Going into the 2026 season, people were a little bit concerned about the White Sox pitching staff. There were question marks in the rotation and the last few spots in the bullpen were unproven. That hasn’t been the case so far, as the White Sox have gotten solid production out of most of their pitchers in the starting rotation and in the bullpen.
However, there are still a few players in the bullpen that likely won’t be long-term solutions. While you always need players to come into the game when it’s out of reach, the White Sox may be better suited giving that to players that haven’t gotten a chance to prove themselves in the major leagues.
One player that deserves a chance to prove himself in the major leagues is Ben Peoples, a relief pitcher currently pitching for the Charlotte Knights.
Peoples was acquired last season in the trade deadline deal that sent Adrian Houser to the Tampa Bay Rays. That deal also included Curtis Mead and Duncan Davitt heading to Chicago. Peoples seemed to be the underrated player in this deal, as the media focused on Mead as the main part of the return.
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However, Peoples may turn out to be the most productive member of that trade for the White Sox, as he has been absolutely lights out for the Knights this season.
In 25 innings, Peoples has 30 strikeouts and a pristine 1.40 ERA. He also owns a very solid 1.17 WHIP and has held hitters to a .180 batting average against. He also has three saves in four opportunities.
Ben Peoples with a K for his first Save. #Knights win 5-3. pic.twitter.com/8AWM2ocmUK
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) May 6, 2026
This is a pretty good start, and even more impressive considering he was pretty successful with the Rays AAA team last season. He struggled after the trade with the Knights, but he has clearly fixed that this season.
Peoples is now 25 years old and has yet to make his major league debut. The White Sox should call him up soon, as he could take the spot of one of the last few guys in the bullpen. At a certain point, the White Sox need to see what some of these players can do, and now is the perfect time to do it. There are a few players in the White Sox bullpen that have a very elevated ERA, so it’s not like the White Sox would be sending down someone making a positive impact.
Currently, Trevor Richards has a 6.92 ERA, Brandon Eisert has a 5 ERA, and Jordan Leasure has a 6.27 ERA. If Peoples was to take one of their spots, he would probably improve the ‘pen at this point. This should be a move that the White Sox make immediately, as they are currently trending towards a playoff spot.
The back-end of the bullpen is pretty much set in stone right now, but Peoples could get some work in lower leverage situations. This would allow him to get acclimated to the major leagues and allow the White Sox to evaluate what he can do at the major league level.
