As Opening Day looms in less than three weeks, the Chicago White Sox have gotten updates on relievers John Brebbia and Corey Knebel.
First, on Brebbia, the news is positive. This comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal and links to the original report (subscription required):
Brebbia (calf) threw a successful bullpen session Thursday and is on track to be on the roster for Opening Day, Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
ANALYSIS
Brebbia strained his calf Feb. 22 and Thursday's activity was his first intensive throwing session since. He felt good afterward and is expected to be ready to contribute to start the regular season. The hierarchy of the White Sox's bullpen is currently unclear, though Brebbia is a potential candidate for saves.
The 33-year-old has appeared in the majors in six separate seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. He's been mostly a reliever, but did make 21 starts for the Giants over the last two years. He made an MLB-high 76 total appearances in 2022 and appeared in 40 games in 2023 with a 3.99 ERA.
Lifetime, he's 15-15 with a 3.42 ERA. He signed a one-year deal this offseason worth $5.5 million.
On Knebel, the outlook isn't as solid and he is likely headed for the injured list at the start of the year.
Per MLB.com:
Corey Knebel doesn’t look destined for the 2024 White Sox Opening Day roster, as the right-handed reliever works his way back from right shoulder surgery sidelining him for the entire 2023 campaign.
Knebel, 32, last pitched for the Phillies on Aug. 14, 2022, but was shut down with a right shoulder capsule tear. He agreed to a Minor League contract with the White Sox with a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
He has played parts of eight years in the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Phillies.
Prior to injuries, he had a good run with the Brewers, appearing in 76 games in 2017 and making the All-Star Game. He saved 39 games that season.
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