Chicago White Sox: One pitcher could benefit from getting optioned

The Chicago White Sox, up until last night’s drubbing, had been playing good baseball, playing .500 baseball in the past ten games (5-5). Last night’s 10-2 loss to the Houston Astros was only the White Sox’s second loss in their past six ball games.

The White Sox’s recent success can be attributed to their prospects, who are performing and showing that there will be good times ahead. Other White Sox prospects, like right-hander Sean Burke, started to make a name for himself last season and came into this year looking to replicate his success from last year in his handful of starts.

Burke has not performed to the level the Chicago White Sox would’ve hoped

Burke, a 25-year-old former third-round pick of the White Sox back in the 2021 MLB Draft, enters his first season as a big leaguer after appearing in four games (three starts) last season. So far in 14 games (12 starts), Burke has not been able to repeat his success from last year, when he had a 1.42 ERA. This season has seen Burke pitch to a 3-7 record, with a 4.71 ERA, and a 1.443 WHIP in 70.2 innings.

The White Sox had named Burke their Opening Day starter, winning the honor by pitching well during the spring and beating out the likes of Davis Martin, Martín Pérez, and Jonathan Cannon. Burke looked great in his first start, which came on March 27, with him pitching six scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels.

Burke’s first start would prove to be his only successful outing, as for the entire month of April, he would not collect a win, going 0-4, allowing 18 earned runs, and giving up seven home runs in 21.0 innings. May would be a bounce-back month for the University of Maryland product, where he went 2-2 and significantly cut back on allowing the long ball, allowing only two for the entire month.

However, it appears that the Burke who showed up in April is back again in June, as Burke is 0-1 with a 7.59 ERA, and his outing last night versus the Tigers was his worst, as he only lasted 3.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits. His advanced metrics aren’t even worth speaking about, as his Baseball Savant page is blue throughout, with the only red coming in the extension category, where he ranks in the 92nd percentile.

Burke could benefit from some time in Charlotte

The White Sox need pitching, particularly starting pitching, but having Burke be so hit or miss is not helping them, especially when there is some excitement surrounding the team. The White Sox have a solid group of young position players, with a few pitching prospects who could be top-tier starters in the game.

Burke does have decent upside, but he and the White Sox could benefit from him getting optioned down to Charlotte for a few starts so he can work on mechanical adjustments and get himself right. Jonathan Cannon is currently on the injured list, dealing with a lower back strain, and is slowly progressing, with Manager Will Venable saying he’s trending in the right direction, per MLB.com.

Cannon will likely require a rehab assignment since he’ll miss a good chunk of time and will need to get going again, but once back, someone will have to be optioned or designated for assignment, and Burke could be on that list to take a trip back down to the minor leagues.