General manager Chris Getz of the Chicago White Sox provided some updates regarding his plans for pitchers Garrett Crochet and Chris Flexen with spring training less than five weeks away.
First, from MLB.com’s Scott Merkin on Flexen:
According to Getz, Flexen is expected to be a part of the White Sox rotation and will pitch the starter’s innings.
Flexen spent 2023 with the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies before signing a contract with the White Sox this winter.
The 29-year-old, who was 2-8 with a 6.86 ERA in 2023, is coming off a bad year in general with both organizations. In 29 appearances for both organizations, he started 16 of them. He completed 102.1 innings of pitching.
Flexen enjoyed productive years in 2021 and 2022 at the major league level, despite a regression in 2023. He threw to a 3.73 ERA in 33 outings for Seattle the next year after going 14-6 for the team in 2021 across 31 starts.
Additionally, about crochet, according to Vinnie Duber:
According to Chris Getz, Garrett Crochet is getting ready to start this season as a pitcher.
Though it will take some time to stretch him out properly, our goal coming into the season is for him to be a starter in 2024.
Hard-throwing lefty Crochet, 24, debuted in the major leagues in 2020. In his 72 career appearances, he has never used the bullpen. Through 54 games pitched and a 2.82 ERA, he truly made his mark in 2021.
Sadly, an injury kept him out of 2022, and in 2023 he pitched in just 13 games. For the time being, the Sox plan to use Flexen, Mike Soroka, Erike Fedde, Michael Kopech, and Dylan Cease in the rotation. It’s uncertain when these players will move up to the big leagues or Triple-A.
As predicted, if they trade Cease, they might use Crochet in the major leagues.