It has already been a busy winter for the Chicago White Sox.
Over the first few months of the offseason, the White Sox made several minor trades, selected players in the Rule 5 Draft, won the Draft Lottery to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, and even made a mini splash in free agency.
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They added to the starting rotation by signing left-hander Anthony Kay out of Japan. They went back to that same pipeline to land slugging first baseman Munetaka Murakami against all odds. Chicago also bolstered its pitching depth and bullpen with a one-year deal for Sean Newcomb.
And while those MLB moves understandably got the attention of the fanbase, the White Sox are also hoping some of their minor-league additions pay dividends during the 2026 season.
One in particular stands out to me.
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Lost in the shuffle of the Murakami signing was Chicago adding outfielder Dustin Harris on a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
Harris, 26, appeared in 21 MLB games with the Texas Rangers between 2024 and 2025, posting a .715 OPS with two home runs. After electing free agency at the start of the offseason, he now lands in Chicago looking for a clearer path to opportunity.
And it’s not just the brief big-league experience that makes this move intriguing. It’s Harris’ productivity at the upper levels of the minors and the athleticism he could bring to a White Sox outfield that badly needs it.
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Harris played 91 games at Triple-A Round Rock in 2025, where he recorded an .804 OPS with 19 doubles, 11 home runs, and 33 stolen bases. The year before, he logged 131 Triple-A games and put up similar production, finishing with a .749 OPS, 22 doubles, 10 home runs, and 35 stolen bases.
Over the last few seasons, Harris has shown real improvement in his overall game. He’s walking more, striking out less, and tapping into more power — all trends reflected in his rising slugging percentage.
He’ll still be 26 years old for the first half of the 2026 season, and between the athletic profile and the fact that he hits from the left side, there’s a legitimate path for him to earn a roster spot. If it doesn’t happen coming out of Spring Training, it could come at any point during the year if injuries strike at the big-league level.
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As things stand, the White Sox are already thin in the outfield. Rumors continue to swirl that the team is looking to move Luis Robert Jr. in a trade that could materialize sooner rather than later. If that happens, the depth chart gets even thinner — and the door opens wider for someone like Harris to get his first extended runway in the majors.
On its own, this move isn’t exciting. Minor-league depth signings aren’t what White Sox fans are hoping to see this offseason, and there’s still clear work to be done to improve the big-league roster. Adding a more proven outfielder remains one of — if not the — biggest needs left to address.
But taken as part of a broader approach, additions like this make sense.
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Chicago has taken similar low-risk flyers on outfielders like Everson Pereira and Tristan Peters this offseason. You don’t need all of them to hit. Most won’t. But if even one turns into a useful, controllable contributor at the big-league level, the process pays off.
And that’s exactly the kind of bet the White Sox are making with Dustin Harris.