White Sox DFA Former 1st-Round Pick Pitcher
Right-hander Tyler Davis has had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte to fill the roster spot.
Sims, 31, pitched in nine games for Chicago this season, posting a 4.50 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP across ten innings with a 10-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The results were not good enough to hold a big league job on a rebuilding team with no urgency to carry veteran relievers who are not producing.
White Sox latest pitching shuffle have them bringing up RHP Tyler Davis. RHP Lucas Sims was DFA.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) April 23, 2026
A Career That Has Always Hinged on Command
Sims was drafted 21st overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2012 draft out of Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia.
He spent years developing through Atlanta's system before being traded to the Reds in 2018 as part of the Adam Duvall deal, and it was in Cincinnati where he finally found a sustained big league role.
From 2020 through 2024 with the Reds and Red Sox, Sims posted a 3.89 ERA across 189.2 innings with a 29.4 percent strikeout rate, collecting 39 holds and four saves and earning a reputation as one of the more reliable middle relief options in the National League at his peak.
The problem has always been walks.
Even during his best stretches in Cincinnati, his walk rate hovered around 12 percent, well above league average.
In 2025, with Washington, it became untenable.
#WhiteSox roster moves, per the team:
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) April 23, 2026
RHP Tyler Davis selected from @KnightsBaseball
RHP Lucas Sims designated for assignment pic.twitter.com/B3iX4HL8E1
He posted a 13.86 ERA across 12.1 innings with the Nationals before being released in May, walked 19.4 percent of the batters he faced, hit seven more, and was eventually cut loose.
A Triple-A stint with the Phillies that season was not much better, with an 18.6 percent walk rate across 34 innings.
The White Sox signed him to a minor league deal in January, and he impressed enough in spring training to earn a roster spot when Rule 5 pick Jedixson Paez struggled out of the gate in early April.
He was solid in his debut, firing two scoreless innings, and spoke publicly about an offseason focused on mental health and rediscovering his love of the game.
But the command issues returned, the 11.3 percent walk rate this season still ran above average, and after nine appearances, the White Sox decided Davis gives them a better look going forward.
What Comes Next
Sims will have five days to be traded or placed on waivers, at which point he could either be claimed by another club or clear to Triple-A.
Given his track record and the walk rate concerns, it is more likely he clears than not.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
