Veteran first baseman and outfielder Joey Gallo is looking for a fresh start to revive his career.
The Chicago White Sox announced Thursday night that they have signed Gallo to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Though never known for his batting average, Gallo had an impressive first five seasons in the majors, despite injuries cutting two of those years short. After securing a full-time spot on the Texas Rangers’ roster in 2017, he posted consecutive 40-homer seasons before being limited to 70 games in 2019 and 57 in 2020. Notably, the COVID-shortened 2020 season lasted only 60 games, meaning Gallo nearly played the full slate that year.
In 2021, the Rangers traded Gallo to the New York Yankees at the deadline, and he bounced back with 38 home runs and 77 RBIs over 153 games, though he hit just .199. During his first five seasons, he earned two Gold Glove awards and made two American League All-Star appearances.
The Yankees later dealt him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2022 trade deadline. Since then, he has had one-year stints with the Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals.
During his time with the Nationals in 2024, Gallo struggled at the plate, batting .161 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs across 76 games.
Over his career, he has hit 208 home runs and driven in 453 runs but holds a .194 average with 1,292 strikeouts in 939 games across five teams.
The White Sox, coming off a historically bad 41-121 season, could use any power Gallo can provide. Last year, they ranked last in multiple offensive categories, including home runs (133), RBIs (485), batting average (.221), hits (1,187), triples (nine), and runs scored (507). Their run total was nearly 100 fewer than the Tampa Bay Rays, who finished second-to-last with 604.
Under new manager Will Venable, the White Sox will begin their season on March 27 at home against the Los Angeles Angels. Meanwhile, the Rangers, Gallo’s original team, finished third in the AL West last season.
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