Jonathan Cannon is back with the Chicago White Sox, and the timing makes sense. With the pitching staff stretched thin during a run of 16 games in 16 days, the White Sox needed another arm, and Cannon returned this week to help cover innings.
The move comes after Sean Burke lasted just three innings on Wednesday, a start that ended with a career-high eight walks. It also arrives with Davis Martin scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday, underscoring how short on rested options the White Sox have become.
A return built on a new look
Cannon’s path back to Chicago has been shaped by a pitch mix change at Triple-A Charlotte. He said he has leaned more heavily on his four-seam fastball after earlier relying more on sinker types, and the results have been encouraging.
“I didn’t throw my four-seam at all hardly in ‘24 when I came up, but it performed really well,” Cannon said. “It was just what the hitters were telling us.” He added that the pitch has stayed consistent and given him more swing-and-miss.
“The more I used it, the results were really good and were consistent,” he said. “I really feel the four-seam brings a lot more swing-and-miss into my arsenal.”
That matters for a White Sox team trying to get through a demanding stretch without overworking the bullpen. Cannon also noted that the fastball should play well if he is asked to work out of the bullpen, because it can help set up his other pitches.
What changed since last year
Cannon’s return also reflects how much his trajectory has shifted in a short time. In 2024, his rookie-year emergence was one of the few bright spots in a White Sox season that offered few others. But in 2025, he posted a 5.82 ERA and lost his rotation spot, then spent almost all of the season at Triple-A Charlotte.
Even so, the White Sox have a reason to keep him close. Cannon’s last 12 outings in Triple-A produced a 4.13 ERA, and the club is in need of functional innings more than anything else right now.
Will Venable put the situation plainly: “These guys are running on fumes,” he said.
That is the clearest summary of Cannon’s return. This is not just about finding a prospect another chance; it is about surviving a difficult stretch with a staff that has been pushed hard and does not have many fresh alternatives. If Cannon’s revised approach holds in Chicago, he could give the White Sox something they badly need: stability, and maybe a little more swing-and-miss, while the rotation catches its breath.
