White Sox call up David Sandlin for likely major-league debut

David Sandlin’s hot Triple-A run forced the White Sox to act, turning a promising arm into an immediate answer for a rotation that needed help. Chicago recalled the 25-year-old right-hander from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, placed left-hander Noah Schultz on the 15-day injured list with right knee patellar tendinitis, and lined Sandlin up to start Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field.

The move carried real weight because Sandlin was not just filling a roster spot. He had punched out 17 hitters in 12 innings after returning from injury, posted a 0.75 ERA in that stretch and held opponents in check while Chicago navigated a stretch of 13 straight games without a day off. The White Sox expected him to work around 70 to 75 pitches in his first big-league outing, a sign that the club needed useful innings immediately as much as long-term upside. Sandlin already was on the 40-man roster, which made the promotion even cleaner once the White Sox decided his arm was ready.

Sandlin said the moment had not fully sunk in yet. His debut felt “surreal,” he said, and he added that it still had not fully hit him. Manager Will Venable echoed that confidence, saying Sandlin has been pitching really well and that he was excited about him. For a White Sox club short on established rotation answers, that combination of performance and poise made the timing of the call-up hard to ignore.

The path here has been anything but ordinary. Sandlin grew up in Owasso, Oklahoma, and was a 5-foot-8 pitcher before a late growth spurt pushed him to 6-foot-4 ahead of his senior year of high school. He spent three years on junior varsity before moving on to Eastern Oklahoma State College, then transferred to Oklahoma and helped the Sooners reach the 2022 College World Series finals. Kansas City drafted him in the 11th round in 2022, Boston acquired him in 2024, and the Red Sox sent him to Chicago in February along with Jordan Hicks, two players to be named later and cash for Gage Ziehl.

At the time of that trade, general manager Chris Getz said Sandlin could impact the White Sox starting rotation and described his stuff as mid-rotation caliber. Sandlin’s 2026 season was delayed by back and forearm soreness, but he returned to make his season debut for High-A Winston-Salem on April 21 and worked to a 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 innings before the bump to Charlotte and then Chicago. Entering the call-up, he owned a 13-12 minor-league record with a 4.13 ERA in 248.1 innings over 71 games. Whether he settles in as a long-term rotation piece or a short-term starter, the White Sox finally gave him the shot his Triple-A form demanded.