White Sox reliever Ellard, just 28, retires to be a family man

CHICAGO -- Fraser Ellard wasn’t quite a frontline part of the White Sox bullpen over the past two seasons.

But the left-handed reliever, who turned 28 on Nov. 6, certainly contributed with a 3.95 ERA in 43 overall games and 48 strikeouts in 41 innings. So, how did those apparent early career numbers suddenly and surprisingly morph into his final career statistics, when the White Sox placed Ellard on the Voluntary Retired List among a trio of moves on Nov. 18?

In a recent conversation with MLB.com, Ellard explained he and his wife, Amy, will be welcoming their first child, a boy, in February 2026. So, his move to family man played a big part. As the 10th of 12 kids, with six boys, six girls and no twins, Ellard added with a laugh, he knows something about family devotion.

“I was so blessed to be able to get a chance to play with the White Sox. They gave me some really cool opportunities, which I really appreciated,” Ellard said. “This year, as the season progressed, as I started kind of looking at the priorities in my life and realizing the strain that professional baseball can take just on a family, I realized that I really want to be around for my kid.

“Kind of selfishly, I want to hang out. I want to wake up when he wakes up. I want to put him to bed and have that stability. I was so grateful for baseball. But at the end of the day, if I say my priorities are God first and then my family second and community and deep meaningful relationships third, where does baseball fall in that? How does that time commitment work? Does this make sense for us as a family unit, right?”

This decision took root when Ellard went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in October, followed by deep conversations about who he really was. He also had conversations with his wife throughout their entire relationship as to what baseball meant to them.

“I’m trying to make sure it stays in the right spot. It’s so easy to make it such a big thing and have your entire life wrapped up in this sport,” Ellard said. “We have done a good job of laying some of the groundwork about what is baseball to us. … How does baseball fit in? I had some really good insights, and God is showing me that I was ready to step away.

“It was just a moment of clarity kind of after the season. I want to be here and not ship out three days after my baby is born and go to Spring Training. Having a baby was the spark for me thinking it through a little bit more. I want to be there for my family.”

White Sox general manager Chris Getz received the news from Ellard shortly after he decided. Getz told Ellard to take a week before officially signing the papers, but he already knew Ellard had given great thought leading to this move.

Getz also knew Ellard as a person, as the organization’s director of player development when the southpaw was selected in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Liberty.

“I thanked him,” Getz said. “I let him know I enjoyed getting to know him and he was a very strong reputation within our organization and that if he needs anything in the future, we are here for him and wished him well.”

“Honestly, it was a very good conversation with him,” Ellard said. “I can’t stress enough how well they treated me and the opportunities they gave me. I wanted to be up front and as soon as I knew, I wanted to tell him quickly so he could make plans and make the moves he needed.”

Ellard serves as COO for a digital marketing company called Dodeka, which he co-founded with his brother, Weaver. His responsibilities are more about “our creative stuff,” per Ellard, including building websites.

Returning to baseball has not been 100% ruled out in the future. The Charlotte native also talked about potentially getting involved at the local level and helping people as others helped him as a young player.

“Some guys they love the game, not just love the game, but they eat, sleep and breathe it,” Ellard said. “I know they would never walk away, and they make it work.

“That’s awesome. Every situation is unique. I would rather be just with my family and have some consistency. Just for my sake, not from a performance standpoint.”