The outgoing two veterans, never quite able to shake the injury bug, refused assignment
The White Sox seem to have a short winning streak on their side.
After convincing top candidate Will Venable to become their next manager, the club made a seemingly sly, smart snatch of a player off of the waiver wire: reliever Penn Murfee, late of the Houston Astros.
Murfee, 30, has been sidelined for a year after TJS surgery while with Seattle, who drafted him in the no-longer-existing 33rd round in 2018. But while active for the Mariners, Murfee has had a really solid career.
The full, copyedited White Sox release is below:
WHITE SOX MAKE THREE ROSTER MOVES
CHICAGO – The Chicago White Sox announced the following three roster moves:
Claimed off waivers from Houston (1): RHP Penn Murfee;
Elected free agency in lieu of accepting outright assignment (2): RHP Matt Foster and RHP Jimmy Lambert.
Murfee, 30, spent the entire 2024 season on the injured list as he continued his recovery from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow performed in July 2023. He was signed by Atlanta as a free agent on November 30, 2023, and was claimed by Houston off waivers on March 27, 2024.
The 6´2´´, 195-pound Murfee has gone 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA, .179 opponents average and 92 strikeouts (10.29 per 9.0 IP) in 80 career appearances (one start) over two major-league seasons with the Mariners (2022-23). As a rookie in 2022, he went 4-0 with a 2.99 ERA, .192 opponents average and 76 strikeouts (9.87 per 9.0 IP) over 64 appearances (one start) with Seattle.
Murfee, a native of Nashville, originally was selected by Seattle in the 33rd round of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Santa Clara University.
Foster, 29, made six appearances (one start) with the White Sox last season, going 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA and four strikeouts before undergoing season-ending back surgery on September 25. He began the season on the injured list as he continued his recovery from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow performed in April 2023.
Lambert, 29, spent the entire 2024 season on the 60-day injured list with right rotator cuff strain and underwent season-ending surgery on August 24.
Following the moves, the White Sox 40-man roster remains at 37.
It’s a sort of revolving door of injured pitchers, but the good news is that the one ready to pitch in spring training is coming to the White Sox, not leaving.
Foster was simply phenomenal in his rookie year during the pandemic 2020, and leaves the White Sox with a 0.7 career WAR. Lambert also made his debut in 2020, but blossomed in 2022; he leaves the Sox with a 0.8 career WAR.
Murfee’s stellar career, though relatively brief, gives him a leg up on a roster spot right out of camp.