Chicago White Sox To Promote Another Member Of Garrett Crochet Trade

The White Sox made a big move for the future in December, when they traded ace pitcher Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox for a prospect haul.

Two players invovled in that trade have already made their major league debuts – Chase Meidroth and Kyle Teel – and a third is coming soon. The White Sox are promoting pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez from Triple-A Charlotte, the team announced prior to Friday's game. The fourth member of that trade, Single-A outfielder Braden Montgomery, is ranked No. 4 among White sox prospects and No. 34 in the MLB Pipeline.

Gonzalez, 23, is a 6-foot, 220-pound right-handed pitcher who was promoted to Triple-A in May after opening the season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. He's ranked No. 15 among all White Sox prospects, per MLB Pipeline, and No. 6 among the team's pitching prospects.

He began the season as a starting pitcher in Double-A, allowing eight earned runs across four starts and 16.1 innings while walking 14 batters and striking out 21. Gonzalez moved to the bullpen when he joined the Charlotte Knights, and totaled 19.2 innings across 12 appearances. He was even better after the promotion, posting a 2.75 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with 15 walks and 18 strikeouts.

Prior to being traded, Gonzalez spent the 2024 season with the Red Sox Double-A affiliate. Making 19 starts and five relief appearances, he recorded a 4.73 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP with 46 walks and 92 strikeouts in 83.2 innings. The Red Sox signed Gonzalez in 2018 out of Venezuela.

Gonzalez did not throw more than 46 pitches or two innings in any appearance in Triple-A since May 1. So at least initially, it would make more sense to see him used out of the White Sox bullpen. But he also threw between 78 and 84 pitches in each of his four Double-A starts in April, and he has starting experience in previous seasons.

The White Sox starting rotation has been in flux for most of the season after injuries to Martin Perez and Jonathan Cannon. The team also placed starter Davis Martin and reliever Cam Booser on the injured list on Friday. So Gonzalez could be a candidate to start, if the team chooses to stretch him out.