Davis Martin's line in his rehab start for the Charlotte Knights on Thursday -- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 40 of 59 pitches for strikes -- is even more impressive when considering how it began.
Martin walked the first batter he saw on five pitches, then started César Prieto with a cutter low, which means 39 of his final 53 pitches found the zone or otherwise generated swings. He ended up gloving a Prieto comebacker and starting a 1-6-3 double play, so the two baserunners only resulted in one batter over the minimum.
The good news is that he threw strikes with his entire arsenal and yielded only two hard-hit balls all evening. The iffier news is that he threw just two pitches 95 mph or harder, which is one of the characteristics he's struggled to negotiate the past couple of months. Not that he was ever a flamethrower, but when he was building an All-Star case earlier this season, he could reach back for 95 to 97 upwards of a dozen times per game, which helped multiple pitches play up. He's been limited to a few such pitches a start since mid-June, which puts stress on his execution.
Martin needs that extra velo to be an All-Star and midseason Cy Young candidate, but he can meet the preseason expectations of "reasonably effective" without it, so long as the command returns. Fatigue can sap location as much as it can sap velocity, so that's where I'd look to see how much the breather helped.
Assuming Martin is able to resume starting on a regular schedule, he'd next be available by Tuesday in Houston, which is the same day rosters expand, so that might be the simplest way to handle the pitching staff adding a 14th spot. That coincides with Sean Burke's next start, which gives the White Sox a couple of options if Burke's recent struggles are also related to fatigue. They could either bump him back to allow him to start on six days' rest, or they could start Martin a day after him, which would allow both to get an extra day before their next appearance, with another off day lurking on Labor Day to help rearrange the rotation further.
The White Sox probable pitchers page is TBDs after Saturday, but if you're trying to map out other Charlotte starters and when they might be able to contribute, the rotations could align something like this if the orders remain the same:
| Chicago | Day | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Castillo | Today | David Sandlin |
| Erick Fedde | Saturday | Shane Smith |
| Jose Urquidy | Sunday | Drew Thorpe |
| Anthony Kay | Monday | Noah Schultz |
| Sean Burke | Tuesday | Davis Martin |
Should Martin get the call on Tuesday, Jonathan Cannon would be in line to take his start, and the cycle would then repeat.
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"Tyler" was a top-10 baby name for boys from 1992 through 2000 according to the Social Security database, which explains why half of the White Sox's six roster moves over the last two days involve guys by that name.
On Thursday, they optioned Cannon and Rikuu Nishida to Charlotte, but only called up Tyler Davis (b. 1998) in return. That presumably left a spot open for Andrew Benintendi, who couldn't return from the bereavement/family medical emergency list until today.
Indeed, the White Sox tied up that loose end, but with a couple other moves as well. The Sox moved Tyler Schweitzer (b. 2000) to the paternity list and recalled Tyler Gilbert (b. 1993) from Charlotte to take his spot in the bullpen.
A generation later, Tyler Fatigue has taken hold. It was the 220th most popular boy name in 2025, in between "Joel" and "Kevin," and behind "Zayden" and "Messiah." If baby Schweitzer happens to be a boy, going the Tyler II route would be sticking him with an old-fashioned family moniker.
