PEORIA, Ariz. — The White Sox signed veteran right-hander Mike Clevinger to a one-year minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, a team source confirmed to the Sun-Times.
It’s the third Sox deal for Clevinger, who signed a one-year, $12-million contract with a mutual option in December, 2022 before coming back on a one-year, $4 million deal last season.
The Sox will evaluate Clevinger in camp and might consider using him in the back of their bullpen. He has made 156 appearances during his nine-year career (3.51 career ERA) that began in Cleveland, 142 of them as a starter.
In 2023, Clevinger was arguably the team’s best starter, posting a 3.77 ERA in 24 starts.
He signed last season after Opening Day, was recalled in May and struggled, allowing 12 runs over 16 innings with 15 strikeouts before being sidelined with a sore elbow. He underwent season-ending disk replacement surgery on his neck on Aug. 1.
The Sox signed Martin Perez, 33, to a one-year deal in the offseason for veteran help in an otherwise young, developing rotation that could include Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin, Drew Thorpe, Sean Burke and Jairo Iriarte. Thorpe is behind the others after having surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow Sept. 7. He threw from a mound for the first time since then Tuesday.
The rebuilding Sox have no clear-cut closer in a bullpen that will take shape as spring training progresses.
The Sox open Cactus League play Saturday against