James

Karinchak

Karinchak was one of the most promising young relievers in baseball earlier this decade, but his career went sideways a couple years ago and he hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2023 campaign. He was in camp this spring with the White Sox as a non-roster invitee. The 29-year-old righty was cut loose over the weekend after posting an encouraging 2.45 ERA across 29 1/3 innings (24 appearances) for Triple-A Charlotte. It’s possible he’s headed overseas to pursue an opportunity to pitch in Korea or Japan.

A few “high profile” names here. Dalbec, Wilson and Karinchak have all had various levels of success in the majors, but none were good enough to make the White Sox out of camp. No comment. Several of these players likely have opt-outs, so none are guaranteed to report to Triple-A Charlotte when the season begins.

The 29-year-old right-hander has struggled badly with his command this spring, and that was on full display in Thursday’s outing. He came on to start the fifth inning and walked each of the first three hitters that he faced — while also allowing three stolen bases. Jackson Chourio then lined into a sacrifice fly to plate a run. Karinchak battled back to get each of the next two hitters (while allowing his fourth stolen base), but on the whole it was an absolutely brutal outing. He now carries an uninspiring 7.20 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and a 6/5 K/BB ratio over five frames on the spring.

Karinchak once seemed on par with Emmanuel Clase as a young talent in the Guardians pen, but his star faded quickly and he’s coming off a lost season due to shoulder problems. If he somehow puts it together this year, he’ll quickly become a factor late in games for the White Sox. It’s not something anyone should count on, though.

Karinchak looked like one of the most promising young relievers in baseball just a few years ago, but injuries limited him to just seven appearances this past season at the Triple-A level. The 29-year-old righty is purely a high-risk lottery ticket at this stage of his career, but there’s probably an organization out there willing to give him a look during spring training.

Karinchak kicked off a throwing program earlier this month, but he’s going to be sidelined until at least late May.

The 28-year-old right-hander was sidelined at the start of spring training with shoulder fatigue. He will now need to ramp up from the start of his progression, which means he’s on a tight timeline to be ready for opening day. Karinchak appeared in 44 games for the Guardians last season and posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 52/28 K/BB ratio, so he is an important part of the Guardians’ bullpen.

This injury news doesn’t appear to be significant, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. The 28-year-old right hander appeared in 44 games for the Guardians last season and posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.33 WHIP with a 52/28 K/BB ratio.

It’s a little surprising that the Guardians wanted to pay Karinchak close to $2 million after burying in Triple-A for stretches of each of the last two seasons, but he probably still has a little trade value if they want to go that route. The 28-year-old had a 3.23 ERA in 39 major league innings last season, even though he walked 28 and gave up six homers in the process.

Karinchak receives the call back to the big leagues ahead of Monday’s showdown against the Royals with rookie starter Tanner Bibee (hip) requiring a trip to the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted a serviceable 3.44 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 46/23 K/BB ratio across 34 innings (38 appearances) this season in the majors.