PEORIA, Ariz. – Left-hander Noah Schultz was reassigned to Minor League camp and right-hander Tanner McDougal was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte before a 5-1 White Sox victory over the Mariners in Cactus League action Saturday.
Neither hurler was thought to be breaking camp with the White Sox, but Schultz, the No. 49 prospect overall and No. 2 for the White Sox per MLB Pipeline, and McDougal, ranking No. 6 for the White Sox, showed they aren’t far off from helping their Major League counterparts.
COMPLETE WHITE SOX PROSPECT COVERAGE
“Those guys were outstanding. Both of them did a great job,” said White Sox manager Will Venable. “We talked early in camp about using this to build a foundation for a long, healthy and productive season.
“They did a great job of doing that, and then you saw what they did on the mound. For young guys to be out there and have that presence, a feel for the zone, a feel for their pitches, it was great to see.”
McDougal could be considered a surprise out of camp if the White Sox didn’t already know what he was all about. He posted a 3.26 ERA and 136 strikeouts over 113 1/3 innings in ‘25 with stops at High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, and followed up that performance by consistently topping 98-100 mph within the zone in Arizona.
That sort of power would play well in the bullpen for the White Sox. But McDougal is viewed as a power starter.
“His presence, his demeanor out there was cool to see, and new for me,” said Venable of McDougal. “To see the stuff was awesome too. I wouldn’t say surprised, but excited to see it.”
“It’s good to be around guys who have been around it and done it,” said McDougal in an interview prior to Saturday’s move. “I’m just trying to take it all in, trying to be a sponge, and just learn as much as I can from all these guys.”
Schultz threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a Friday victory at the Diamondbacks, with McDougal putting up three scoreless before him. It was a good finish to their big league camp, with bigger days to come in the near future.
“They’re just great guys. That’s my favorite thing about them,” starter Davis Martin said. “You look at our clubhouse as a whole, this offseason, we talked about the culture we have, the type of guys we have in the clubhouse.
“Looking at the next group up, so to speak, all sharing those similar attitudes, mindsets – they slide right into the culture. They work hard, they bust their ass, they do what they need to do to be ready to go in the game. You’ve got to love that out of a young guy.”
Taylor, for openers
Grant Taylor made two appearances as an opener for the White Sox during his rookie campaign in ‘25, while primarily working in the later innings as a high-leverage reliever. But the hard-throwing right-hander returned to the opener role on Saturday, needing 13 pitches to get through a scoreless first.
“It’s getting me used to it. I’ve thrown late in some games during spring, and I haven’t faced a whole lot of big league guys. It was nice to face some guys I’ll probably see during the season,” Taylor said. “I knew my job was to get one inning today. It’s similar to what I’d do in the ninth.”
Taylor has felt amazing during his second big league Spring Training, with a spot secured as a high-leverage bullpen presence.
“My body is in a really good spot, a lot of work in the offseason,” Taylor said. “A lot of work with the pitching coaches and staff since I’ve got here. In a really good spot and progressing.”
Third to first
Davis Martin struck out four over three scoreless innings in Saturday’s victory, as he moves closer to being regular-season ready.
“I’m happy with the results today,” Martin said. “A lot of the pitches were in a good spot. There’s still some fine-tuning I would like to do before Opening Day, but we are in a good spot right now.”
Dru Baker, Mario Camilletti and Andy Weber were hit by a Randy Dobnak pitch in the top of the eighth, and the Mariners’ Will Wilson was hit in the helmet by a Tyson Miller pitch to start the bottom half of the inning. The pitch from Miller was a 75 mph curveball.