The White Sox launched right-hander Corey Knebel earlier this week, as reported by Sox Machine’s James Fegan and different members of the crew’s beat. MLB.com’s profile web page for Knebel lists the transaction as an “elected free company,” which suggests that Knebel exercised an opt-out clause within the minor league contract he signed final winter.
Knebel suffered a capsule tear in his proper shoulder nearly two years in the past. After lacking the 2023 season fully, he returned to motion in June as a part of a rehab task with Chicago’s rookie league affiliate. After being formally activated from the IL in July, Knebel moved up the ranks to high-A after which to Triple-A. Knebel has a 5.91 ERA over 10 2/3 innings this season, although 5 of his seven earned runs had been surrendered in a single tough outing at high-A ball.
At Triple-A, Knebel had an ideal 0.00 ERA throughout 5 1/3 innings, with a 44.4% strikeout price and 11.1% stroll price. Regardless of that spectacular work within the small pattern dimension, it doesn’t appear that the White Sox meant to deliver Knebel as much as the majors. Whereas it might probably definitely be argued that the 27-85 White Sox (losers of 18 straight video games) want all the assistance they’ll get, it could seem that the crew is prioritizing innings for youthful pitchers the remainder of the best way, and thus Knebel seemingly selected to go elsewhere.
The 32-year-old Knebel final pitched within the majors in 2022, when he had a 3.43 ERA in 44 2/3 innings out of the Phillies’ bullpen. The shoulder capsule tear is the newest in a sequence of long-term accidents — he missed all of 2019 attributable to Tommy John surgical procedure, and a lat pressure restricted him to 25 2/3 innings as a member of the Dodgers in 2021.
Knebel has a 3.26 ERA in 306 2/3 innings over components of eight seasons within the bigs, highlighted by his 2017 All-Star season because the Brewers’ nearer. This observe report implies that he’ll seemingly catch on with one other crew on a minor league deal, and extra good numbers within the minors will give him a shot of constructing his MLB debut earlier than the 2024 season is out.
