Jordan

Leasure

Leasure had been out since July 20 with a shoulder impingement. It looks like he’ll finish up in the minors, which is a disappointing end for a guy who looked like he might emerge as the White Sox’s closer as a rookie. He has a 6.32 ERA in 31 1/3 innings as a major leaguer.

No word yet on how long Leasure will be sidelined, but it’s most likely going to be at least a couple weeks, if not longer. The 25-year-old rookie right-hander has struggled to an underwhelming 6.33 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 26/18 K/BB ratio across 31 1/3 innings (33 appearances) this season at the highest level.

It’s a bit of a surprising move since Wilson has pitched to a 3.46 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 26 innings for the White Sox this season. He might get another chance later this summer, especially after the trade deadline if the White Sox are able to deal Michael Kopech or John Brebbia. Shoot, he might even close for the White Sox if that happens.

Leasure was sent to the minors in mid-June after posting a 4.08 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 26/17 K/BB ratio over 28 2/3 innings with the big league club. He struggled in his time at Triple-A, registering a 5.06 ERA in 5 1/3 innings, but he struck out six batters over the small sample size. He figures to remain up in the White Sox bullpen for the remainder of the season, provided all goes well. Steven Wilson was demoted in a corresponding move.

The White Sox’ bullpen as a whole this season has been an absolute trainwreck, and while Leasure has some of the best pure stuff in the group, he hasn’t been immune to the struggles. The 25-year-old hurler has registered a 4.08 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and a 26/17 K/BB ratio over 28 2/3 innings on the season — but gave up four runs in a brutal loss to the Mariners on Monday night. Still, he’s probably one of the best options that they have, so this move is a bit perplexing.

Look, we’re not totally blaming Pedro Grifol for tonight’s loss, but that stuff like this keeps happening to the White Sox hardly seems like a coincidence. Grifol left his starter in to begin the eighth in a 4-0 game tonight, only to pull him immediately after a leadoff homer. Kopech, the White Sox’s primary closer, then came in with no outs in the eighth and struggled in retiring just two of the eight batters he faced. That made it a tie game going into the ninth, and Jordan Leasure, the top fallback to Kopech, wound up surrendering a walkoff grand slam, of all things. Everything is a disaster with the White Sox now, and while Kopech still offers value for teams desperate for saves, it’s hard to argue for him in shallow leagues, especially with the way Grifol is treating him.

Michael Kopech was unavailable after pitching the last two days. Leasure entered with one on and a two-run lead after Erick Fedde gave up a run in the ninth, and he went on to retire Austin Shenton and Curtis Mead to end the game. The rookie has a 1.59 ERA through 11 1/3 innings, though his 7/5 K/BB ratio isn’t at all impressive.

Leasure has been one of the few bright spots this season for the White Sox, reeling off 6 1/3 consecutive scoreless frames with a 6/2 K/BB ratio at the outset of his big-league career. The unheralded 25-year-old righty made Chicago’s season-opening bullpen and might be working his way towards high-leverage opportunities in the near future, if he keeps posting zeroes on the scoreboard.

Leasure put together a stellar spring in the Cactus League, finishing with a 1.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11/4 K/BB ratio across 9 1/3 innings (10 appearances) to earn a spot on Chicago’s season-opening roster. The 25-year-old righty will be making his big-league debut when he gets into a contest.

If you’re looking for a dark horse saves sleeper, Leasure has to fit the bill. The unheralded 25-year-old righty, who was acquired last year at the trade deadline from the Dodgers, has tossed seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts in six relief appearances this spring. He’s pretty much a lock to open the season in Chicago’s bullpen and could find himself in high-leverage spots pretty quickly.