Noah Schultz sharp for five against Rays

A high-profile misstep by manager Will Venable led to Schultz’s early exit after just 23 pitches on Friday evening. The 23-year-old top prospect has struggled to work deep into games since arriving in the big leagues back in mid-April, posting an inflated 6.06 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 59/31 K/BB ratio across 65 1/3 innings of work. The talent is there for Schultz to make the leap to impact fantasy contributor status, but it’s highly unlikely to happen in the final two months based on his recent results.

Noah Schultz and David Sandlin will both be sent down. This is more about having fresh arms available than anything to do with performance, but Smith and McDougal are among the team’s best prospects. Smith, the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft, was moved to the bullpen at Triple-A Charlotte earlier this month and has since pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in five appearances.

Not appearing to realize the consequences of his actions, manager Will Venable came out one batter after pitching coach Zach Bove did with the White Sox down 2-0 on the first. That means Schultz had to exit, and David Sandlin, who wasn’t previously warming up, entered the game. It’d be a bad look regardless, but this was pretty incredible timing for such a misstep, given that the White Sox used their entire bullpen in losing in 13 innings Thursday.

Schultz gave up two hits, walked two and struck out five. The 22-year-old left-hander kept the Yankees off the scoreboard for three innings. In the fourth inning, the first three batters reached before Schultz got Anthony Volpe to ground out. Schultz was removed at that point and both of his runners that were inherited by the bullpen scored. Schultz has completed five innings only three times in his last nine starts. He has a 6.15 ERA and a 5.13 xFIP in 60 innings. Schultz is lined up to face the Rays on the road on Saturday, but could be the odd man out of the rotation if the White Sox trade for a starting pitcher before the deadline.

Schultz has had just one decent start in four turns since coming off the IL and that was against an A’s team that doesn’t score on the road. He has a 6.04 ERA and a 49/29 K/BB ratio in 56 2/3 innings overall. He’ll probably face the Yankees on Monday, but he’s in line to be replaced in the White Sox add a starter before the deadline.

Schultz didn’t give up another run after allowing a solo homer to Shea Langeliers in the first. The 22-year-old had easily his best start since being activated off the injured list, and it’s a very positive development for the surprising White Sox as Schultz will need to be better for them to be true playoff contenders. Expect him to get the ball at some point next weekend after the break.

Andruw Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela homered off him in a three-run second. Schultz gave up five other hits and walked three before departing. He’s been ineffective in both starts since coming off the IL, leaving him 2-5 with a 6.00 ERA overall, but he’ll probably retain his spot for now and face the A’s on Sunday.

Schultz struck out seven and looked fantastic through four innings, but things unraveled in the fifth, and multiple inherited runners scored. This was the rookie’s first start since May 24 as he missed over a month due to a knee injury. Walks remain a problem for the left-hander, and he’ll look for better results next time out against the Red Sox.

Schultz will take the mound on Wednesday against the Orioles. His last rehab outing was 74 pitches, so we should expect to see a pitch count somewhere in the mid-80s in this one. The 22-year-old has plenty of strikeout upside, but has also battled some command issues throughout the season, so that pitch count may not allow him to complete five innings and be qualified for the win. We have no problem adding him if he was dropped in your league, but we may not start him right off the IL.

It’s not official, but it seems highly likely that Schultz will return to take the ball later this week. The 22-year-old top pitching prospect threw 74 pitches and struck out seven over 4 2/3 innings during his latest minor league rehab start for Triple-A Charlotte last Friday. The towering 22-year-old southpaw offers enough strikeout upside that he’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper fantasy formats. It’s a tough matchup against a strong Baltimore lineup, but he’s a name to watch closely in all fantasy formats based on his immense raw talent.