2025 is not exactly treating the Chicago White Sox very much better.
The White Sox announced on Saturday that pitcher Drew Thorpe is set to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2025 season as a result. Dr. Keith Meister is set to perform the surgery on Thorpe, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Thorpe, a 24-year-old righty, was a centerpiece of the trade package that Chicago received from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Dylan Cease last year. Prior to that, Thorpe was also involved in another major blockbuster when the Padres acquired him from the New York Yankees as part of the 2023 Juan Soto trade.
The former second-round draft pick Thorpe debuted for the White Sox last season and went 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA in nine total starts. Though Thorpe still has plenty to work through at the big-league level, the tools are there for him as he posted 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings in college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and went a remarkable 21-3 with a 2.35 ERA over his two seasons in the minors before getting called up.
Thorpe was expected to compete for a regular spot in the rotation this season. But now Chicago, coming off their agonizing 41-121 season in 2024, will be without Thorpe for all of 2025 and likely some of 2026 as well.
The White Sox did add a couple of noteworthy pitchers in free agency this offseason. Without a true ace though and with their back-end depth now taking a hit too, Chicago will probably be giving up a lot (more) of runs this season.
