Our Thursday roundup looks at Chicago’s roster cuts, rising stars, and ownership moves

Roster update

The South Siders have begun the process of refining their roster ahead of the 2025 season, making five moves that will see several pitching prospects continue their development in the minor leagues. The team announced the following adjustments before their Spring Training game against the San Francisco Giants this afternoon.

Triple-A bound:

• LHP Jake Eder: the southpaw who came over in the Jake Burger swap will head to Class AAA Charlotte after three rough spring outings.
• RHP Jairo Iriarte: the righthander who came over in the Dylan Cease trade, will join Eder in Charlotte.

Double-A assignment:

• RHP Wikelman González: the 22-year-old who came over in the Garrett Crochet deal, will continue his development with the Birmingham Barons.

Minor league camp reassignments:

• LHP Noah Schultz: the highly touted No. 1 prospect has been reassigned to minor league camp.
• LHP Hagen Smith: the No. 3 prospect will also continue his development in minor league camp.

These moves represent a natural stage in Spring Training, where teams evaluate talent and strategically place players to maximize their growth. For Eder and Iriarte, the move to Charlotte provides an opportunity to refine their skills at the highest level of the minor leagues, just one step away from the major leagues, ready and waiting for the call-up. Gonzalez’s assignment to Birmingham allows him to gain valuable experience at the Double-A level.

The reassignments of Schultz and Smith to minor league camp indicate that the organization wants them to have more focused development. These young pitchers are considered an essential part of the club’s future, and the team is not rushing them and seems to be making sure to set them up for success.

With these five moves, the White Sox’s Spring Training roster now stands at 66 players, broken down as follows: 31 pitchers, six catchers, 18 infielders, and 11 outfielders.

The team will continue to evaluate its remaining players as they prepare for the start of the regular season. With Opening Day right around the corner, future roster moves will likely happen quickly over the next few weeks.

Spring Breakout: A Showcase of Future Stars

It’s an exciting time for Sox fans as Spring Training progresses, especially with the second annual Spring Breakout games on the horizon. Even though the big league club looks destined for another 100-loss season, there is reason for optimism surrounding the club’s young prospects.

The Spring Breakout is a relatively new initiative by Major League Baseball designed to give fans a glimpse of their favorite team’s top prospects. It involves games played between teams of each organization’s top Minor League talent, coinciding with Spring Training. This provides a fantastic opportunity for these young players to gain experience and exposure and for fans to see the future of their franchises.

The White Sox roster shapes up as follows:

All six of Chicago’s top 100 MLB Pipeline prospects will be on display as they face the Colorado Rockies’ rising stars in the Spring Breakout game. Tune in to CHSN on Sunday, March 16, at 5:05 p.m. CT to watch the action.

Justin Ishbia secures significant share increase in Chicago White Sox (reported)

Justin Ishbia, a private equity billionaire and co-owner of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, has reportedly secured agreements from a substantial portion of the Chicago White Sox’s limited partners to purchase their shares, according to CHGO’s Sean Anderson. This development follows earlier reports by The Athletic that Ishbia shifted his focus to increasing his White Sox stake after withdrawing a bid to acquire the Minnesota Twins.

The offer to limited partners, which reportedly included a February 28 deadline and a guarantee against share dilution for those who declined, has resulted in a significant consolidation of ownership under Ishbia.

The sale is now subject to approval by Major League Baseball, and there appears to be no timeline for when that could occur. While the exact percentage of Ishbia’s new ownership stake remains undisclosed, he and his brother, Mat, initially acquired a “mid-single-digit percentage” of the team in 2021, as reported by Sportico.

This move positions Ishbia as a key figure in the team’s future ownership structure. While current Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf remains in control, Ishbia’s growing stake suggests he is poised to play a pivotal role when and if the Reinsdorf family eventually decides to “sell the team!”