GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shane Smith earned well-deserved recognition last year as the White Sox’ lone All-Star, but he wasn’t the only rookie worth celebrating. Fellow right-hander Mike Vasil demonstrated his own worth — and now has a chance to continue his remarkable ascent.
Vasil, 25, will get an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation after finishing with a 2.50 ERA in a predominantly relief role without a blazing fastball.
“I have the higher [velocity] in the tank,” Vasil said. “But I think for me, realizing that pitching is an art, I always learned how to pitch first, and the velo would come.
“Obviously, look, in today’s game, there’s guys throwing above 100 miles an hour, which is crazy. But it’s realizing what works best for you and creating a plan.”
At first it might sound like a stretch to move Vasil to a regular starting role. In 44 relief appearances in 2025, including 14 of three innings or more, he had a 2.00 ERA, saving a Sox bullpen that had a collective 4.16 ERA with 24 blown saves from further despair.
After three consecutive starts in June in which he allowed three home runs over 11 innings and had a 6.55 ERA, the Sox relegated him to the pen. He threw a career-high 5⅓ innings in his first appearance after the demotion, allowing only one earned run. He then posted a 2.54 ERA over 22 appearances in the second half as the Sox used him exclusively as a reliever.
The key for Vasil in 2026 will be continued success with his 94 mph sinker, which factored heavily in his 51.4% ground-ball rate. The pitch plays well at hitter-friendly Rate Field and compensated for his 19.4% strikeout rate last season.
“I love ground balls and realizing that it’s a weapon, especially in today’s game, where a lot of guys are obviously trying to hit the ball in the air,” Vasil said.
The Sox could use more efficiency in their rotation. Their starters threw only 53.5% of the team’s 1,416 innings in 2025.
“[Vasil’s] got the physical capability of doing it,” manager Will Venable said. “We asked him to do a lot of different things last year — pitch a little bit of length, some shorter stints — and he was able to respond to everything and really earned that right to come to camp to compete for a starting job. We’re going to give him a shot to do that, and we also know that as this thing all comes together, he’s going to do a lot of different things for us.”
Smith, right-hander Davis Martin and lefty Anthony Kay (who signed a two-year deal in December) appear entrenched in the rotation, leaving two spots open. Right-hander Erick Fedde, who signed a one-year deal last week, may be in the mix but needs to regain the form he had with the Sox before they sent him to the Cardinals at the trade deadline in 2024. That would leave at least one possible spot for Vasil.
“I don’t know what the team plans on having him do, but, like, as a catcher, you see him attacking hitters early and often,” said Kyle Teel, who caught Vasil at the University of Virginia and last year with the Sox. “That’s a really great quality that he has.”
Vasil knows there are no guarantees, especially after what he experienced last offseason. He was a pre-arranged Rule 5 pick by the Phillies, who immediately sent him to the Rays. They put him on waivers in late March, which allowed the Sox to claim him.
“I realized that I’m able to do a lot of things, and that’s valuable,” said Vasil, who spent his first four seasons in the Mets’ organization. “But at the end of the day, I’m a team guy. It’s team over me.”