Chicago White Sox DFA Two Interesting Players

The Chicago White Sox finalized their Opening Day roster ahead of Thursday's series opener in Milwaukee against the Brewers.

Catcher Korey Lee and infielder Curtis Mead were both designated for assignment, clearing 40-man spots for a team that had a logjam of out-of-options players and no room to keep everyone. 

Both now have five days to be traded or claimed on waivers before the picture gets clearer.

Curtis Mead's White Sox Tenure Ends Before It Really Started

Mead's story is one of those trades that looks different depending on which end of it you're standing on. 

The Tampa Bay Rays originally acquired him from the Philadelphia Phillies back in 2021 in exchange for a young left-hander who went on to pitch 52 and two-thirds innings of 5.47 ERA ball for Philadelphia over the next two seasons. 

For a while, it looked like another Tampa Bay heist, as Mead shot up prospect lists and looked like a future everyday third baseman. 

Then Cristopher Sanchez became a legitimate ace in Philly, and Mead got flipped to Chicago last year for a half season of Adrian Houser.

Korey Lee will not make the Opening Day roster for the White Sox

Spring Training stats (14 games):
.297 AVG
.975 OPS
2 HRs
6 RBIs
9 BB / 10 K pic.twitter.com/XWpmNnVVFI

— SleeperWhiteSox (@SleeperWhiteSox) March 23, 2026

In 488 major league plate appearances, the 25-year-old Australian has hit .238 with a .300 on-base percentage and a .317 slugging mark. 

He hasn't walked much, hasn't hit the ball hard, and has received middling defensive grades at both corner infield spots. 

His Triple-A numbers, a .293/.373/.501 line in 856 plate appearances, suggest there might be more to unlock, but unlocking it requires regular at-bats, and a team would need to be comfortable giving them to him. 

The Colorado Rockies or Washington Nationals could take a speculative flier. There's also a real chance he passes through waivers unclaimed and stays in Charlotte as a depth piece.

Korey Lee Heads to the Market as Reese McGuire Takes His Spot

Lee's situation is a little more straightforward. 

The White Sox brought in veteran catcher Reese McGuire on a one-year deal after Kyle Teel landed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain he picked up playing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. 

With McGuire and Edgar Quero now handling the catching duties, there simply wasn't room to keep Lee on the active roster without options remaining. 

He hit .289 this spring with a pair of home runs, six RBIs, nine walks, and 10 strikeouts.

pic.twitter.com/631l8Ths3y

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 25, 2026

In 504 plate appearances with Chicago, Lee has slashed .195/.237/.325, walking just 5.2 percent of the time against a 29.6 percent strikeout rate. 

He's thrown out nearly a quarter of runners who've tried to steal on him, which is a legitimate skill, but his framing grades have been below average and his work blocking balls in the dirt hasn't helped his case. 

Teams like the Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Kansas City Royals could use a backup catcher with his arm behind the plate, and there's a decent chance someone puts in a waiver claim before the 48-hour window closes. 

The White Sox, meanwhile, open Thursday with Shane Smith on the mound against Jacob Misiorowski.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images