Jesse Chavez will not be a part of the White Sox bullpen. The White Sox announced on Saturday that they were releasing the veteran right-hander.
The White Sox initially signed Chavez to a minor-league deal in February. He was then added to the non-roster invitee list. Things didn’t go well for Chavez during camp. He appeared in seven games of Cactus League action, posting an 11.57 ERA. In seven innings of work, he allowed 12 hits, and two walks and struck out eight.
The 40-year-old Chavez was already contemplating retirement this offseason before signing with the White Sox. During his 16-year career, he has played for nine different teams. Chavez owns a career 4.30 ERA and 6.1 WAR in 1070.2 innings of work.
He is coming off an effective 2023 campaign that saw him post a 1.56 ERA in 36 appearances (34.2 innings) with the Atlanta Braves. Chavez’s velocity has dropped off in recent years, but he still produced a 27.1% strikeout rate last season, which matched his best mark in the last nine years.
While his numbers looked good on paper there were some warning signs. Opponents hit .273 off of him on balls in play and he ranked in the bottom 11th percentile in fastball velocity. The 16-year veteran did produce a respectable 52.2 ground ball rate, which was slightly above the league average. He also showed good command only walking 8.3% of the batters he faced.
Look for him to sign another minor league deal elsewhere or possibly hang up the cleats for good.
