Former Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Joey Gallo has joined the Chicago White Sox on a minor league contract, the club announced Thursday. Gallo played for the Dodgers in 2022.
The outfielder/first baseman brings Chicago's spring training camp total to 70 players, with 72 from last spring training being the team record.
Gallo, 31, posted a .161/.277/.336 line over 223 at-bats with the Washington Nationals last season, hitting 10 home runs and driving in 27 RBIs, along with 102 strikeouts and 32 walks.
The first baseman/outfielder spent last season with the Nationals, but they declined their portion of an $8 million mutual option on Gallo’s contract, making him a free agent.
In 2021, the left-hander hit 38 homers split between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, bringing his career total to 208.
The Las Vegas native has played for five teams over his 10-year career and recorded 40 or more homers in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Rangers.
The 31-year-old had a strong start to his career with the Rangers, hitting 40 home runs in consecutive seasons (2017-18), earning two All-Star selections and two Gold Glove Awards during his seven years in Texas.
However, he has been on a steady decline since then.
The White Sox are hoping he can turns things around as they rebuild a roster that lost 121 games last season.
“We like what he does defensively at first base,” first-year White Sox manager Will Venable said of Gallo. “Obviously, a ton of power with Joey. And we feel like there's some stuff with him that we can get him back to who he was.
"Just a great athlete. Another guy that I played with there for a hot second, so I really like Joey and happy to have him.”
After signing with the White Sox, Gallo is expected to compete with Andrew Vaughn for the first base job.
Vaughn, 26, had a tough season last year, setting career lows in both batting average and on-base percentage. Gallo could also return to the outfield, as the White Sox don’t have a clear starter in right field.
“He's a really good defender all the way around. So that versatility will help his opportunity, but primarily, the focus will be at first base,” Venable said. “We've been kind of consistent across the board with everyone that there's opportunity here.
“How that manifests, we'll find out as we get closer. But absolutely, there's opportunity for him, and we just have to get through this thing and see how it all shakes out.”
