White Sox cut Brandon Drury, claim Rays rotation prospect Mike Vasil

Terrible luck costs the veteran a chance at redemption on the South Side, while the club takes a flier on a Tampa castoff

The latest White Sox roster moves bolster already strong (although it’s the weak end of the strong spectrum) roster areas and soften the weaker.

The main moves saw the Sox, in separate transactions, claim righty pitcher Mike Vasil from the Tampa Bay Rays on waivers, and, less than 24 hours after announcing he was expected to miss Opening Day with a fractured left thumb, cut Brandon Drury from the team.

Drury’s release is terribly unfortunate, both for player and team. Even though he was a questionable offseason signing, Drury was among the few offensively exciting players at camp. He was slashing .410/.439/.821 with 11 RBIs and three homers when he got hurt. With 26 total bases and an improved swing after making some mechanical adjustments, Drury seemed to have his name written on one of the roster spots.

Now down to 11 infielders, the White Sox still have an undistinguished middle infield. If Josh Rojas can’t play through the pain of a fractured big toe, second base either goes to rookie Chase Meidroth or 2022 first-round draft pick Brooks Baldwin, who appeared for 33 games last year in his rookie season. Shortstop will either be claimed by Lenyn Sosa (the most logical option) or Jacob Amaya, who is less ideal but solid defensive option. All four could rotate in the middle infield to make up a platoon of average defenders, too.

The Sox are focusing their energies on the wrong areas, given such a woeful offense now weakened further by the loss of Drury. Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Shane Smith, and Martín Pérez and Jonathan Cannon already make up a core starting rotation. Vasil adds a little depth, but not enough firepower to suddenly bump the rotation up a notch. His 6.04 ERA and 90 earned runs in 134 Triple-A innings is far from encouraging amidst all the team injuries. Perhaps odder still, Vasil was a Rule 5 pick for Tampa this winter, thus the righthander must remain on the White Sox MLB roster all season or be offered back his original team, the Mets.

The status of Drury long-term remains uncertain, as do the terms of the minor league deal he signed with the White Sox this offseason; he may well have been allowed to opt-out, or the White Sox may have been obligated to release him if not added to the 40-man. It’s safe to say the two sides made for a nice fit, so it’s entirely possible that Drury returns to the organization and sits on the Triple-A injured list before a rehab assignment and possible call-up. With 40-man roster spots so precious, however, there was no way for an extremely weak White Sox team to add Drury, then freeze him on the injured list, especially on the basis of a solid month of Cactus League play.

It’s doubtful that another club will offer Drury a more enticing deal, so his time with the White Sox may not be over, only temporarily interrupted.

---

The two transactions this morning piece together as such:

• The White Sox dropped two players off of the roster, by cutting Drury and sending reliever Gus Varland down to Triple-A
• The White Sox claimed Vasil, making room for him on the 40-man by shifting Prelander Berroa to the 60-day IL (Berroa had Tommy John surgery on March 17 and will miss the 2025 season). Vasil, like Shane Smith, is a Rule 5 pick who must remain on the White Sox roster all season or be returned to his former club