White Sox Outright Nick Maton

White Sox infielder Nick Maton has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte. Maton was designated for assignment on the weekend. He has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency, though it’s not clear if he will exercise that right. Scott Merkin of MLB.com was among those to relay the news of the outright today.

Maton, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Sox in the offseason. He cracked the club’s Opening Day roster and got into 23 games. In his 61 plate appearances, he walked at a strong 14.8% pace but was also struck out at a 29.5% clip. He hit .173/.295/.327 for a wRC+ of 84. It’s possible he would have performed better in time, since his .219 batting average on balls in play is well below league average, but the Sox decided to move on.

He played a bit of first base, second base and left field but was primarily in the designated hitter slot. That seemed to be a bet on his minor league production. While he has hit just .202/.302/.354 in his big league career, he slashed .269/.382/.466 on the farm over 2023 and 2024 for a 124 wRC+. He then had a nice spring showing with the Sox this year, hitting .289/.357/.632. Unfortunately, it didn’t translate to the regular season, giving the club tepid production from the DH spot.

Maton is out of options, so he had to be removed from the 40-man roster entirely when the club grabbed Gage Workman from DFA limbo. As a player with a previous career outright, he can head to the open market and look for opportunities elsewhere if he so chooses.

If he sticks with the Sox, it’s possible that at-bats will open as the season rolls along. They are 7-21 and sure to be deadline sellers. Players like Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Vaughn and others will likely be traded this summer if they are playing well. That could open a path for Maton to return, though the Sox could also give playing time to prospects like Kyle Teel or Colson Montgomery.

Photo courtesy of Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images