Former White Sox’ first-round pick Jacob Gonzalez returns to Rate Field after being traded in July
Infielder Jacob Gonzalez was a White Sox first-round pick in 2023 and leading the minors in homers when he was called up earlier this year, but still suspected he could be the odd man out.
“I was always nervous,” Gonzalez told the Sun-Times on Tuesday, before his first game at Rate Field since being traded to the Pirates. “What’s going to happen when [Munetaka Murakami] comes back?”
A drastically reworked swing under hitting director Ryan Fuller’s tutelage, a blistering .317/.419/.668 start in Triple-A, and Murakami’s Grade 2 hamstring strain, all worked to grant the 24-year-old Gonzalez a 30-game run with the White Sox. He was no Murakami, posting a .683 OPS while manning first base in his stead, but showed mettle in batting 8-for-18 (.444) with runners in scoring position; including a June 27 walk-off single against the Royals.
Still, the writing was on the wall when Murakami returned. Gonzalez was optioned to Charlotte as the corresponding move, and when he was pulled two innings into his first game back in the minors, he didn’t think it was for a return trip to Chicago.
“I didn’t get told until the game ended what happened, so I was just sitting in the clubhouse waiting,” Gonzalez said. “I had enough time to figure out I was probably traded, but just sitting around and not knowing anything, that was the craziest part.”
Rather than infield depth, the Sox felt Gonzalez’s 2026 turnaround from looking like a failed prospect was best used to acquire more draft capital. They traded Gonzalez and lefty Brandon Eisert to Pittsburgh for relief prospect Jaden Woods and the 34th overall pick, which they used on Nazareth shortstop Landon Thome.
Acquired to give the Pirates a shortstop while Konnor Griffin was out with an injury, Gonzalez hasn’t yet inspired regret. Gonzalez has a .586 OPS with Pittsburgh after going 1-for-5 on Tuesday, and is bouncing around the infield now that Griffin has returned. Gonzalez still stays in touch with his old teammates, and is even planning a December trip to Japan with Sam Antonacci, Rikuu Nishida and others, but betrayed no big emotions about returning to where it started.
“Feels like a normal road trip for me, but it’ll be fun to play against some of my friends,” said Gonzalez, who appreciates looking over his shoulder less at his new place. “It’s probably been better for me to come up here and struggle a bit, because that means I got to figure some new things out.”
Brazoban at the ready
Acquired at last month’s trade deadline to boost the bullpen, right-hander Huascar Brazoban is back in Chicago after two scoreless appearances in his Triple-A rehab assignment for a left lat strain. But the White Sox aren’t rushing him back into action.
“He’s on the taxi squad right now,” said manager Will Venable “In case there’s a need over the next couple of days, he’ll be close by.”
Brazoban had yielded runs in five of his last six appearances before his injury.
Dash in playoffs, sans Wolkow
The Winston-Salem Dash, the Sox’ High-A affiliate, fought back from a six-run deficit to win Game 1 of a best-of-three series against Bowling Green. They’re playing without 20-year-old Downers Grove-native George Wolkow, who posted a 22-homer, 100-RBI season, after he suffered a hairline fracture of his left big toe on a slide.