Joey Gallo hit by the White Sox; focus shifts to pitching
Joey Gallo, who was dismissed by the Chicago White Sox, intends to give throwing a shot.
In nine spring training games played in the Cactus League with Chicago, Gallo hit.20% with one hit and eleven strikeouts. The infielder/first baseman was in camp on a minor league deal.
Following Sunday's announcement by the White Sox that they had waived the two-time All-Star,
Gallo took to social media to declare that he was retiring from outfielding and would be starting to throw.
"He had expressed interest through his agent if it didn't work out on the major league team, that he was going to explore the pitching side," MLB.com was informed by White Sox associate general manager Josh Barfield.
"Just talking to Joey and talking to him this morning, came to a mutual agreement that that was the best thing," White Sox manager Will Venable said. "Wish him luck as he starts a new chapter as a pitcher."
As a Washington National, Gallo had 223 at-bats last season and hit.161 with 10 home runs, 27 RBIs, and 102 strikeouts. The Nationals turned down Gallo's $8 million mutual option back in November.
Gallo has played in 2,869 at-bats for 10 big league teams: the Nationals (2021-22), the New York Yankees (2021-22), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2022), Minnesota (2023), and Texas (2015-21).
His career statistics include a.194 average, 208 home runs, 453 RBIs, and 1,292 strikeouts.
Friday, the 25-year-old right-hander, who was selected in the 13th round of the 2022 amateur selection, threw 1⅓ innings before exiting due to elbow pain.