Surprising Waiver Move Keeps White Sox Outfielder In The Fold
Just a few days ago the White Sox made a surprising move by designating outfielder Dominic Fletcher for assignment. This meant risking losing Fletcher to another team on waivers, as another team could have picked him up.
However, according to the White Sox, Fletcher cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA Charlotte.
OF Dominic Fletcher cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Class AAA Charlotte.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 31, 2025
This is somewhat surprising, as Fletcher showed promise in his short stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks and flashed some potential during his time in Chicago.
In 28 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, Fletcher hit .301 with two homeruns and 14 RBIs. He accumulated an impressive .7 WAR during that stretch. Fletcher wasn’t as productive in Chicago, as he hit .206 with one homer and 17 RBIs in 72 games. This wasn’t what the White Sox were looking for out of Fletcher, as they had traded a promising pitching prospect in the off-season for him. However, there were stretches of games where Fletcher looked like the player he was in Arizona.
Unfortunately, with an outfield overhaul in the winter, Fletcher faced an uphill battle to make the roster. His Spring Training performance did not inspire the front office, as he only hit .121 over 33 at-bats. This was the likely reason he was DFA’d. Fletcher is still relatively young, as he is only 27 and has just 223 major league at-bats under his belt, so it is a bit shocking a team didn’t take a flier on him.
Prior to the 2024 season Chris Getz traded Cristian Mena for Fletcher. This was an interesting trade at the time, as many people in baseball were high on Mena, as he showed flashes of potential in the minor leagues. But, the White Sox desperately needed outfielders and Fletcher had also shown promise in his short stint with the Diamondbacks, which made the trade a good fit for both sides at the time.
Now Fletcher can still get an opportunity to play in Charlotte and grind his way back to Chicago. However, at this moment the outfield in Chicago is five guys deep, as they currently have Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi, Michael A. Taylor, Austin Slater, and Travis Jankowsi. On top of that they have Mike Tauchman on the IL.
Due to this long jam, outfield at-bats will be tough to come by in Chicago until the trade deadline when most of those names could be on the move to true playoff contenders if things go well. In the meantime, Fletcher could easily rebuild his value by getting off to a hot start in Charlotte.