GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shane Smith entered Chicago White Sox camp last season vying for a role after being selected in the Rule 5 draft.
A lot has changed in one year. But Smith is approaching camp with a similar mindset.
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“A lot of it is the same, just in terms of personal potential and trying to be the best I can possibly be on any given day,” Smith told the Tribune on Tuesday at Camelback Ranch. “Whatever the role is, whatever they want from me, that’s not up to me.
“Really trying to make sure I put in good, daily work and build good routines and making sure I’m ready to go every five days.”
Smith was up for the challenge last season, becoming the first rookie pitcher in Sox history to be selected to an All-Star team and just the second player in major-league history to make an All-Star team in the year following his Rule 5 draft selection — joining Marlins’ second baseman Dan Uggla in 2006.
Smith finished the season 7-8 with a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts. The right-hander had 145 strikeouts in 146 1/3 innings.
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He completed 2025 in style, taking a perfect game into the sixth inning during the final game of the regular season against the Washington Nationals. Smith allowed one hit over six scoreless innings, striking out eight in the 8-0 victory.
Smith, who turns 26 in April, said his biggest takeaways from 2025 included “making sure I’m ready to go when my name is called every five to six days and making sure I’m getting the routines in now.”
“You can tweak stuff later, you can tweak stuff now,” Smith said. “But lay a good foundation in the next couple of weeks.”
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Smith was back at it on Tuesday, throwing a bullpen session in a group with Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon as pitchers and catchers participated in their first workout of the spring.
“Shane looks great,” manager Will Venable said Monday. “He’s a guy that coming into camp last year as a Rule 5 guy, not an easy thing to do. And we saw how quickly he really embraced that and performed at a really high level. This year, he’s got that year under his belt. He doesn’t have the pressure of being a Rule 5 guy — I’m not sure that it really impacts him at all anyway. If anything else, it helped him.
“So just really excited to see what he does as a guy that’s got a full year in the big leagues, knowing he was able to accomplish all those things as a Rule 5 pick.”
Smith is one of several Sox players preparing for Year 2.
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“There’s some component of survival in this game, no matter what — there’s just not room for error for anybody in this league,” Venable said, speaking generally. “At the same time, to get through a year in which you have proved to yourself and proved to your teammates that you can perform at this level, I think, is a huge confidence booster for all these guys.
“Certainly looking forward to seeing what the next step for that young group is.”
Smith made sure to take some time at the beginning of the offseason to reset.
“And then once you start getting back in the weight room and doing all that stuff again, the mind starts saying, ‘Let’s get this going again,’” he said. “I’m ready to get into it.”
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Smith looks to build upon his 2025 season with the approach of “leave the good and take the bad.”
“Use all the things you struggled with last year, and obviously make sure you use your strengths,” Smith said. “But, like not throwing offspeed pitches for strikes — it’s like OK, let’s make sure we do a lot more of that.
“It’s realizing what you did well and using it, but also, hey, let’s raise the floor a little bit rather than trying to push through the ceiling.”
The Sox officially added to their pitching staff on Tuesday, announcing a one-year, $1.5 million deal with pitcher Erick Fedde. Reports of the signing surfaced on Monday.
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To make room for Fedde on the 40-man roster, the Sox placed pitcher Ky Bush on the 60-day injured list to continue his recovery from Tommy John surgery.
The Sox also traded pitcher Bryan Hudson to the New York Mets for cash considerations. Hudson had been designated for assignment on Feb. 4.
Venable pays tribute to Terrance Gore
Venable began Tuesday’s session with reporters paying tribute to Terrance Gore. The outfielder died Friday at the age of 34.
“I was lucky enough to coach Terrance for a short time in Chicago (in 2018 with the Cubs),” Venable said. “He was an amazing human, amazing guy. Obviously taken way too soon, a master at his craft, and just someone that was a pleasure to be around. Really sad news, and just wanted to send some love and condolences to the family.”