This Spring Training is a bit different from the last few years, as there is a bit more set in stone on the 26-man roster. However, there are certainly still some key positional battles. For the first time in what seems like a very long time, there aren’t roster battles at practically every position, as the White Sox likely have their starting lineup locked up. However, there are still a few backup spots in the infield and outfield up for grabs, as well as a few spots in the bullpen.
As we get closer to the regular season, we will look at each fringe roster player and their chances to make the team out of Spring Training. The next player we will take a look at is Ryan Borucki, a left-handed relief pitcher. Borucki was signed as a minor league free agent earlier in the offseason and received an invitation to Spring Training.
This is a nice situation for Borucki, as he is from the Chicagoland area, so he gets an opportunity to play for his hometown team. Although the White Sox have most of their bullpen set in stone, there is a chance that Borucki makes the team out of Spring Training. The White Sox will likely need a few lefties in their pen and the only one that is guaranteed to make the team is newcomer Sean Newcomb.
Borucki has spent parts of eight seasons in the majors, as he has 256 major league innings under his belt. He owns a career 4.28 ERA and a solid career WHIP of 1.291.
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Borucki’s most successful season came with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023, where he threw 40 innings of 2.45 ERA baseball. That season he had an elite .700 WHIP, and struck out 33 batters in those innings. That WHIP is absolutely phenomenal, and if he could re-create that for the White Sox, that would be huge.
Outside of that, he had a pretty good season with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018, as he threw 97 innings of 3.87 ERA baseball. This came in the starting rotation, as he started 17 games that year. At this point in his career, he is mainly a reliever.
Borucki got in a little bit of major league action last year, as he split time between the Blue Jays and the Pirates. In 35 innings, he had a 4.63 ERA. He had a slightly elevated 1.286 WHIP, but he struck out eight batters per nine innings, which is pretty solid. So far in the Spring, Borucki has two scoreless appearances with three strikeouts.
Ryan Borucki opens the 6th with a K. pic.twitter.com/3C08H4cnV2
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) February 22, 2026
If Borucki can continue to showcase his swing and miss stuff in Spring Training, he could have a real chance to break camp with the team. However, there are quite a few lefties fighting for a spot, as Tyler Gilbert and Brandon Eisert are two that put in quite a few innings for the White Sox last year.
At this point, I’d give it about a 45% chance that Borucki is able to make the team. His performance so far in the Spring is an encouraging sign, but he will need to continue to pitch like that if he wants to make the team.
