The White Sox bullpen shuffle continued Friday with right-hander Jordan Leasure going on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain in his right forearm. In a corresponding move, the South Siders recalled lefty Tyler Gilbert from Triple-A Charlotte.
Leasure, in his third major league season, will be shut down for eight to 10 weeks, manager Will Venable said.
Leasure is 2-1 with a 6.27 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings and 18 appearances in two stints with the Sox in 2026. The 27-year-old righty said he’s been dealing with inflammation in his flexor, just below his right elbow, for several weeks.
“It kind of started small, didn’t really give it the time it needed to heal all the way,” Leasure said. “So it’s kind of gotten worse from there.”
It flared on Thursday as Leasure followed starter Davis Martin by pitching the seventh inning in a 6-2 win over Minnesota. Leasure allowed one run on a double and sac fly while throwing 15 pitches.
“Warming up, didn’t feel great and then going into the game, kind of right off the bat didn’t feel very good,” Leasure said. “So I try to compete through just about anything, but coming off the mound I kind of told Will that something didn’t feel right. Obviously, it’s kind of frustrating and kind of sucks the way the season’s been going for me.”
It could have been worse for Leasure, who underwent an MRI. He had Tommy John surgery eight years ago as a college player with the University of Tampa.
“The ligament, they said was fine, just a lot of strain on the flexor and pronator and a lot of inflammation” Leasure said. “Kind of good news, but not the best news obviously.”
Still, Leasure said learning the ligament wasn’t damaged was “definitely a sigh of relief.”
Leasure started the season with the White Sox, then was optioned to to Triple-A on May 7 after the South Siders acquired righty Trevor Richards.
Leasure was recalled on May 23 when reliever Jordan Hicks went down with a right lat strain. In the two games since his recall, Leasure allowed two runs in 2 1/3 innings. He yielded a grand slam to the Giants’ Harrison Bader when he entered with the bases loaded in a 10-3 loss at San Francisco last Saturday.
Gilbert returns after rough outings with Sox
Gilbert, who gives Venable four lefties in his bullpen, has appeared in two games in two different stints with the Sox this season and has allowed six runs for a whopping 20.25 ERA.
He’s fared a lot better in Charlotte, going is 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings and 13 appearances.
“I think Gilbert’s in a good spot,” Venable said. “There’s a couple of guys down there who were pitching really well that were options.”
Venable will still turn to 6-foot-8 lefty Bryan Hudson, whose having a terrific season, “as a neutral leverage guy that you like against everybody.”
Hudson entered Friday 2-1 with a 1.37 ERA in 26 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old from downstate Alton has allowed a run in just three of his 27 appearances.
Pereira nearing return
Outfielder Everson Pereira, out since April 29 with a right pectoral strain, has resumed throwing in Chicago and could be nearing a return.
Swinging a bat and running weren’t issues 25-year old Venezuelan, who is batting .250 with three homers and seven RBIs in 18 games with the Sox, who acquired him with Tanner Murray from Tampa Bay last November.
“Just want to give him a few more days here and continue to build up,” Venable said. Once we feel good about that, he’ll go on a rehab assignment.