CHICAGO -- There were only two handfuls of White Sox games not watched by Brooks Baldwin this past season as the super utility player worked his way back from April’s season-ending internal brace surgery on his right elbow.
Those viewing absences certainly were excused, as Baldwin returned to Wilmington, N.C., to be with his wife, Baylee, who is expecting their first child around Christmas. Baldwin would go home for Friday doctor’s appointments and fly back late Sunday; baseball wasn’t exactly a priority in between.
“When I was home for those appointments, I would spend time with my wife,” Baldwin told MLB.com during a phone interview on Tuesday. “That was best for our family.
“So, I missed eight to 10 games. Every other game, I was watching in Arizona at 4 o’clock or 5 o’clock every night.”
Baldwin won’t be relegated to watching his teammates during the 2027 season. He is ready for on-field action after finishing rehab stemming from the procedure to repair a decent-sized tear within his right ulnar collateral ligament.
A 16-week throwing program that started the week after the All-Star break finished two weeks ago with Baldwin throwing to bases. It was game-simulated throwing drills from the outfield during Spring Training that eventually turned soreness in Baldwin’s elbow into an MRI and the surgery.
Rehab went off without a hitch, according to Baldwin, who had great praise for those from the White Sox who assisted in the recovery. He took numerous live batting practice swings against pitchers doing rehab work in Arizona, not to mention Major League pitchers such as Shane Smith and Jonathan Cannon as part of the playoff taxi squad working at Camelback Ranch.
“I kind of continued where I finished off [the 2025] season, swinging the bat,” Baldwin said. “Made some good contact on baseballs where I hadn’t seen a pitch in probably five months. That was a little surprising for me, because usually it takes 10 to 15 at-bats to get some timing and stuff back.
“We did enough simulated practice in the cages. Between [Arizona Complex League bench coach] Mike Gellinger and those guys that were here helping during my rehab process, we did a bunch. Once I was able to start machine BP again, I was able to hit breaking balls, hit some velo, all that stuff, to make it as much as game-like as possible. Game-like reps throughout the year.”
This healthy comeback for Baldwin won’t change the White Sox starting calculus for 2027, with young players basically locked down across the diamond from the 2026 playoff squad. But being able to help in a number of areas will assist Baldwin’s battle for a roster spot.
He’s a switch-hitter with experience at second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions. He checks in at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds but has power, with homers in each of his last two 2025 games and 13 total over 449 plate appearances covering two big league seasons.
At 26, Baldwin still sees an individual fit amid this emerging young core.
“I’m kind of hopeful that my utility [and] versatility will be able to help whatever way that might be in the coming years,” he said. “I still love doing what I do in being able to play every position.”
Once Baldwin saw the fun and resiliency of the 2026 White Sox, he immediately thought about how much he would love to be part of this surprising success. He even questioned if the surgical decision was the right one at the right time, wondering if he should have endured whatever physical difficulties he had to help the team.
Conversations with White Sox mental performance coach Cristian Guzman and other members of his support system quickly let him know that he made the right decision.
“Watching the team do what they did this year was awesome, even though I wasn’t able to be a part of it,” Baldwin said. “It’s awesome to see where this organization is at for this standpoint.”
Now Baldwin is “over the moon” with excitement with his wife about welcoming their daughter. He is also putting extra investment in offseason strength and conditioning and nutrition work to be fully prepared for 2027.
“If you told me I could go play in three weeks, I could probably go play,” he said. “Me and my agent talked about the idea of playing winter ball, but I thought it was better for me and my wife having our first kid to be with her. But when Spring Training rolls around, I will be 100 percent ready to go.”