Dominic Leone DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Chicago White Sox say that relief pitcher Dominic Leone (elbow) left with a sore right elbow in Wednesday night's loss to the visiting New York Yankees at Guaranteed Rate Field. He'll be evaluated further ahead of Thursday's series opener against the hosting Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Leone, who holds a 6.63 ERA and 1.79 WHIP with 17 strikeouts and 14 walks while going 0-for-4 on save opportunities over 19 innings this year, exited Wednesday's game against the Yankees after delivering a pitch in the seventh inning and just recently returned from a long bout of elbow inflammation. While the 32-year-old journeyman right-hander manages his elbow soreness, veteran John Brebbia figures to be the favorite for saves out of Chicago's bullpen if such an opportunity arises for the last-place White Sox.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Dominic Leone (elbow) started a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on July 24 and has tossed four innings in relief while striking out seven and allowing two runs. Leone had a little inflammation in his right elbow, and although his absence wasn't expected to be an extended one, he was moved to the 60-day injured list on June 11. The 32-year-old veteran reliever has been out of action for the White Sox since May 20 but appears to be nearing a return to the bullpen. Before injuring his elbow, the former 16th-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2012 out of Clemson wasn't very good in his 15 1/3 relief innings, giving up 15 runs (12 earned) on 15 hits (four homers) while walking 11 and fanning 15 for a 7.04 ERA.UPDATE: Leone was reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Monday.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Dominic Leone will serve as the opener for the team on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves in what is expected to be a bullpen game. The White Sox re-signed Mike Clevinger to fill out their starting rotation late in spring training, but he's not ready to make his 2024 debut just yet, so the White Sox will have to piece things together on Wednesday in the series finale against Atlanta. The 32-year-old Leone will probably only go an inning or two before giving way to the team's next bullpen arm in this one, so fantasy managers shouldn't be streaming him at all anywhere. The former 16th-rounder in 2012 by the Seattle Mariners out of Clemson has already allowed three earned runs without a walk or strikeout in 1 2/3 relief innings in 2024.

The Chicago White Sox agreed to minor-league deals with right-handers Dominic Leone and Corey Knebel on Tuesday that include non-roster invites to spring training. The White Sox now have 68 players in camp, including 28 non-roster invitees. Leone and Knebel will provide much-needed depth for Chicago's bullpen this year. Leone, 32, pitched for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners in 2023 and had an uninspiring 4.67 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, one save, 28 walks and 54 K's in 54 relief innings. Knebel, 32, tore his right-shoulder capsule in August of 2022 and hasn't pitched with a team since. He was an All-Star in 2017 with Milwaukee and has 72 career saves in eight big-league campaigns. Before his injury in 2022 with the Phillies, Knebel had a 3.43 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 12 saves, 28 walks and 41 strikeouts in 44 2/3 relief frames. Both pitchers will be battling for bullpen roles this spring.