The White Sox have designated infielder Josh Rojas for assignment and recalled catcher Korey Lee from Triple-A Charlotte, per a team announcement. Chicago’s 40-man roster is now down to 38 players.

Rojas, 31, signed a one-year, $3.5MM contract in free agency this past offseason. The Sox and Rojas were hoping for a bounceback to the veteran infielder’s 2021-22 levels at the plate after a paid of underwhelming seasons with the bat (but solid defensive performances) in 2023-24. Instead, Rojas has missed considerable time due to a fracture in his foot and has struggled when on the field.

In 211 plate appearances with the South Siders, Rojas has turned in a bleak .180/.252/.259 slash. Rojas batted .266/.345/.401 with the D-backs in 2021-22 but has now turned in three straight sub-par years as a hitter, combining for a .223/.293/.321 output over his past 1037 plate appearances. He’s typically graded as a sound defender at both second base and third base, but in the wake of that fracture earlier this season, he’s drawn negative reviews at both positions in the estimation of metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. His average sprint speed, as measured by Statcast, fell from 27 feet per second last year to 26.2 ft/sec in 2025.

None of that is especially surprising for a player who’s entering his early 30s and is coming off a notable foot/toe injury, but it’s obviously not the season either party envisioned in free agency this past winter. The trade deadline is behind us, so the White Sox’ only course of action will be to place Rojas on outright waivers or release waivers. He’ll surely clear, as no team is going to take on the remainder of his guaranteed salary when he’s struggled this much since returning from the injured list. Rojas should draw interest on a minor league deal, whether for the remainder of the current season or in the winter with an eye toward another rebound effort in 2026.