The Silver Fox has arrived.
Reliever Trevor Richards reported for duty for the Chicago White Sox on Friday, three days after he was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations.
The 32-year-old right-hander has been dubbed the Silver Fox by some because of his gray hair, which started to appear when he was in high school.
Even if his hair were jet-black, the last couple of weeks would be capable of turning anyone’s hair gray. Richards opened the season in Philadelphia’s minor-league system, made nine appearances at the Triple-A level, was called up to the parent club on April 30 and pitched twice for the Phillies before he was traded to the Sox on Tuesday.
“It’s been a hectic couple of weeks,” Richards said Friday before the series opener against the Seattle Mariners at Rate Field. “I got called up with Philly and the I was basically thrown right into the fire in the middle of a doubleheader. But that’s all right by me. But then a couple of days later, I was traded. It’s been crazy.”
In his ninth major-league season, Richards has a career 24-28 record with a 4.52 ERA in 297 appearances (61 starts) with eight teams: Miami, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, Toronto, Minnesota, Kansas City, Arizona and Philadelphia. He also was in the Cubs organization to start the 2025 season but struggled at Triple A and was let go in early May.
For a player who has seen a lot of clubhouses, Richards is looking forward to joining the White Sox.
“I heard it’s a bunch of young guys who are having fun playing baseball,” he said. “That sounds like a good clubhouse to come into.”
The Sox bosses are hoping he can be a factor in the bullpen.
“He’s been throwing really well, both in Triple A and with Philly,” general manager Chris Getz said. “We wanted to add some pitching depth. We’ve used a lot of arms and in this case, let’s bring Trevor Richards in.
“He’s an experienced arm that is seemingly throwing well right now. It’s about the entirety of the season and creating as much depth and all of the arms you can and that’s what motivated the move.”
White Sox manager Will Venable exits the dugout for batting practice before a game against the Mariners on May 8, 2026, at Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Manager Will Venable is ready to put his trust in Richards.
“He’s been in this league a long time and is pitching very well right now,” Venable said. “We like his changeup and his ability to get lefties and righties out.
“To be able to get someone like him adds to our depth, and it’s good to have a trusted arm down there.”
To make room on the roster for Richards, the Sox demoted Jordan Leasure, who is 2-1 with a 6.06 ERA in 16 appearances, to Triple-A Charlotte.
“We’ve seen what he is capable of doing,” Getz said of Leasure. “He’s been an impact reliever here before. He’s had stretches of doing really well and there were some times where he gets a little out of sync.
“I think more than anything, he needs to get more consistent with his slider with the command of it and the shape of it. He’s been relying on fastballs up, and it’s important for him to drive that fastball down to keep them honest. So, there are a couple of things to work on.”
Injury report
Catcher Kyle Teel, who has been on the injured list all season with a hamstring injury suffered in the World Baseball Classic, could start a rehab assignment Tuesday if he gets through drills and practice this weekend unscathed.
“He’s running the bases this homestand,” Getz said of Teel. “The last couple of weeks have been productive and now it’s a matter of testing him on the bases and hoping and assuming that it goes well. The next couple of days are important ones.”
Two weeks ago, it appeared Teel was closing in on a rehab stint, but that never materialized.
“When you are at the final stages, you have to test it,” Getz said. “There are thresholds that need to be met. There are days when there are going to be some setbacks. Some soreness. That’s just part of the recovery. You want to stack as many good days on top of each other as you can. We look forward to getting the feedback from this weekend and take it from there.”
Right-hander Shane Smith, the opening-day starter for the Sox, continues to have a rough 2026. He was sent to Charlotte on April 8 after struggling at the major-league level. Now, the 26-year-old is dealing with a rotator cuff injury and will be shut down for a few weeks.
“It’s something that popped up,” Getz said of the injury. “Sometimes when there are tweaks to someone’s mechanics, it can jolt the body a little bit. Perhaps that’s what is what happened here.
“Thankfully, it’s not a serious flareup. It’s something that is there and we want to get it calmed down for a couple of weeks and get him back.”
Before the injury, Getz liked what he saw from Smith.
“He had been making strides and taken to the assignment well,” Getz said. “Unfortunately there was a little flare-up in the shoulder, and we hope to get that taken care of and it’s heading in the right direction because he’s really important to us.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.