The White Sox claimed right-hander A.J. Alexy off waivers from Minnesota on Monday.
Alexy, 24, made four relief appearances for the Rangers last season and five including four starts in 2021, combining for a 6.30 ERA in those games. He spent most of 2022 with Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization, going 6-6 with a 6.28 ERA over 31 games including 16 starts.
The Sox had room to add depth to their Triple-A roster and could be thin in their major league starting rotation with newly signed Mike Clevinger under investigation by Major League Baseball for alleged domestic violence and child abuse against his 10-month-old daughter and her mother and facing a possible suspension.
The 6-4, 195-pound Alexy was designated for assignment by Texas on Dec. 9 and claimed off waivers by Washington on December 13. He was DFA’d by the Nationals on Jan. 4 and traded to the Twins on Jan. 10 in exchange for right-hander Cristian Jiménez. The most appealing thing on Alexy’s resume is his 2021 season in the minors, when he posted a 1.66 ERA in 16 games including 10 starts between Triple-A and Double-A in the Rangers system.
Alexy, who has an option year left and can be kept in the minors, will likely be added to the Sox’ mix of Triple-A pitchers along with right-handers Davis Martin, Jonathan Stiever and Jason Bilous who could be used for spot starting as Martin did last season.
Alexy is 19-25 with a 3.93 ERA and 465 strikeouts in 105 games including 78 starts over parts of six minor-league seasons.
The White Sox 40-man roster increases to 40.
