The White Sox announced that left-hander Ryan Borucki has been signed to a minor league deal that contains an invitation to Chicago’s big league Spring Training camp. It’s something of a homecoming for Borucki, who grew up just north of Chicago in Mundelein, Illinois.
With eight MLB seasons under his belt, Borucki brings a lot of veteran know-how to an overall inexperienced White Sox relief corps. Though Chicago’s priority during a rebuild is still giving innings to these younger pitchers, having a seasoned reliever like Borucki around might be helpful if Borucki pitches well enough in camp to earn a roster spot. Brandon Eisert and Tyler Gilbert (likely the two top left-handed options in the Sox pen) are coming off so-so performances in 2025, so Borucki also provides some added southpaw depth.
Borucki has plenty to prove himself, however, as his struggles against right-handed batters and his inability to keep the ball in the park have led to middling results. Over 256 1/3 career innings in the Show, Borucki has a 4.28 ERA, 19.7K%, and 8.9BB%. While Borucki has been prone to allowing home runs, he has done a good job of avoiding fly balls in general, with a 51.8% grounder rate over 135 1/3 innings from 2021-25.
In 2025, Borucki posted a 4.63 ERA, 22% strikeout rate, and 11% walk rate over 35 innings with the Pirates and Blue Jays, while missing about six weeks due to a back injury. He signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh last winter, and caught on with Toronto (his original team) on another minors contract after being released by the Bucs in August, but the Jays also designated Borucki for assignment and then outrighted him in September after four MLB outings.