The White Sox will likely be busy at the trade deadline, as they could really use a few more quality arms for a playoff push. However, the White Sox have a few intriguing arms currently in AAA that could help out the big league club. It may be advantageous for the White Sox to see what some of these players can do at the major league level before trading away any assets.
Mason Adams may be the most intriguing of the arms with the Charlotte Knights, as he is currently the White Sox 11th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
Adams was a 13th round pick in the 2022 draft and pitched very well in his first minor league season in 2023, as he had a 3.14 ERA over 109 innings. However, 2024 was the season that put Adams on the map, as he was elite with the Birmingham Barons. In 103 innings with the Barons, he had a 2.44 ERA with 101 strikeouts and just 19 walks. He also had a phenomenal 1.05 WHIP and he was a quality start machine.
He earned consideration to be called up at some point, but he suffered an injury right as he was promoted to Charlotte in 2024. Unfortunately, Adams then needed Tommy John surgery, ending his 2025 season.
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Now, Adams has returned from Tommy John surgery and has been on an absolute tear in his rehab starts. After 11 innings of 2.50 ERA baseball with the Winston-Salem Dash, the White Sox finally returned him to the Charlotte Knights, where he last played minor league baseball before getting injured.
Typically, a player struggles after returning from Tommy John surgery. That hasn’t been the case for Adams, as he has been outstanding. Over 14 innings with the Knights, he has posted a 1.93 ERA, a .93 WHIP, and hitters are only hitting .208 against him. He has 16 strikeouts and has only walked three. That is a phenomenal ratio for somebody coming off a major arm surgery.
Mason Adams pulled after 5 innings and 66 pitches.
His final line: 5 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts.
His best pitch, his sweeper, was again his most effective tonight. He threw 24 of them, averaging 85.9 mph, with 4 called strikes and 4 whiffs.
He also got 5… pic.twitter.com/ghAhQIQ9pJ
— jeff cohen (@TripleAJeff) June 25, 2026
Now, as the White Sox look to build him back up, he could soon be on his way to Chicago. The White Sox could use another consistent starting pitcher and Adams could fit that bill. At this rate, it is only a matter of time before Adams gets a well deserved promotion to the major leagues, as he has been a great pitcher both before and after his surgery.
It’s unclear the exact timeline of when he would be called up to Chicago, or the circumstances surrounding his call up, but in the next few weeks, if Adams continues to dominate, the White Sox may be forced to promote him and figure it all out. Adams profiles best as a starting pitcher, so if anyone struggles over the next few weeks, Adams could take their spot. Since Adams is not on the 40-man roster, a corresponding move will need to be made, but getting Adams to Chicago is worth potentially losing any player he replaces.
