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Smith tossed two scoreless innings in a no-decision against Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing two hits and striking out three batters.
Smith made his first big-league start, but he ended up working a short stint as the opener for Erick Fedde, who followed with 5.1 frames of bulk relief. Smith looked great during his brief time in the game, notching five whiffs on his 33 pitches and keeping Pittsburgh out of the scoring column. The rookie left-hander has thrived as a big leaguer so far, yielding just one earned run through 18 innings spanning 11 appearances while posting a 26:10 K:BB. He worked mostly as a starter in the minors, but Chicago may hold him to shorter outings given his success in that role so far.
White Sox's Hagen Smith: Making first start Thursday
Rotowire
Smith will start Thursday's game against the Pirates, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
All 10 of Smith's major-league appearances have come out of the bullpen, during which the 23-year-old lefty has allowed just one earned run in 16 innings while striking out 23 batters. His strong performance will now buy him the chance to make his first career start in the big leagues, though he may not work deep into Thursday's contest after throwing fewer than 40 pitches in each of his last three outings.
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White Sox's Hagen Smith: Perfect three innings in win
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Smth (3-1) didn't allow a baserunner across three innings while striking out four to earn the win Sunday against the Twins.
The White Sox threw a bullpen game, but Smith recorded the most outs of any of the five pitchers used. Fourteen of his 35 pitches went for either called or swinging strikes, and he continues to excel out of the bullpen in his first taste of the majors. Overall, Smith has allowed only one earned run across 16 innings and has maintained a 23:10 K:BB. He has also shown improved control lately, walking only four across his last 11.1 frames.
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White Sox's Hagen Smith: Contract selected
Rotowire
The White Sox selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday.
The White Sox have exhausted their bullpen depth across their last two games, so they'll bring up Smith and Tanner McDougal to inject their staff with some fresh arms. Smith missed about a month of action after suffering a shoulder injury in June but has given up just one run in 6.1 innings since returning. He'll presumably take on a middle-relief role to begin his big-league career but projects as a starter in the long term.
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White Sox's Hagen Smith: Promotion coming
Rotowire
The White Sox are expected to select Smith's contract from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Smith turned in a 4.58 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 57 innings across 15 starts before moving to the bullpen in July, and he has since given up just one run while fanning 10 batters over 6.1 frames. The 22-year-old will now get an opportunity to contribute for the big club during the final months of the season but is likely to remain in the bullpen to begin his MLB career.
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White Sox's Hagen Smith: Returns from IL
Rotowire
Triple-A Charlotte reinstated Smith (shoulder) from its 7-day injured list Sunday.
The 22-year-old lefty will rejoin the Triple-A club after a five-week stint on the shelf due to a left shoulder impingement. Over 15 starts with Charlotte this season, Smith has submitted a 4.58 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 84:37 K:BB across 57 frames.
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White Sox's Hagen Smith: Nursing shoulder impingement
Rotowire
Smith will be shut down for two weeks after being diagnosed with a left shoulder impingement, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Smith will require two weeks to get ramped back up following the shutdown period, so he's looking at four weeks away from games in a best-case scenario. The left-hander had seemed close to getting his first opportunity at the major-league level, but that will not happen anytime soon now. Smith has collected a 4.67 ERA and 77:36 K:BB over 52 innings covering 14 starts with Triple-A Charlotte in 2026.
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White Sox's Hagen Smith: Roughed up in latest Triple-A start
Rotowire
Smith yielded eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters across 4.1 innings for Triple-A Charlotte in Saturday's 11-7 loss to Oklahoma City.
Back on Thursday, White Sox manager Will Venable told Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com that Smith was a candidate to be called up to start for the big club Saturday, but Chicago ultimately decided to wait until the following week to break in a new fifth starter. While Smith could still remain in the mix for a call-up, the rough showing against Oklahoma City might have tempered the White Sox's enthusiasm about promoting him. The 22-year-old lefty has generated an eye-popping 84 punchouts over 57 innings at Triple-A this season, but he's walked 15.9 percent of the batters he's faced and has surrendered eight home runs.
White Sox's Hagen Smith: Could start Saturday for Sox
Rotowire
Manager Will Venable said Thursday that the team is considering promoting Smith to start Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
The White Sox don't currently have a probable pitcher listed for Saturday's contest, but Smith could get the nod after posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.32 WHIP while striking out 79 batters in 52.2 innings at Triple-A Charlotte. The 22-year-old southpaw has found consistent success on the mound throughout his minor-league career, though that consistency would certainly be put to the test while making his MLB debut against one of the league's most dynamic offenses. Venable noted there is also a chance the team keeps Smith in the minors for a while longer and relies on its bullpen to get through Saturday.
Smith has a 2.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB in nine innings for Triple-A Charlotte.
Noah Schultz already earned a promotion from Triple-A, but the White Sox still have Smith and Tanner McDougal making waves in the Knights' rotation, so the pipeline of impact arms to the big-league rotation should continue in the coming weeks. Despite his success, Smith has thrown just three innings in each Triple-A start, so he would presumably start to ramp up to five-plus innings before earning the call to the show.
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White Sox's Hagen Smith: Set for Triple-A debut
Rotowire
Smith will begin the 2026 season with Triple-A Charlotte.
Smith had a strong showing this spring, striking out eight batters with one walk in 3.2 innings across three appearances. The quality of Smith's stuff is not in question, he just needs to throw enough strikes to start. Last year, the 6-foot-3 southpaw had a 3.57 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 17.6 percent walk rate in 20 starts at Double-A. If he can come anywhere close to the 5.9 percent walk rate he logged this spring, Smith could be in the big-league rotation this summer.
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White Sox's Hagen Smith: Moved to minor-league camp
Rotowire
The White Sox reassigned Smith to minor-league camp Monday.
The 22-year-old southpaw will open the 2026 season in the minors, likely with Double-A Birmingham. That's where he spent all of last year, posting a 3-3 record across 20 starts with a 3.57 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 108:56 K:BB across 75.2 innings. Per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times, Smith will open the year in Triple-A and could make his major-league debut this season.
White Sox's Hagen Smith: Returning to rotation at Double-A
Rotowire
Smith (elbow) will rejoin the rotation at Double-A Birmingham on Saturday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
It will be Smith's first start since May 10, as he has been sidelined with soreness in his pitching elbow. The fifth overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Smith holds a 2.10 ERA and 42:20 K:BB over 25.2 innings covering seven starts with Birmingham this season.
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