White Sox DFA Outfielder After Short Stay With Team

April 16, 2026 ,
Chicago White Sox outfielder Dustin Harris catches the ball during 2026 game.

Dustin Harris got a decent shot. 

The 26-year-old outfielder signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox last December after the Texas Rangers removed him from their 40-man and he rejected an outright assignment to Round Rock, taking his chances on the open market. 

When Austin Hays went down with a right hamstring strain on April 7, hobbling the last several feet to catch a fly ball against the Baltimore Orioles before being helped off the field, the White Sox called Harris up from Charlotte as outfield depth. 
He delivered a memorable moment against the Kansas City Royals a few days later, doubling to open the seventh and scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, then robbing Kansas City at the wall in the eighth. 

Not bad for a minor league veteran on a fill-in assignment. On Wednesday, the White Sox designated him for assignment. Sam Antonacci is in the building, and there's simply no room for Harris anymore. 

Antonacci Forced the Issue

The White Sox had been fielding questions about Antonacci for weeks. 

A 23-year-old fifth-round pick from Coastal Carolina, he had blazed through every level he touched: posting a 153 wRC+ at Double-A Birmingham last year, then following that up with a 1.046 OPS in Arizona Fall League play. 

He represented Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic in March and carried that momentum into Triple-A Charlotte, where he hit .289/.484/.444 with 15 hits, 15 walks, five stolen bases and just seven strikeouts in his first 14 games. 

The White Sox, who started the year 6-11 and already had Everson Pereira and Brooks Baldwin on the shelf alongside Hays, kept hearing the same question: why isn't Antonacci up yet? 

GM Chris Getz's answer was always the same: to let him keep developing, as he's only had nine games above Double-A. 

Two weeks of that kind of Triple-A production later, the answer changed. Harris had no options remaining. Antonacci was recalled along with lefty Tyler Gilbert, with Brandon Eisert optioned in the corresponding move. 

What Antonacci Brings and What Comes Next

Antonacci's profile isn't a power bat, as his hit tool and plate discipline are the calling cards, with a sprint speed and baserunning instinct that fits what manager Will Venable wants to do. 

He was primarily a middle infielder through the minors but the White Sox have been developing him in left field at Charlotte this season, giving him outfield experience to expand his utility. 

With the roster already stacked left-handed between Benintendi, and Tristan Peters, Antonacci gives Venable a more dynamic option while keeping positional flexibility at second or third if needed. 

He is now the second high-profile prospect to debut in back-to-back days, with Noah Schultz, the No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, making his MLB debut Tuesday.  

Photo Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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