Chicago White Sox Shock With Unexpected Bullpen Move
As we sit less than 24 hours away from Opening Day, the White Sox have officially announced their roster to open the season. This included a few surprising DFA’s, but one of the more interesting moves came a few days ago.
On Sunday, the White Sox announced that they optioned left handed reliever Brandon Eisert to AAA Charlotte.
Prior to tonight’s spring training game vs. Seattle, the Chicago White Sox optioned left-handed pitcher Brandon Eisert to Class AAA Charlotte.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 22, 2026
This is a bit surprising, as Eisert was one of the most heavily used pitchers in Will Venable’s bullpen last season. He ranked 6th in innings pitched on the roster, behind all the starting pitchers and Mike Vasil. Additionally, he had the most games pitched on the roster. To cut him a few days before even finalizing the roster is a bit surprising due to his usage last season.
Last season Eisert went 3–8 with a 4.39 ERA over 69.2 innings. He struck out 74 batters and had an elevated 1.44 WHIP. Despite not having much velocity, Eisert was still able to miss a good amount of bats.
HE GONE!
Brandon Eisert leaves the bases loaded
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) May 26, 2025
While those stats aren’t overly impressive, he had some very good stretches of baseball. In June, he posted a 3.18 ERA over 11 innings. In August, he posted a 2.19 ERA over 12 innings. However, the rest of the season was up and down for Eisert, as he posted a 6 + ERA in two separate months and a 5+ ERA in another month.
As we flip the script to 2026, Eisert had a decent Spring Training. In 9 innings, he had a 3 ERA, striking out 12 batter while walking two. This is a pretty good stat-line and it was good to see his K/9 ratio increase from last season.
But, with newly acquired lefty Chris Murphy having a good Spring Training, the pressure was on Eisert to make the team, especially with the White Sox bringing in lefty Sean Newcomb in free agency. This made the last lefty reliever spot in the bullpen a three man race between Eisert, Tyler Gilbert, and Ryan Borucki.
Ultimately, the White Sox opted with Tyler Gilbert over Eisert, as Gilbert also had a very good Spring Training performance, as he had a 3.86 ERA over seven innings. I believe Gilbert’s ability to pitch more than one inning helped him make the roster, as the White Sox have a lot of innings to make up with the injury to Mike Vasil. I also believe the fact that Eisert had minor league options helped make the White Sox decision, as he would not be subject to waivers if he didn’t make the team.
However, it is still a bit surprising that the White Sox moved off one of their most used relievers last season so quickly. They must think that Gilbert and Murphy give them a better chance to win, and they went with it. This just shows the new era of White Sox baseball, as they are clearly not afraid to move on from players and replace them if they have the opportunity. Regardless, I believe that we will see Eisert again this season, as if there is an injury in the bullpen, he will be the first guy called up.