{"id":120833,"date":"2025-11-14T11:45:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833"},"modified":"2025-11-14T11:45:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:45:12","slug":"grant-taylor-expected-to-stay-in-relief-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833","title":{"rendered":"Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<header>By Charlie Wright | <time datetime=\"2025-11-13T13:45:05-06:00\">November 13, 2025<\/time> at <time datetime=\"2025-11-13T13:45:05-06:00\">1:45pm CDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div>\n<p>Right-hander <strong>Grant Taylor<\/strong> emerged as one of Chicago\u2019s top bullpen arms last season. The current plan is for the former top prospect to reprise that role in 2026. White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters, including James Fegan of Sox Machine, that Taylor will not operate as a starter next season and will instead serve in a multi-inning relief role. \u201c<em>It\u2019s important for him to pitch multiple innings, and that goes to many of our arms in the bullpen<\/em>,\u201d Getz said. \u201c<em>It\u2019s more focused on the arsenal and ability to have deeper outings, rather than him grabbing starts next year<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Taylor entered the season ranked sixth among White Sox prospects at FanGraphs. Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs both had him inside the top 100 overall. The 23-year-old was called up in mid-June to operate out of the bullpen. Taylor posted a 4.91 ERA across 36 2\/3 innings. He made 36 appearances, 34 of which came as a reliever. Taylor\u2019s two \u201cstarts\u201d were as an opener, tossing an inning in each outing. Taylor\u2019s 2.34 xFIP and 2.65 SIERA suggest he was much more effective than his ERA would indicate. A .420 BABIP and a 61.5% LOB% were the main culprits for the inflated ERA.<\/p>\n<p>Working in shorter stints, at least until he builds up a significant workload, could make sense for Taylor given his career trajectory. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023, wiping out his sophomore season at LSU. Chicago selected him in the second round of the draft that year. Taylor made his professional debut in 2024, but only logged 19 1\/3 innings in the low minors before going down with a lat injury. Taylor opened the 2025 campaign at Double-A, making his first six appearances as a starter before moving into a relief role. He excelled with Birmingham, allowing just three earned runs over 26 2\/3 innings with a 36.6% strikeout rate. Taylor didn\u2019t cede a run in any of his nine outings as a reliever.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor immediately stepped into a high-leverage role with the White Sox, earning a save or a hold in eight of his first 11 appearances. He finished his debut season with six saves and nine holds. <strong>Jordan Leasure<\/strong>\u00a0edged Taylor for the team lead in saves with seven. Chicago didn\u2019t have a dedicated closer for much of the season, and Getz\u2019s mention of multiple innings for Taylor\u2019s role might mean he won\u2019t be the full-time stopper in 2026. The stuff seems to be there if the White Sox did want to hand Taylor the job. He notched a 34.4% strikeout rate with the help of a 98 mph fastball and elite extension. Taylor\u2019s 50% hard-hit rate isn\u2019t ideal, but a lot of that contact came on the ground. He had just a 17% fly ball rate and didn\u2019t give up a single home run, which is a nice attribute for a closer.<\/p>\n<p>Chicago had nine different relievers record a save in 2025. Leasure might have the upper hand on the closer role heading into next season, with Taylor and potentially <strong>Mike Vasil<\/strong> (four saves last year) factoring into the 9th inning strategy. The club hasn\u2019t had a reliever reach double-digit saves since <strong>Liam Hendriks<\/strong> had 37 in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The commitment to keeping Taylor in the bullpen means he won\u2019t factor into the rotation mix. With <strong>Martin Perez<\/strong> hitting the market, the staff currently includes <strong>Shane Smith<\/strong>, <strong>Davis Martin<\/strong>, <strong>Sean Burke<\/strong>, and <strong>Jonathan Cannon<\/strong>, though Getz said the latter two would need to earn their spots this spring. <strong>Yoendrys Gomez<\/strong> closed the season in the rotation and would likely push for a spot if the team doesn\u2019t bring in another arm. Top prospects <strong>Hagen Smith<\/strong> and <strong>Noah Schultz<\/strong> are also looming as future options. It\u2019s an inexperienced group, and Getz said the team is interested in adding pitching via free agency, but framed it in terms of safeguarding the younger arms from handling a heavy burden. \u201c<em>In terms of protecting some of these players and creating depth, tapping into the free agent market might be the right decision as well<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Photo courtesy Brad Mills, Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>View Comments (16)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>White Sox GM Chris Gets expects right-hander Grant Taylor to pitch out of the bullpen next season. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":120834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[4559],"class_list":["post-120833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-grant-taylor"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"White Sox GM Chris Gets expects right-hander Grant Taylor to pitch out of the bullpen next season. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-14T11:45:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avtvip-95-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833\",\"name\":\"Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avtvip-95-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-14T11:45:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-14T11:45:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avtvip-95-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avtvip-95-1.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":900},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\",\"name\":\"MrThanh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThanh\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role - NEWS USA","og_description":"White Sox GM Chris Gets expects right-hander Grant Taylor to pitch out of the bullpen next season. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-11-14T11:45:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avtvip-95-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThanh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThanh","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833","name":"Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avtvip-95-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-14T11:45:12+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-14T11:45:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avtvip-95-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avtvip-95-1.jpg","width":900,"height":900},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=120833#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec","name":"MrThanh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThanh"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120833"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":120835,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120833\/revisions\/120835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/120834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}