Nick

Nastrini

White was claimed off waivers last month from the Yankees and will open the regular season back in the minors as extra organizational depth. He should get a look with Chicago at some point in the near future. Nastrini was hit extremely hard in nine appearances (eight starts) last year with the White Sox in his first taste of the big leagues.

Nastrini had been in the competition for the final spot in Chicago’s rotation, but it looks like the 25-year-old will begin the season in Charlotte’s rotation instead. Nastrini added velocity on his fastball this spring and seemed to show slightly better command than he did when he walked 5.51 batters per nine innings in Triple-A last year. If he can keep those command gains in Charlotte then there’s a chance he gets innings for the White Sox before the summer. His demotion means either Bryse Wilson or Shane Smith will open the season in the rotation.

Nastrini averaged 95.0 mph with his fastball today, up from 93.7 mph during his ugly major league stints last season. Even more impressive, his slider was all the way up to 88.4 mph, a gain of nearly four mph from last year. He entered camp as a long shot for a spot in the White Sox rotation, but he should be moving up the depth chart already.

Nastrini threw 3 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball Monday in what very well could have been his final appearance of 2024. The 24-year-old was acquired from the Dodgers last July in the Lance Lynn trade, and mostly struggled in 2024 with a 7.07 ERA and 1.91 WHIP over 35 2/3 innings. He’ll battle for a rotation spot next year with Chicago.

Nick Nastrini had been listed as the starting pitcher, so presumably he will work out of the bullpen behind Shuster. Both are risky fantasy options.

Nastrini fell to 0-7 with a 7.79 ERA when he lost to the Orioles on Tuesday. We figured he’d be sent down after that one, but he’ll stick as a middle man, it seems. The White Sox plan to use a bullpen game in Nastrini’s previously scheduled Monday start against the Guardians.

Nastrini was allowed to throw 72 pitches in less than two innings. Only 30 of those were strikes. Two were wild pitches. He’s now 0-7 with a 7.79 ERA as a big leaguer, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s sent down Wednesday.

Tough luck. Nastrini gave up just a solo homer to Corey Seager, but that’s one more run than the White Sox picked up. The 24-year-old is one of the better talents in the Chicago system, and while he was awful in his previous six starts, this was a friendly reminder of that ability. He allowed just three hits with one walk, and he struck out three. It’s not scheduled yet, but there’s a good chance Nastrini will be on the bump against the Orioles on Tuesday. A tough matchup is scheduled for Tuesday against the Yankees.

Nastrini will start today against the Rangers. He is 0-5 with an 8.39 ERA in six starts for the White Sox this season, but he did manage a 2.45 ERA in his last four starts for Charlotte.

The 24-year-old hurler has made six starts for the White Sox this season, posting a miserable 8.39 ERA, 1.99 WHIP and a 19/25 K/BB ratio over 24 2/3 innings. He should be avoided entirely for fantasy purposes unless you’re attempting to stack Rangers against him on Thursday.