back with the White Sox.

Why? Per the rules of the Rule 5 Draft, a player must be kept on the 26-man roster or the injured list for the entire season. If they are removed from the roster and unclaimed on waivers, the player must be returned to their original team for $50,000. After Pallette was designated for assignment earlier this week, he went unclaimed on waivers.

The White Sox have announced that Pallette has been returned to the organization and will be assigned to Triple-A Charlotte.

Cleveland has returned RHP Peyton Pallette to the White Sox. Pallette has been assigned to Class AAA Charlotte.

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 31, 2026

White Sox Welcome Back Peyton Pallette

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Peyton Pallette | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The White Sox drafted Pallette in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Arkansas. Pallette was a highly-regarded prospect at Arkansas, who was destined to be a first-round pick. However, he underwent Tommy John surgery in January of 2022, significantly altering his draft status.

Once recovered from Tommy John surgery, it took Pallette a while to regain his footing. In 2023, he was used exclusively as a starter. The results weren't exceptional. In 22 starts (72 innings), he pitched to a 4.13 ERA in Class-A Kannapolis.

In 2024, the White Sox started to get the picture that Pallette just wasn't made for the rotation. Through 24 games (12 starts) in High-A, Pallette pitched to a 4.95 ERA.

It was then that Chicago realized that Pallette would be better off as a reliever with his stuff. Once promoted to Double-A, he pitched to a 1.80 ERA in eight games as a relief arm. He was then considered to be one of Chicago's Top 30 prospects and someone who figured to be a part of the future bullpen.

During the 2025 season, he had a 4.06 ERA in 52 games (64.1 innings) between Double-A and a hitter-friendly Triple-A stint.

So, what does he bring to this current version of the White Sox?

With Cleveland, Pallette showed he had solid stuff, but struggled to control it. His 16.5% walk rate was in the third percentile, per Baseball Savant. He also didn't induce as many swings and misses or soft contact. His Hard-Hit rate was 42.9%, placing him in the 26th percentile.

While his results weren't fantastic in his first go-around, Pallette figures to be an important depth piece in the minors. As a right-handed pitcher with a lively fastball, Pallette has a lot of value and could contribute at some point in 2026 with the White Sox. If one thing is for sure, he now at least has the major league experience!