White, now 26, was a notable prospect a few years ago. The Rangers drafted him 55th overall in 2018, but his professional debut wouldn’t come until a few years later. He missed 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, then the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out the minor leagues in 2020.
When he returned to action, he took off running up the hill. Between 2021 and 2022, he pitched 115 2/3 innings in the minors, good for 3.42 earned runs per nine. His 7.5% walk rate was strong and his 34.1% strikeout rate was excellent.
The Rangers assigned him a 40-man roster spot in the 2022-2023 offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. As we enter the 2023 campaign, Baseball America ranked White as the #59 prospect in the league.
Since then, however, White has hit a number of speed bumps. He was shelled in his first Major League appearances and his results were buoyed in the minors as well. He pitched 207 2/3 innings for the Triple-A Round Rock Express in 2023 and 2024 with a 4.90 ERA. The Express played in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but White’s strikeout rate of 18.3% and walk rate of 11.3% were both poor numbers.
That performance pushed White to the fringes of the Texas roster. He was appointed for assignment in December 2024. His former prospect status still attracted a number of teams. Prior to the 2025 season, he went to the Reds, Yankees and White Sox via small deals or waivers.
He spent 2025 with the Sox, but was mostly optioned. He pitched just seven big league innings and allowed seven earned runs. Combined with his brief MLB appearances with the Rangers, he now has an unlucky 12.86 ERA in 14 total innings in the majors.
He also threw 81 Triple-A innings in Chicago’s system. His 4.44 ERA wasn’t terrible and he grounded out on 46.7% of balls in play, but his 18.8% strikeout rate and 12.4% walk rate were sub-par.
He has exhausted his final option season in 2025, meaning he will have no options going forward, making it harder for him to hold on to a roster spot. The Sox placed him on unclaimed waivers in October and he became a minor league free agent shortly thereafter.
Had White stayed in North America, he certainly would have been limited to minor league deals. Even if he had earned a roster spot with a club in 2026, his salary likely would have been close to the league minimum of $780,000. Going abroad gives him a greater guarantee and a chance to show himself on a remarkable stage.
It has become very common for pitchers to reinvent themselves in Asia and return to North America for big cash prizes. This offseason alone has seen it Cody Ponce, Antonius Kaij, Drew Anderson, Foster Griffin And Ryan Weiss get deals with MLB clubs after they pitch in Japan or South Korea in 2025. All were guaranteed at least $2.6 million, with Ponce able to reach as high as $30 million. White is still quite young and could go down this path if he can find a new tackle with the Eagles.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
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