The White Sox on Wednesday announced that pitcher Mike Clevinger has been designated for assignment.
Steven Wilson had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte. He takes Clevinger's place in the Sox bullpen.
Clevinger is a classic case of the Sox holding onto a player much too long -- about two years too long in this case. The right-hander joined the Sox on a one-year deal in 2023 and was arguably their best starting pitcher that year. He posted a 3.2 WAR season and went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA on a 101-loss team.
The Sox should have been happy with that and not pushed their luck. Instead, in the spring of 2024, Clevinger remained unsigned into April -- perhaps due to his injury history and off-field issues. Of course, the Sox just couldn't quit him and signed him to another one-year deal.
It was a disaster.
Clevinger went 0-3 in just four starts. He was sidelined by elbow inflammation, and then eventually had disc replacement surgery on his neck that ended his season.
The signs were there to move on, but the Sox brought Clevinger back again in 2025 -- this time believing his stuff would "play up" in the bullpen.
Wrong.
Clevinger has appeared in eight games this season, going 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in 5.2 innings. He's walked eight guys and struck out only three.
Even setting aside the off-field issues, it's clear Clevinger cannot pitch at this level any longer. The only thing he can get over the plate is a 92 mph fastball, and opposing batters have been hitting lasers all over the field.
The Sox have finally cut the cord. Is it a permanent parting of ways? We can only hope.
Quero gets call from Charlotte
The White Sox are promoting 22-year-old catcher Edgar Quero from Triple-A Charlotte, according to reports. A corresponding roster move is expected Thursday.
Quero is batting .333/.444/.412 over 15 games with the Knights this season. Earlier this week, he was on our list of players who could potentially be summoned from Triple-A.
The Sox (4-13) lost again Wednesday night, 3-1 to the Sacramento Athletics. Once again, a lack of offense was the problem. Certainly, it's not going to harm anything to give a chance to a young player who has a history of getting on base.
Right now, watching the Sox offense could put you to sleep. Anyone who can provide a spark would be welcome.