With King Félix as his compass, Paez sets sail on career journey of his own

MILWAUKEE – Since Jedixson Paez was a young baseball player in Tinaquillo, Venezuela, the right-handed hurler ardently supported Mariners ace Félix Hernández.

“Every time I had the opportunity to see him pitch, I would say to myself, ‘One day, I’m going to be like him. One day, I’m going to do what he’s done,’” said Paez, through interpreter Billy Russo, of his Venezuelan countryman. “And now I’m here.”

Here, for Paez, was American Family Field as part of the White Sox bullpen in a 14-2 loss at the hands of the Brewers during the 2026 season opener Thursday. Paez -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the club's No. 19 prospect -- was one of two selections by the White Sox in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft, going at No. 2 overall from Boston.

Right-hander Alexander Alberto, taken at No. 13 overall in the Rule 5, was returned to the Rays near the end of Spring Training. But Paez, who worked in the Minors as a starter and was stretched out in that same multi-inning role during Spring Training, made the jump from a top Minor League level of High-A Greenville in 2025 to working 1 1/3 innings on Thursday.

It was far from a perfect outing for Paez, who yielded three runs on two walks and two hits, including Jake Bauers’ three-run homer. It wasn’t a good day for White Sox pitching with 10 walks against three strikeouts, but the outing marked another memorable career moment within this memorable career stretch for the 22-year-old.

“That’s your goal, right, to make it to the Majors,” Paez said. “But I didn’t think it would happen this fast.”

“He'll give us length out of the bullpen. We'll see if there's different roles for him there,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Just a calm dude, a guy that kind of feels like he's been doing it for a while, and certainly a confident guy. Obviously, coming from A ball, there's a big jump for him to make, but I feel like he's in a good position to do it.”

That calmness was visible via a video on White Sox social media where Venable and general manager Chris Getz broke the news to Paez on making the team in Venable’s office at Camelback Ranch. The group also included pitching coach Zach Bove, assistant pitching coach Bobby Hearn, bullpen coach Matt Wise, and assistant general manager Carlos Rodriguez.

Paez let loose with a broad smile upon hearing the information, but had to be encouraged by Venable to get fired up and spread the excitement. He quickly called his mother and father.

Super excited,” Paez said. “They were screaming and they were very, very happy. My mom, my dad, my siblings, they were all very, very happy.

“When you are walking in there and you see so many people, you know one of two things are going to happen: You’ve made the team, or you didn’t. That was the hope. I was hoping I would get to the big leagues.”

Luis Rengifo’s sixth-inning groundout after a bases-loaded walk issued to Garrett Mitchell officially put Paez among White Sox pitching lore. He’s in a different situation than other young hurlers through the Rule 5 connection, meaning he must stay on the 26-man roster throughout the 2026 season or be offered back to the Red Sox after clearing waivers.

There’s plenty of time for Paez to develop, even after Thursday’s rough start. There’s plenty of time for the man who flashed five of his six-pitch repertoire against the Brewers to begin his ascent, possibly past his hero, Hernández.

“That’s the goal,” said Paez with a smile. “I just take it as a challenge, in a good way.

“It’s a challenge for me to show every day what I can do, and that I belong here and that’s the way I’m taking it. That’s the way I’m hoping I can take it throughout the whole season, and I’ll be here the whole season.”

His whole season really began with Wednesday’s workout day, when Paez took an eye-opening walk into the visitors clubhouse for the first time at a Major League field.

“Just wow. When I walked into the clubhouse and I saw all the lockers, I was pretty impressed,” Paez said. “But I think what excited me the most was when I walked on the field, and I saw a big league field. It was incredible. I just was saying, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it.’”

“He's more than capable of doing it, and we want to make sure to put him in a position to help, to get comfortable in the big leagues and help us out,” Getz said. “So that's why we put him on the Opening Day roster, and we'll see how it unfolds.”