The White Sox had a tough West Coast road trip, as they went 2-4 against the Seattle Mariners and the San Fransisco Giants. Despite that, the White Sox are still .500 and currently hold a Wild Card spot. This is quite impressive when you consider all the injuries they’ve dealt with to this point.
Now, the White Sox may get a boost, as there will be another exciting young player joining the roster. According to Ian Eskridge of Future Sox, the White Sox are expected to call up infielder Rikuu Nishida to join the team in Chicago tomorrow.
Sources are telling @FutureSox and @JustBB_Media UTL Rikuu Nishida is expected to join the White Sox in Chicago tomorrow for his debut. The 11th Rd. selection out of Oregon is carrying a .454 OBP and .849 OPS in AAA Charlotte.
— Ian Eskridge (@dailywhitesox) May 24, 2026
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This is an unexpected move, as there wasn’t much smoke about a potential promotion for Nishida in the near future. However, this is an extremely well deserved promotion for Nishida, as he has been very good this season for the Charlotte Knights.
In 33 games for the Knights, Nishida is hitting .347 with an elite .454 OBP. He’s added three doubles, one homerun, 10 RBIs, and nine stolen bases. He has also added 21 walks compared to 27 strikeouts, which is a pretty solid ratio.
Rikuu Nishida homers to right in his Triple-A debut 💣 pic.twitter.com/JzJczcavFP
— Pipeline to 35th (@PipelineTo35th) April 18, 2026
Nishida is 25 years old and was selected in the 11th round of the 2023 draft, which was Rick Hahn’s last draft as the White Sox general manager. Nishida was born in Japan, but played his college ball at Oregon. Since being drafted by the White Sox, all Nishida has done is be a very productive baseball player.
Overall in his 2.5 year minor league career, Nishida has hit .290 with a .410 OBP. He’s added 28 doubles, 11 triples, and two homeruns. He has stolen 110 bases and has walked 201 times compared to just 174 strikeouts. These are pretty good numbers, especially for someone who hasn’t gotten much prospect recognition around the league.
Nishida is never going to be a power hitter, but he can put the ball in play and make things happen with his speed. Putting him in the same lineup as Sam Antonacci and Chase Meidroth will make opposing teams hate the White Sox, as Nishida will be a guy that can get on base and give 110% effort on a daily basis.
At this point, it is unclear what the corresponding move will be to promote Nishida to the major leagues, but if I had to guess, it would be DFA’ing Luisangel Acuna. We will see tomorrow what the official move will be, but Sox fans should be excited to see what Nishida can add to the Southside.
