With injuries decimating their starting pitching depth, the White Sox are hunting for reliable innings eaters. Searching the market for other teams’ scraps is not out of the equation. James Fox of FutureSox has reported that the team is “in discussions” with free agent right-handed pitcher Adrian Houser.
Houser’s Player Profile
Houser, 32, has parts of eight seasons of MLB experience to his name. He has also started at least 18 games in a season on four different occasions. The 6’3, 242-pound right-hander had his best season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021 when he pitched to a 3.22 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 142.1 innings across 26 starts. Houser had spent the entire 2025 season up to this point with the Triple-A Round Rock Express in the Texas Rangers organization after signing a contract with the team this past offseason. He put up just a 5.03 ERA in 39.1 innings but recorded a much more respectable 1.14 WHIP. In addition, he struck out nearly a batter an inning.
White Sox Pitching Injuries
Houser was granted his release by the Rangers earlier this week in search of a new opportunity. The White Sox are a logical landing spot, as injuries have destroyed their upper-minors pitching depth. Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush, and Mason Adams figured to see big league time this season, but all went down to Tommy John surgery in spring training. Martín Pérez, the one projected innings-eater and veteran in the rotation, also went down with an elbow injury in April. He will likely not return this season, creating a bigger need for another innings eater.
As a result, the White Sox have had to piece together a starting rotation with their remaining healthy pitchers. The quartet of Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Jonathan Cannon, and Sean Burke has performed admirably under the circumstances, but all will likely have their workloads monitored down the stretch. Veteran swingman Bryse Wilson has taken the fifth spot in the rotation for now, but his performance has left much to be desired. Obtaining another innings eater like Houser makes sense.
White Sox Ties
Houser also has ties to current White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven from their days with the Brewers. The two are plenty familiar, which could explain the team’s interest. Fox noted in his report that Houser could slide into the big league rotation even though he has performed significantly better as a reliever throughout his MLB career.
An official contract between the two parties has not yet been announced, but this report is worth acknowledging. Houser would not be a long-term part of the White Sox future should they sign him, but could still be valuable. His presence would help alleviate some of the workload burdens from the younger pitchers on the team.
