CHICAGO -- As new White Sox pitcher David Sandlin entered his senior year of high school, the Major Leagues seemed like a pipedream.
Heck, he just wanted to make his varsity baseball team.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander played junior varsity ball for three years in Owasso, Okla., a suburb of just under 40,000 people north of Tulsa. He was a 5-foot-8 pitcher before growing three inches ahead of his senior year and beginning a new course that has led him to the brink of his MLB debut.
Sandlin was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, with left-hander Noah Schultz landing on the 15-day injured list with right knee patellar tendinitis. Sandlin will start Wednesday’s contest against the Twins at Rate Field.
“I think it’s going to be surreal,” Sandlin said before Tuesday’s game against Minnesota. “It still hasn't really hit me. Still trying to take it day by day.”
The White Sox No. 18 prospect, benefited from a late growth spurt that changed his whole life trajectory. During his senior year at Owasso High School, Sandlin began reaching out to community colleges across Oklahoma, with one school -- Eastern Oklahoma State College -- returning his email.
He built a relationship with head coach Matt Parker and posted a 3.46 ERA with a whopping 116 strikeouts in 18 games (78 innings) in two seasons with the Mountaineers.
“Coach Parker and I meshed really well,” Sandlin said. “He started the whole baseball journey thing. Two of my best years down there. Really got after it with him.”
COMPLETE WHITE SOX PROSPECT COVERAGE
He committed to Oklahoma and pitched in 18 games for a Sooners team that reached the College World Series finals in 2022. Sandlin was part of a pitching staff that featured two other future big leaguers -- Red Sox left-hander Jake Bennett and Cubs right-hander Cade Horton.
“Really had fun playing under [head coach] Skip [Johnson] and all those guys,” Sandlin said.
Sandlin was taken in the 11th round of the 2022 Draft by the Royals. He was traded to the Red Sox in 2024 before being dealt to Chicago in February along with right-hander Jordan Hicks.
He dealt with back issues and right elbow soreness in the spring, which slowed his start. He made his 2026 season debut with High-A Winston Salem on April 21 and posted a 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 innings across six games.
“Sandlin’s been pitching really well -- [I’m] really excited about him,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “He was due to pitch today, so he’ll start tomorrow for us, and we’ll push back the rest of the starters a day.”
He replaces Schultz (White Sox No. 3 prospect) in the rotation, who has been dealing with right knee soreness “for about a week or so.” The left-hander dealt with a similar injury in 2025, when he made just 17 Minor League starts. Venable and Schultz expect this injury to require a minimum stint on the IL.
“It’s definitely pretty mild,” Schultz said. “Just trying to catch it before it gets worse and have it cleared up. Still early in the season. Again, just trying to get it to go away.”
The later rampup for Sandlin means that he’s not fully stretched out, even though he is stepping up for Schultz in the rotation. He threw 71 pitches in four innings in his last outing with Charlotte.
“Maybe not fully stretched out, but to the point that we feel confident he can go out there and pitch in a starter’s role,” Venable said. “Probably not expecting him, unless it goes really well, to pitch into the sixth or seventh inning, but can go out there and take a starter’s load.”
Sandlin wants to contribute to a surprising White Sox team that sits above .500 just a few days before the calendar flips to June. He’ll use Tuesday to soak it all and ease some of the pressures that come with a debut -- one that seemed practically impossible even seven years ago.
“Immaculate, I’d say,” Sandlin said of the vibes the White Sox carry. “It looks like they’re having a good time, winning games. You can't really beat that.”