ATLANTA -- One of the most talented pitchers in White Sox history, if not the No. 1 most dominant hurler, should return to the Braves’ rotation soon.
So, what does Chris Sale’s injury recovery have to do with the White Sox, who dropped a 1-0 decision on Wednesday night at Truist Park? The southpaw is a nine-time All-Star, including these last two seasons as part of Atlanta’s rotation, won the 2024 National League Cy Young and has a 3.02 ERA and 2,528 strikeouts over 15 seasons on his Hall of Fame-worthy resume.
People should remember Sale’s first two seasons with the White Sox were out of the bullpen, covering 79 appearances and 12 saves. In right-hander Grant Taylor, who closed out Monday’s victory, Chicago might have a similar scenario as the 36-year-old or even Boston’s Garrett Crochet, who has emerged as one of the Majors’ best starters after going from the White Sox bullpen in 2020-23 to anchoring their rotation in '24.
That comparison doesn’t mean Taylor is about to be traded to the Red Sox like the two ace southpaws, as one person quipped. Taylor would like to turn his present 23 games and 26 innings into a chance at starting as soon as next year.
“Yeah, yeah, I think so. That would all be done in the offseason,” Taylor told MLB.com during an interview in Atlanta. “It’s definitely something I want to try to explore, and hopefully they will allow me to come in and try it out.”
At 23, Taylor, who was the White Sox second-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, seemed destined to be part of the Major League staff this season as far back as Spring Training. Taylor started six games for Double-A Birmingham, pitched his last nine games out of the bullpen with the Barons, and after striking out 37 over 26 2/3 innings and posting a miniscule 1.01 ERA, he was called up by Chicago on June 10.
Taylor has closed for the White Sox, sitting tied for the team lead at four saves. He has opened for them, starting twice, and provided some sort of balance for the relief crew.
General manager Chris Getz has been impressed by Taylor’s overall effort, but he pointed out a few specific intangibles.
“His demeanor, his toughness. He’s got weapons clearly, multiple weapons, to take down really good hitters,” Getz told MLB.com. “There doesn’t seem a moment that is too big.
“We’ve challenged him in the front of the game to closing out games to leverage situations. Not many guys can go into their first year and take on that role, and show this level of success. More than anything, he knows he belongs here. He knows he can be one of the best. We believe he can be one of the best.”
Could Taylor be one of the best as part of the 2026 rotation, even without a massive innings base behind him? It’s a little early to start figuring out that five-man alignment with 35 games still remaining. Without Taylor in the mix, the candidates already range from All-Star Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon and Sean Burke to lefties Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, ranked as the Nos. 38 and No. 92 overall prospects by MLB Pipeline.
Don’t forget Martín Pérez, who allowed one unearned run over 5 1/3 innings while striking out five during Wednesday’s thunder and lightning-decorated series finale. There’s a mutual option at $10 million for the White Sox and Pérez, who mentioned postgame he has told the club of his desire to stay, with a $1.5 million buyout.
No less than Paul Skenes, Taylor’s friend and teammate at LSU, has endorsed the starter switch. The makeup and the stuff is there for Taylor, who has recorded 34 pitches over 100 mph, according to Statcast. But Taylor also has learned about the craft of pitching during his big league time.
“Honestly, just fill up the zone,” Taylor said of the overriding lesson. “A lot of times, when I’ve got into trouble, I’ve fallen behind in counts. And it’s understanding the hitters, what their approach is, understanding who is aggressive and who is passive, what counts they like to attack. Using your stuff for swing and miss. It’s going to give you the best room for error.”
“We need to continue to assess what’s best for him, what’s best for the organization,” Getz said. “He’s capable of doing a lot of different things. We’ve used him in different fashions in these shorter stints. There could be some opportunities to stretch him out a little bit further.”
Taylor might get stretched out, but certainly not in 2025.
“Those conversations don’t need to happen right now,” Getz said. “We’ve got some time until we get to Spring Training next year.”