{"id":571798,"date":"2026-02-14T07:59:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T07:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/571798\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T07:59:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T07:59:35","slug":"mundelein-native-and-lifelong-white-sox-fan-ryan-borucki-fighting-for-spot-in-his-favorite-teams-bullpen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/571798\/","title":{"rendered":"Mundelein native and lifelong White Sox fan Ryan Borucki fighting for spot in his favorite team’s bullpen"},"content":{"rendered":"

GLENDALE, Ariz. \u2014 No crying in baseball? Not the case for Ryan Borucki, who teared up as an 11-year-old watching his beloved White Sox<\/a> in the 2005 World Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a huge [Scott] Podsednik fan, so when he hit that walk-off in Game 2, I think I started crying when it happened,\u201d said Borucki, a Mundelein High School product.<\/p>\n

Now Borucki is rubbing his eyes as he fights for a spot in the bullpen on the team whose players covered the walls of his boyhood room in the north suburbs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awesome. Growing up a White Sox fan, just definitely a dream come true to be able to put this uniform on,\u201d he said Friday. \u201cAs a kid, I used to always put it on, acting like I was on the White Sox in my backyard.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy golden guy was Mark Buehrle,\u201d said Borucki, a not-quite-as-soft-tossing lefty who took his idol\u2019s No. 56 while playing for the Blue Jays from 2018 to \u201922, followed by a short stint last year.<\/p>\n

The Sox great\u2019s number obviously isn\u2019t for the taking at Camelback Ranch \u2014 it was retired almost a decade ago<\/a> \u2014 so Borucki is wearing No. 43 as he tries to lock down a relief role. He\u2019s in camp on a minor-league deal.<\/p>\n

Borucki, who turns 32 next month, has posted a 4.28 ERA since debuting in 2018. The 6-4 hurler\u2019s best season as a reliever came with the Pirates in 2023, when he was 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in 38 appearances. That success came after a brief stop in the Cubs\u2019 organization, though he didn\u2019t appear in a game for his other hometown team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never liked the Cubs when I was growing up, and it didn\u2019t really end well,\u201d laughed Borucki, who lives in Florida but whose parents remain in Mundelein. \u201cI don\u2019t even consider them a team that I played for.\u201d<\/p>\n

But count him in for all other things Chicago, especially the Bears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love this city. It means so much to me,\u201d Borucki said. \u201cI\u2019ll just watch Bears highlights of this past season. I still get chills. They were a very inspirational team for all Chicago sports. So it\u2019s like, why not us?\u201d<\/p>\n

No reason to think otherwise for manager Will Venable, who said Borucki is \u201cfirmly in the mix\u201d for a spot in the bullpen.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The White Sox\u2019 Drew Thorpe, pictured in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u2018Road bumps\u2019 for Thorpe\u2019s recovery<\/p>\n

The start of camp hasn\u2019t been as cheerful for power-throwing prospect Drew Thorpe, who still hasn\u2019t thrown off a mound as he recovers from Tommy John surgery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thorpe, the centerpiece of the Dylan Cease trade<\/a>, blew out his elbow in spring training last year. The 25-year-old right-hander wasn\u2019t expected back until the second half of this season, but his recovery \u201chit some road bumps\u201d with mild tendinitis, he said this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything looks good in there,\u201d Thorpe said. \u201cIt just slows me down a little bit, which is frustrating, but day by day, we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thorpe showed flashes of his potential in nine big-league starts in 2024, which was also cut short for him due to a bone spur.<\/p>\n

Relegated to rehab at the Sox\u2019 Arizona complex, Thorpe occasionally traveled with the team last season to keep his spirits up<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting sick of Arizona,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After leading the majors in one-run losses, the White Sox have added a legitimate closer in Seranthony Dom\u00ednguez to go with other high-powered arms.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s the middle of February, and already the Sox are making little missteps that make one wonder what\u2019s going on here.<\/p>\n

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Manager Will Venable wants to see the highly touted left-handers find consistency in Triple-A before they make the jump to the big leagues.<\/p>\n

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ABS was the biggest topic of discussion at the annual MLB production meetings last month in New York.<\/p>\n

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