White Sox demote struggling pitcher Shane Smith to Triple-A

CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox Opening Day starter Shane Smith was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday, one day after giving up just one hit while striking out eight batters in 3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles.

Smith also walked five batters, getting pulled for the third consecutive outing without completing the fourth inning.

“Clearly he’s in a spot where he needs to get to the best version of himself, and he’s not quite there right now,” White Sox manager Will Venable said of the surprise move. “We just can’t have that happen here, where it comes at the cost of wins and the cost of our bullpen.”

Smith has thrown 171 pitches in just 8 innings this year, leading to early-and-often use of Chicago’s bullpen. The team simply felt they couldn’t afford to continue on that same path.

“He’s on board,” Venable added. “He’s excited to make his adjustments and he knows it’ll be a short-term thing and get him right back to what we expect him to do in the big leagues.”

Smith was a 2025 success story, making the All-Star team after being selected in the Rule 5 draft the previous December. The right-hander continued his positive trajectory when the White Sox named him their Opening Day starter, but less than two weeks into the season, he’s being sent to the minors — a rare move for someone that started Game 1 of the season.

“This is something a lot of good players go through,” Venable said. “We expect Shane to be another one of those stories of guys that go down there, click back in, come back and have great careers.”

Smith was 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA before being sent down. Venable cited Smith’s fastball command as his main issue, as evidenced by Tuesday’s game where he was effectively wild in striking out eight — but walking five, leading to an elevated pitch count. Teams aren’t squaring his fastball up — he just can’t find the plate enough with it.

“Really want him to get back to dominating with the four-seam [fastball],” Venable said.

Venable indicated he’ll address who takes Smith’s place in the rotation when his turn comes up again. There is no clear-cut player for that spot, as Chicago’s top pitching prospects are still maturing in the minors.

The White Sox called up lefty reliever Tyler Schweitzer to take Smith’s place on the roster. He was a fifth-round pick out of Ball State University in 2022. He’ll make his MLB debut when he enters a game for Chicago.