White Sox reliever's lost season ends with shoulder surgery

Jimmy Lambert’s lost 2024 season has officially ended, as the White Sox announced that the right-hander underwent shoulder surgery earlier this week.  The exact nature of the surgery and a timeline aren’t yet known, so it is possible Lambert could face another extended recovery period that stretches beyond Opening Day 2025.

Lambert suffered a right rotator cuff strain in March and began the season on the 60-day injured list. He started a rehab assignment in July but was shut down again after pitching in two Arizona Complex League games.  Since an arthroscopic ankle surgery also cut Lambert’s previous season short, he hasn’t pitched in a big league game since Sept. 3, 2023.

A fifth-round pick for the White Sox in the 2018 draft, Lambert made his MLB debut in 2020 and has compiled a 4.33 ERA over his 99 2/3 career innings in the Show.  It seemed like Lambert had found a niche for himself with a solid season out of Chicago’s bullpen in 2022, but he ran into renewed problems with the home run ball last year, contributing to a 5.26 ERA in 37 2/3 frames in 2023.  Walks have also been a consistent issue for Lambert in the majors, as per his career 11.3% walk rate.

Spending the entire season on the Major League injured list has banked Lambert a full year of MLB service time, making him eligible for salary arbitration this coming offseason. That isn’t much consolation since it makes it more likely that the White Sox will just non-tender Lambert, or they could work out a low-cost new contract to keep him in the organization while he recovers from surgery.