This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Smith will be sidelined at least a couple weeks after the White Sox announced Sunday that he suffered a right rotator cuff strain, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Smith presumably sustained the injury during his previous start for Triple-A Charlotte last week, during which he fired two scoreless frames. The right-hander opened the campaign in the White Sox's rotation but was demoted in early April after surrendering 10 earned runs with a 11:9 K:BB through his first three starts.
White Sox's Shane Smith: Sent to minors after sluggish start
Rotowire
The White Sox optioned Smith to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday.
Smith was Chicago's Opening Day starter but finds himself back in the minors after putting up a 10.80 ERA, 2.52 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB over 8.1 innings in his first three starts. The right-hander should rejoin the Chicago rotation eventually, but he will try to get sorted out at Charlotte first. Jonathan Cannon had been on the same schedule as Smith at Charlotte and could be recalled to take the latter's spot in the big-league rotation Sunday in Kansas City.
... See More... See Less
White Sox's Shane Smith: Lasts three innings Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith (0-2) was tagged with the loss Wednesday against the Marlins after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two walks across three innings. He fanned one.
Smith allowed four runs (three earned) and didn't even finish the second inning in his season debut against the Brewers on Thursday, and while he at least completed three frames this time around, the results were even worse. The White Sox don't have a lot of depth in their rotation, so Smith isn't at risk of losing his spot any time soon; however, the results have been pretty disappointing. Through two starts, he has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) on 11 hits and four walks while fanning three across 4.2 innings, which translates to a bloated 19.29 ERA.
White Sox's Shane Smith: Exits early against Brewers
Rotowire
Smith (0-1) took the loss Thursday against the Brewers, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out two over 1.2 innings.
Smith cruised through a scoreless first inning before unraveling in the second, with the damage highlighted by a bases-clearing double from William Contreras. After laboring through 54 pitches and only recording five outs, Thursday marked the shortest outing of the right-hander's young career. After an All-Star rookie campaign in 2025 that saw him hold a 3.81 ERA with 145 strikeouts in 146.1 innings, Smith will look to move past this disastrous performance and return to his previous form in his next scheduled start, which tentatively lines up to come in Miami.
White Sox's Shane Smith: Awarded Opening Day assignment
Rotowire
The White Sox announced Sunday that Smith will start their March 26 season opener in Milwaukee.
Coming off a rookie season in which he earned an All-Star nod while pitching to a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 29 starts, Smith was the obvious choice to take the hill for the Opening Day game. The 25-year-old righty will be facing off against the organization that drafted him in 2021 before he joined the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft following the 2024 season.
... See More... See Less
White Sox's Shane Smith: Works three innings
Rotowire
Smith allowed one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk across three innings during Saturday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.
This marked Smith's second start of spring training, and he worked up to 41 pitches. He threw 25 of those offerings for strikes in a relatively sharp outing. After posting a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHP across 146.1 innings in 2025, Smith is a candidate to start Opening Day for the White Sox.
White Sox's Shane Smith: Dominates in season finale
Rotowire
Smith (7-8) allowed one hit over six shutout innings Sunday, striking out eight and earning a win over the Nationals.
Smith retired the first 16 batters he faced before giving up a single to Brady House. It was Smith's first quality start since Aug. 30, and he tied his season best with eight punchouts. He gave up one run and struck out 16 batters over 11 frames in his final two starts. The All-Star rookie finished his 2025 campaign with a 3.81 ERA and 145:58 K:BB through 146.1 innings. Smith posted a 3.17 ERA over his final 11 starts of the year.
0:58
0:49
0:47
1:07
0:53
0:34
0:24
0:42
9:40
1:08
0:58
0:38
0:33
13:41
0:48
0:56
1:54
9:54
1:17
1:04
