Shane Smith pitching out of the bullpen in AAA

Smith began the season as the White Sox’s Opening Day starter and was demoted to Triple-A after only three starts. He then suffered a rotator cuff strain at the end of April and has been sidelined ever since. While a return to the Triple-A rotation doesn’t mean he’s close to a big league return, getting the 26-year-old healthy and effective would be a big win for the White Sox as they enter the playoff race.

A miserable season for Smith goes from bad to worse as he’ll now hit the injured list at Triple-A Charlotte. At this rate, there’s no guarantee that we see him back with the White Sox in 2026.

Two scoreless innings is nice, as is allowing just one hit; however, Smith threw only 24 of his 48 pitches for strikes, and command continues to be a real issue for him. The 26-year-old was a great story last year after the White Sox snagged him in the Rule 5 draft, but there’s a chance he may fit best in the bullpen, where he had originally been with Milwaukee.

Pretty shocking to option your Opening Day starter after three starts, but Smith has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) on 12 hits in 8 1/3 innings this year with an 11/9 K/BB ratio. White Sox manager Will Venable said the move was made to allow Smith to work on command, particularly of his four-seamer, while pitching in an lower-stakes environment: “As he continues to work through the things that he needs to do to get there, we can’t have that happen here where it comes with the cost of wins, at the cost of our bullpen. Give him a chance to go down to Charlotte with a very clear, structured plan and really get back to dominating with the four-seam fastball. It’s what we’ve seen from him and part of his superpower, what makes him great. That will be the focus for him.” Smith should not be on fantasy rosters.

According to Baseball-Reference’s Player Rater, this is the fourth outing of all-time to conclude with at least eight strikeouts and five walks in fewer than four innings. In the other three of those (Bob Veale in 1965, Ryan Dempster in 1999 and Rich Harden in 2010), the pitcher allowed three or four runs, but Smith managed to keep the Orioles scoreless. Just five of his 99 pitches were put into play today and only a 108-mph grounder from Samuel Basallo turned into a hit. Smith lowered his ERA from 19.29 to 10.80, but the White Sox surely wanted more than 11 outs from him. His rotation spot will be in some jeopardy if he doesn’t put together a quality showing against the Royals this weekend.

This couldn’t be going any more differently than last year. In 2025, Smith allowed 12 runs over his first eight outings, giving him a 2.08 ERA. This year, he’s allowed 12 runs in two starts and has a 19.29 ERA. The White Sox probably won’t need a big excuse to send Smith down for a bit after he collected a full year of service time as a Rule 5 pick last season; just giving him three weeks to work things out in Triple-A would push his free agency back by a year. We’re probably not there yet, but one more bad outing might be sufficient. He’s slated to face the Orioles next Wednesday.

That’s more runs than he allowed in any of his first eight starts as one of the league’s most pleasant surprises early last year. Smith was able to pitch around a leadoff double in the first, but he couldn’t find his way out of the second. After Jake Bauers struck out to start the frame, batters reached on a walk, a catcher interference, another walk and a blooper just over the second baseman’s head. Smith rebounded to strike out Brice Turang, who had the double in the first, but William Contreras followed with a three-run double in a grounder down the third base line, ending Smith’s day. Smith, who doesn’t come recommended in mixed leagues, will likely face the Marlins on Wednesday.

Smith also issued three free passes on the afternoon while punching out five opposing hitters. All of the damage done against him came in the opening inning as Smith hit the first two batters he faced and then walked Nolan Schanuel to load the bases. Josh Lowe then delivered a one-out single and two runs scored against the bullpen after Smith reached his pitch count and exited. He then returned and worked three scoreless innings to end his day. Let’s hope that he has better command his next time out when he takes on the Brewers on Thursday for his Opening Day assignment.

Smith’s selection makes it five consecutive years with a different Opening Day starter for the White Sox as they continue their perpetual rebuilding process. The 25-year-old righty was excellent as a rookie last year, posting a strong 3.81 ERA — 3.98 xERA — and 145/58 K/BB ratio across 146 1/3 innings over 29 starts. He’s a decent back-end rotation filler for fantasy purposes, even if Chicago’s supporting cast is unlikely to supply a ton of wins.

Smith, 25, allowed two hits, one walk and struck out a pair. The 25-year-old was one of the better rookie starters in 2025 with a 3.81 ERA and 145/58 K/BB ratio over his 146 1/3 innings, and he’s one of the very few White Sox who offer any kind of fantasy upside in 2026.