'Dream come true' for Chicago native Borucki to vie for spot on '26 White Sox

GLENDALE -- Ryan Borucki seems destined to be part of the White Sox.

That assertion runs deeper than the southpaw holding left-handed hitters to a .181 average and .528 OPS over 420 head-to-head career plate appearances. He really is an embodiment of Chicago.

The 31-year-old native of Mundelein, Ill., located 43 miles from Rate Field, grew up as a strident supporter of Chicago sports. And the White Sox are high on his list of beloved teams.

“Growing up a White Sox fan, just definitely a dream come true to be able to put this uniform on,” Borucki said. “As a kid, I used to always put it on, acting like I was on the White Sox in my back yard. I’m very excited about the opportunity.”

Who did Borucki emulate when he was a youngster? He loved outfielder Scott Podsednik, with Podsednik’s walk-off home run in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series sweep leading to tears of joy.

But his “golden guy” was Mark Buehrle, one of the more popular players in White Sox history, whose jersey No. 56 is retired to go with his statue on the Rate Field concourse. Borucki wore No. 56 with the Blue Jays, who selected him in the 15th round of the 2012 Draft out of Mundelein High School, because of Buehrle.

“So that was always a thing for me,” Borucki said. “Being a lefty pitcher, I was always not the hardest thrower, but I had to just pitch to get myself out and that’s who Mark Buehrle was.

“There were a bunch of pictures in here that I used to have in my bedroom. That ‘05 team, my whole family, we have a [legacy] brick, we had a brick at the stadium. Still on my parents’ mantle. Me and my brother used to watch the White Sox all the time, we used to go to games all the time.”

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As one of the interesting names on the list of non-roster invites for Spring Training, Borucki is fighting for a chance at one of the final couple bullpen spots. Over 39 games for the Pirates and Blue Jays in ‘25, Borucki posted a 4.63 ERA while dealing with a back issue. In ‘23, Borucki finished with a 2.45 ERA over 38 games and 40 1/3 innings with Pittsburgh.

Adding a splitter last January helped his overall repertoire, with Borucki seeing that pitch get better as he threw it more.

“Now I actually have an idea of where it's going instead of just throwing and praying,” Borucki said. “It's actually a pitch that I can really use and utilize against those righties, and just learning how to set up and just working on how to get to that pitch is really the biggest thing for me.”

“He’s firmly in the mix, absolutely,” said manager Will Venable of Borucki. “He is a guy who helps us as far as his performance on the field. He’s also somebody who has been around a long time and can help these young guys develop their routines and their attack plans, especially for a left-handed pitcher. Definitely excited to have him here.”

While Borucki owns White Sox jerseys and is good friends with Neal Cotts, a key reliever on the ‘05 champions, his roots are just as solid across the Chicago sports scene -- with the Cubs being an exception as a younger fan. He was re-watching Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ game-tying touchdown pass to Cole Kmet in an eventual home playoff loss on Jan. 18 to the Rams, adding chills were still running down from the call as he viewed it Thursday night.

A regular-season victory over the Packers and the thrilling playoff win over Green Bay gave Borucki bragging rights he certainly is not afraid to vocalize. He is equally supportive of the city itself.

“I'm very proud of where I come from, Chicago,” Borucki said. “I am very proud of being from Mundelein, and just being able to represent, being a Chicago guy, the best way I can.

“When the Bears are doing well, the city just has a different vibe. I loved waking up every Sunday, being able to know that they're the Cardiac Bears, you know what I mean? … They were a very inspirational team for all Chicago sports. So it's like, 'Why not us?'”

Why not the White Sox, with Borucki doing his part and potentially living his baseball dream.

“It’s cool just to be part of a team to kind of springboard and obviously hopefully build a Chicago winner,” Borucki said. “Because winning in Chicago, it is probably the best place to win.”