Mundelein native and lifelong White Sox fan Ryan Borucki fighting for spot in his favorite team's bullpen

GLENDALE, Ariz. — No crying in baseball? Not the case for Ryan Borucki, who teared up as an 11-year-old watching his beloved White Sox in the 2005 World Series.

“I was a huge [Scott] Podsednik fan, so when he hit that walk-off in Game 2, I think I started crying when it happened,” said Borucki, a Mundelein High School product.

Now Borucki’s rubbing his eyes as he fights for a spot in the bullpen on the team whose players covered the walls of his boyhood room in the north suburbs.

“It’s awesome. Growing up a White Sox fan, just definitely a dream come true to be able to put this uniform on. As a kid, I used to always put it on, acting like I was on the White Sox in my backyard,” he said Friday.

“My golden guy was Mark Buehrle,” said Borucki, a not-quite-as-soft-tossing lefty who took his idol’s No. 56 while playing in Toronto from 2018-22, followed by a short stint last year.

The Sox great’s number obviously isn’t for the taking at Camelback Ranch — it was retired almost a decade ago — so Borucki is wearing 43 as he tries to lock down a relief role. He’s in camp on a minor-league deal.

Borucki, who turns 32 next month, has posted a 4.28 ERA since debuting in 2018. The 6-4 hurler’s best season as a reliever came with the Pirates in 2023 when he was 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.74 WHIP across 38 appearances.

That success came after a brief stop in the Cubs organization, though he didn’t appear in a game for his other hometown team.

“I never liked the Cubs when I was growing up and it didn't really end well,” laughed Borucki, who lives in Florida but whose parents remain in Mundelein. “I don't even consider them a team that I played for.”

But count him in for all other things Chicago, especially the Bears.

“I love this city. It means so much to me. … I'll just watch Bears highlights of this past season. I still get chills,” Borucki said. “They were a very inspirational team for all Chicago sports. So it's like, why not us?”

No reason to think otherwise for manager Will Venable, who said Borucki is “firmly in the mix” for a spot in the bullpen.

‘Road bumps’ for Drew Thorpe’s recovery

The start of camp hasn’t been as cheerful for power-throwing prospect Drew Thorpe, who still hasn’t thrown off a mound as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Thorpe, the centerpiece of the Dylan Cease trade, blew out his elbow in spring training last year. The 25-year-old right-hander wasn’t expected back until the second half of this season, but his recovery “hit some road bumps” with mild tendinitis, he said this week.

“Everything looks good in there,” Thorpe said. “It just slows me down a little bit, which is frustrating, but day by day, we’ll get there.”

Thorpe showed flashes of his potential in nine big-league starts in 2024, which was also cut short for him due to a bone spur.

Relegated to rehab at the Sox’ Arizona complex, Thorpe occasionally traveled with the team last season to keep his spirits up.

“I’m getting sick of Arizona,” he said.