David Sandlin recovers from leadoff homer to dominate in White Sox debut

David Sandlin’s major league debut began about as badly as a pitcher could imagine, with Minnesota’s Byron Buxton driving his second pitch into the seats for a leadoff home run. From there, the Chicago White Sox right-hander showed the poise that made the rest of Wednesday night stand out: He retired the next 18 batters in order over six innings in a 14-2 win over the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field.

That sharp turn defined Sandlin’s first outing in the majors. The rookie right-hander allowed one hit and one run in six innings, walked none, struck out four and threw 61 pitches, 41 for strikes. After Buxton jumped on a 97.2 mph four-seam fastball to open the game’s scoring, no other Twins batter reached against Sandlin.

The debut had an unusual start even before the homer. According to MLB’s game account, Sandlin’s first pitch was challenged and overturned by the automated ball-strike system. His second pitch left the yard. He settled in immediately after that, leaning on a fastball that MLB said reached 99.3 mph and never letting the rough opening spiral into a bigger inning.

Sandlin, a 24-year-old right-hander, had been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday. He took the rotation spot of Noah Schultz after Schultz was placed on the 15-day injured list with right knee patellar tendinitis. The debut came not as part of some long-awaited ceremonial promotion, but because Chicago needed an arm. Sandlin gave the White Sox much more than coverage.

His path to this start had already taken him through three organizations. Sandlin was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2022, traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2024 and then dealt to the White Sox in February as part of the trade that brought Jordan Hicks to Chicago. MLB lists him as the White Sox’s No. 18 prospect.

Before the game, White Sox manager Will Venable said of Sandlin: “It’s really good stuff, good fastball, can really spin it.” On Wednesday, the most notable part was not just the quality of the pitches, but the response after the one mistake. Giving up a home run to the first batter of a debut can speed up a game on a young pitcher. Sandlin slowed it down instead.

The outing also fit a broader pattern for a club that has relied heavily on newcomers. Sandlin was the White Sox’s 10th player to make his major league debut this season, which MLB said tied the 2025 Athletics for the most by a team before June since 2000, citing Elias Sports Bureau. That number says plenty about how often Chicago has had to reach for fresh help, especially on the pitching side.

Sandlin said upon being recalled that “it’s going to be surreal… It still hasn’t really hit me. Still trying to take it day by day.” In his first day on a big league mound, he looked composed enough to erase a nightmare opening almost instantly. The White Sox gave him plenty of room to work with, piling up 14 runs and 18 hits, including Chase Meidroth’s seventh-inning grand slam and another home run from Munetaka Murakami.