Mike Vasil (elbow) starts throwing progression

Vasil was injured on March 14 and will soon have Tommy John surgery that will cost him all of 2026 and, most likely, the first part of 2027.

Vasil was injured during a strong performance this Saturday against the Dodgers, and, unfortunately, it was the worst-case scenario. The soon-to-be 26-year-old will spend the year rehabbing and hope to get another shot to compete for a roster spot in his age-27 season.

Unfortunately, on a day where Vasil was brilliant on the mound, his day ended on a low note as he was pulled due to elbow soreness in the fourth inning. Vasil lost his command and issued back-to-back walks to Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy, prompting a visit from the training staff. He’ll undergo additional evaluation and imaging to see what’s going on here. Look for the White Sox to provide an update on his status on Sunday.

Vasil is battling for one of the final spots in the rotation for Chicago after a very strong rookie campaign working out of the bullpen for the White Sox. This outing didn’t go particularly well, however, as he walked two and gave up three hits before exiting. Vasil is worth monitoring, but can be safely kept off rosters to open 2026.

The White Sox continue to employ a closer-by-committee approach in their bullpen. On Sunday, it was Grant Taylor working the seventh inning and Jordan Leasure handling the eighth — passing the baton to Vasil in the ninth. The 25-year-old right-hander made it look easy, getting Zach McKinstry on a bouncer to first, Jake Rogers on a called third strike and Parker Meadows on a ground out to second to end it. He now sports a 2.54 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 91 2/3 innings on the season while converting three of his first five save opportunities.

The White Sox kept lefty Cam Booser in the game to face Trent Grisham to begin the ninth, and Booser ended up walking him, making Vasil’s job more difficult. Vasil, though, retired Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger in order. Vasil, who often works multiple innings, had an extra 1.9 mph on his sinker knowing he’d go just an inning today, averaging 96.2 mph and topping out at 97.5 mph. He finishes a very busy August having pitched 21 innings in relief. The save was his first since June 29.

Vasil came into a 1-1 game in the fourth and allowed one of two inherited runners to score before getting the two outs he needed to finish the inning. He then kept the Phillies scoreless for another 3 1/3 innings to pick up his fifth win of the season. He should be in the mix for the rotation spot that opens up once Adrian Houser is traded. The White Sox might move Aaron Civale, too.

Apparently, Smith suffered the injury while pitching earlier this week in the MLB All-Star Game or at some point during the All-Star break. No word yet on the severity of the sprain, which will determine how much time he misses. Assuming it’s on the lower-end of the spectrum, Smith should make it back at some point in early August. The 25-year-old rookie has been a revelation this season for Chicago, wrapping up the first half with a strong 4.26 ERA and 81/37 K/BB ratio across 86 2/3 innings (18 starts) in his first taste of the majors. The most logical solution for the White Sox would involve stretching out either Tyler Alexander or Mike Vasil to fill Smith’s rotation spot for a couple turns.

Vasil entered with one out and the bases loaded in the top of the eighth with a three-run lead. He induced a ground ball double play to keep the Giants off the board and pitched a clean ninth to convert his second save of the season. Vasil had been starting (or at least in a bulk relief role) up until Jonathan Cannon returned from IL before this game, but it appears that he’ll return to more of a normal bullpen role.

The 25-year-old right-hander struck out one batter on the evening and did not issue a base on balls. Vasil took over after Jordan Leasure gave up a run in the first inning and he kept the Diamondbacks off the board until the seventh where he allowed a one-out single and a man to reach on an error before turning the ball over to the bullpen — and ultimately both runners came around to score. Vasil got just three swings and misses on 67 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 25 percent. He now sports a 2.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 39/27 K/BB ratio over 54 1/3 innings on the season. He’s likely to take the ball in a bulk role once again when the White Sox battle the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Tuesday.