As pitchers and catchers pack their bags for Arizona, there are a few White Sox updates to cover before camp fully gets underway.
RHP Jairo Iriarte, C Drew Romo clear waivers
MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reported on Friday that RHP Jairo Iriarte and catcher Drew Romo have cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte. Both will receive non-roster invites to Spring Training, per the team.
Romo, 24, is a former first-round pick by the Rockies in 2022. His name has appeared on some top-100 prospect lists over the years, but so far, he has just 19 Major League games to his name. All of those came in Colorado, where he slashed just .167/.196/.222 with a 37.5% strikeout rate over 54 at-bats. He will undoubtedly serve as catching depth behind the trio of Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, and Korey Lee as he works to hone in his offensive game.
As for Iriarte, the right-hander was acquired from the Padres as part of the return for Dylan Cease. He made his debut with the Sox in 2024, posting a 1.50 ERA in six innings of work. The 24-year-old struggled in Charlotte last season, as a 16.7% walk rate helped lead to a 7.24 ERA over 46 innings. His return to the organization as non-roster depth means he’ll be stored in Triple-A to start the year, where he’ll try to regain his command and earn another shot in Chicago.
Austin Hays formally introduced on Thursday
Outfielder Austin Hays met the media on Thursday and expressed his excitement for the chance to play in Chicago.
“Going back into free agency, I really wanted to go somewhere where I would have an opportunity to … play every day, get back to being able to play both sides of the ball, play defense every day as well. And there’s a tremendous opportunity with Chicago to be able to do that. I got a lot to give, and I’m going to be able to give that here with this team… It’s a young, exciting team.”
The White Sox officially announced their one-year deal with Hays a day earlier. Under terms of the agreement, he is set to make $5 million in 2026, with an $8-million mutual option for 2027 or a $1-million buyout. Getz plans for Hays to play nearly every day in a corner outfield role, providing stability and a veteran presence after the Luis Robert Jr. trade.
More from Hays’ introductory presser can be found here.
Andrew Benintendi drawing minimal trade interest
For those who might have been hoping for the White Sox to move on from Andrew Benintendi, don’t hold your breath.
Before Hays’ introduction, Getz touched on multiple other topics, including the left fielder’s future heading into 2026.
“We still really like Benintendi, the left-handed bat. He’s hit 20-plus home runs the last two years, and he’s a guy that you feel good about in the lineup. What has held him back are his legs and being able to cover ground like he used to. So I know he feels good athletically right now, and, you know, that’s going to be what really dictates the amount of outfield play that he’ll get.”
“You know, in regards to interest from other clubs, we haven’t had too many conversations about Andrew. So we anticipate he’s going to be on this club come opening day, and we still like it when he shows up in the box.”
Benintendi, 31, slashed .240/.307/.431 in 2025 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs over 116 games. He tied his career high in homers while posting a 103 wRC+, his best since joining the White Sox. Though his offensive production was a slight step forward, Benny’s defense lagged, echoing Getz’s point about Benny’s injury history limiting him since coming to Chicago. The left fielder was graded below average in both Outs Above Average and arm value, areas that likely won’t improve much moving forward.
Getz sheds light on Lenyn Sosa‘s role
When asked about Lenyn Sosa‘s role in 2026, Getz mentioned there is a “bit of redundancy with the right-handed corner bats.” That doesn’t seem like it will stop Sosa from having opportunities around the diamond if he sticks around.
“He obviously has played a fair amount of second base. There’s going to be some some opportunities still to play there, some first base and some DH. He’s a player that we like having in the lineup, but our roster has improved and I still think that there’s going to be a lot of at-bats for Lenyn.
“I would say it’s a good problem to have with a quality bat like that. Perhaps there are times that are difficult to get into the lineup, but we know what he brings to the table offensively. We need to get him more comfortable at first base, continue improving at second base there. So there is some level of versatility that is in his game and needs to remain for him to get the consistent at bats that we would like him to have just because of the power output that he brings.”
Sosa, 26, broke out offensively in 2025 while emerging as one of the team’s more reliable everyday players. He slashed .264/.293/.434 with 22 home runs and 75 RBIs over 140 games, setting career highs across the board thanks to the increased playing time. While the production at the plate was a clear improvement, his overall value was capped by well below-average fielding and baserunning metrics, at times making his mistakes feel like they outweighed any positives. As a result, Sosa could be a name to monitor in trade talks if the White Sox were to make him available. He likely won’t yield a significant return, but it could help solve some of the “redundancy” Getz mentioned.
John Schriffen on offseason, excitement for 2026
Play-by-play broadcaster John Schriffen graciously took the time to chat with our team at SoxFest Live this past weekend.
The third-year broadcaster touched on his offseason, which included everything from calling college basketball games to training for a triathlon. He also expressed his excitement for the upcoming season and discussed the emerging young core.
“I mean, you guys saw it for me from my first year to my second year, there’s a big difference in just learning the rhythm of a full Major League Baseball season. And I think that’s the thing I’m looking forward to, just seeing these guys, what they’re going to go through in a full year.”
To read our full conversation with Schriffen, click here.
Mike Vasil to fight for rotation spot in camp
Right-hander Mike Vasil recently told Rob Bradford and Courtney Finnicum of the Baseball Isn’t Boring Podcast that he will be fighting for a spot in the starting rotation as he enters camp.
“I talked to Will and Zach Bove, our new pitching. I know I’m going to be going into camp as a starter, competing for a starting role. They told me that, which I think is a great opportunity. Will [Venable] let me know. He said, ‘I think you kind of earned the opportunity to do this, and you threw a lot of innings.’ But he said on the phone, he’s like, ‘I want you to be a guy that just pitches a lot anyway, just a pitch a lot guy.'”
When asked about Vasil during the Thursday media session, Getz echoed a similar sentiment by saying they’ll be “open-minded” about his role throughout Spring Training.
“He’s building himself up to to be in a multi-inning role. If we were to wanting to extend him even further, we have those capabilities, so he’ll come in being able to to pitch more than one inning. He did that in the bullpen last year, he took a couple starts as well. So we’re still kind of open minded on that.”
It is nice now that the Rule 5 handcuffs are off, so that allows us to be perhaps a little bit more creative with him … We’re at this point, he’s going to go in and compete for different roles and it could be starting, but it also could be out of the pen.
Alexei Ramirez to play for Team Cuba in WBC
Rosters for the World Baseball Classic were made official on Thursday evening, and the White Sox were well represented. The most notable of the participating names was former shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who made Team Cuba’s final roster after appearing on the preliminary one in December.
Ramirez was a member of the inaugural World Baseball Classic as a 24-year-old in 2006. Now, he will be celebrating the 20th anniversary in unprecedented fashion as the oldest player in this year’s tournament.
And yes, Fanatics has jerseys available for purchase.
5 White Sox players participating in WBC
In addition to Alexei, the White Sox will have five of their current players participating in the World Baseball Classic. They are as follows:
- Kyle Teel (Team Italy)
- Sam Antonacci (Team Italy)
- Munetaka Murakami (Team Japan)
- Seranthony Dominguez
- Curtis Mead (Team Australia)
Several others with ties to the organization are also competing. For the latest list, check out our WBC tracker here.
Billy Carlson & Jaden Fauske training in Arizona
Let’s close out this update with a look at last year’s draft picks.
First-rounder Billy Carlson and second-rounder Jaden Fauske are both already working out in Glendale. The White Sox highlighted the duo in a video posted on Thursday.
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Featured Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
