White Sox add Pham, Cave in trades to bolster OF depth

The White Sox added some veteran outfield help on Monday, acquiring Tommy Pham from the Phillies and Jake Cave from the Rays.

The players were allowed to be traded following the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline because they were not on their teams' 40-man roster, and they would be eligible for the postseason because they joined the White Sox organization prior to Sept. 1, when rosters expand.

The 38-year-old Pham began the season with the Mets, but he was designated for assignment on April 27 after starting 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts. He then signed a Minor League deal with the O's on May 16, only to be released on June 12 after hitting .197 (12-for-61) with four homers and 21 K's over 16 games with Triple-A Norfolk.

Pham slashed .250/.381/.391 with three homers and 25 RBIs in 44 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Pham spent last season with the Pirates, hitting .245 with 10 homers, 52 RBIs and a .700 OPS over 120 games. Overall, Pham has a .256/.344/.421 career slash line while playing for 10 big league teams over his 13 seasons.

While he hit left-handed pitching well early in his career, Pham has hit just .230 with a .716 OPS vs. southpaws since 2021 (compared to .245 with a .703 OPS vs. righties during that span).

Pham previously played for the White Sox during the 2024 season, posting a .266/.330/.380 slash line with five homers and 19 RBIs in 70 games.

Cave, 33, was hitting .245/.339/.373 with a .711 OPS in 36 games this season with Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay originally signed Cave to a Minor League deal at the end of June; he had been playing for El Águila de Veracruz in the Mexican League, where he had an .814 OPS.

Cave owns a career .692 OPS in parts of seven big league seasons with the Twins, Phillies and Rockies. He last appeared in the Majors with Colorado in 2024, when he posted a .686 OPS in 123 games.

The left-handed hitter spent the 2025 season playing with the Doosan Bears in South Korea’s KBO League.