Hagen Smith Scheduled To Pitch In First Game Since May 10

The Double-A Birmingham Barons list Hagen Smith as the probable starter for Saturday's game at 7 p.m. ET against the Knoxville Smokies.

That would mark Smith's first game action since May 10, when he pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts, two walks and zero hits for the Barons. The 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher is the No. 3 prospect in the White Sox organization and No. 26 in the MLB Pipeline.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz confirmed Monday in Chicago that Smith hasn't pitched in a game in about six weeks due to a mix of injuries and biomechanics work.

"There was some soreness, and we wanted to alleviate that. Some of it was delivery-related," Getz said. "So it was an opportunity to make some adjustments, and we feel we've accomplished that. The soreness is gone, and now it's just appropriately building him up so he can get out there and compete."

Smith, 21, spent some time at the team facility in Arizona before returning to Birmingham. Getz said on May 23 that Smith's velocity was fluctuating in his last outing, and that he had elbow soreness. However, there was nothing of concern after Smith underwent an MRI.

"We think it's related to his mechanics," Getz said on May 23. "We love the uptempo part of his delivery, but he's a guy that, on occasion, can rush out and forward. And he needs to stay back, he needs to stay over the rubber. That'll allow him to pound the strike zone more, less misses and put guys away. We're tackling that right now. We're thinking that's going to bode well for his overall health and production moving forward."

Getz said on June 6 that Smith spent time working with White Sox director of pitching Brian Bannister and pitching coordinator Matt Zaleski.

"It's been a tremendous opportunity to slow him down," Getz said. "We had him in major league camp, and he showed well. For any player who's getting into professional baseball, especially of his pedigree and his status, they want to get to the big leagues as quickly as they can. He was very effective in regards to swing and miss. It was just a matter of being in the zone more consistently, and the reason why he was outside the zone more often than he has been in the past is delivery-related. We broke down some things and compared it to where he's been in the past, whether it's been with us or in college, and we feel very good about where he's at. He's continuing his throwing program, and we expect him on a mound here shortly and back in games, hopefully, by the end of the month."

But after spending some time off, Smith was also able to pitch recently without any setbacks.

"He threw multiple ups the other day, feels great," Getz said Monday. "I don't know the exact date he'll be activated, but all signs are pointing in the right direction. He'll be back on the mound soon."

The White Sox have high hopes for the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Prior to taking time off, Smith posted a 2.10 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and 20 walks across seven starts spanning 25.2 innings.

Walks have been an issue at times, with four-plus walks in three of his seven starts at Double-A this season. But he also has rare swing-and-miss stuff, striking out at least six batters in four of his seven starts, including a season-high 10 in his 2025 debut.

Smith posted impressive numbers in his final season at the University of Arkansas in 2024. Across 16 starts and 84 innings, he struck out 161 batters while walking just 34 – good for a 2.04 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. After the college season was over, he wrapped up his 2024 campaign with 7.2 innings at Single-A Winston-Salem before being promoted to Double-A for the 2025 season.

White Sox director of pitching Brian Bannister shared more insight into Smith's 2025 season in a recent podcast with CHSN anchor Chuck Garfien, which can be seen below.