The Boston Red Sox made a lot of moves this offseason. One of those moves saw them send prospect David Sandlin to the Chicago White Sox in a trade.
Sadly, the trade was mainly a dump for the Red Sox. It was pretty clear Boston was trying to get the Jordan Hicks contract off the books, and it was willing to ship off some prospect capital to get the job done.
The Red Sox got Gage Ziehl back in the deal, a right-handed pitching prospect who has been solid in Double-A. However, it’s hard to out-duel Sandlin at the moment, and he’s been rewarded for it. On May 25, Elijah Evans of Just Baseball Media announced that the White Sox promoted David Sandlin to the majors.
White Sox promote former Red Sox prospect David Sandlin to the majors
Sandlin started the year injured, so when he came back, it was on a rehab assignment in High-A. There, he allowed three hits in 4 1/3 scoreless innings over two appearances (both starts). He walked five batters and struck out nine.
Sandlin was then bumped back to Triple-A, where he made four appearances (all starts). The right-handed pitcher posted a 0.75 ERA, .200 BAA, and 1.25 WHIP over 12 innings. He struck out 17 batters and walked six. Sandlin has yet to allow a home run in 16 1/3 innings in 2026.
There has always been legitimate arm talent. Sandlin possesses a fastball that can reach 100 MPH, as well as a devastating splitter and slider combination. He’s had issues with control and his stuff losing some juice as he goes deeper in games. However, those issues didn’t crop up nearly as much in 2025.
The White Sox have been a surprise team this season. At 27-26, not only are they over .500, but they are in second place in the American League Central and currently hold the second Wild Card spot. So this isn’t just a case of a bad team wanting to give young prospects a shot — they view Sandlin as someone who can help the team win.
The 25-year-old came over to Boston in a trade with the Kansas City Royals (for reliever John Schreiber), and quickly built a fantastic relationship with the fanbase. Hopefully, White Sox fans have grown to love him in a similar fashion.
The Sandman was drafted in the 11th round in 2022, and in 2026, it looks like the former Red Sox prospect is making his MLB debut. Even though he’s not part of the organization anymore, he’s an easy guy to keep rooting for.
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