Chicago White Sox Sign Outfielder Cal Mitchell to Minor League Contract

Cal Mitchell, who spent seven seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization, played for the San Diego Padres' Triple-A affiliate in 2024 and is set to join the Chicago White Sox in 2025.

Sep 13, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Cal Mitchell (31) catches a pop up in the fourth inning at Great American Ball Park. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder Cal Mitchell, Just Baseball's Aram Leighton reported Sunday.

Mitchell last appeared in the big leagues as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023. He spent 2024 with the San Diego Padres' Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.

The slugger, who is still just 25 years old, hit .277 with 22 home runs, 70 RBI, 12 stolen bases and an .871 OPS in 2024.

Outfielder Cal Mitchell and the Chicago White Sox have agreed to a minor league deal, sources tell @JustBB_Media. Includes an invite to big league camp.

Mitchell, 25, has a career .627 OPS in 71 MLB games, but hit .277/.359/.512 with 22 HR in the hitter-friendly PCL last season.

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) December 1, 2024

Mitchell was the Pirates' second round pick back in 2017, turning pro straight out of high school. He spent the entirety of that year playing rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League, then moved on to play exclusively in Single-A in 2018 and High-A in 2019.

After the COVID-canceled 2020 minor league season, Mitchell played all but seven of his 116 games at Double-A. He then hit .339 with a .937 OPS in 63 Triple-A games in 2022, ranking No. 25 in Pittsburgh's farm system and earning his first promotion to the majors in the process.

Mitchell hit .226 with five home runs, 17 RBI, three stolen bases, a .635 OPS and a -0.3 WAR in 69 games with the Pirates, racking up -4 defensive runs saved in right field.

Pittsburgh gave Mitchell another brief shot in 2023, calling him up for two games, but he went 0-for-4 with a walk and went back to the minors. He hit .261 with a .748 OPS in Triple-A that season, electing free agency that fall.

The Padres brought Mitchell in for 2024 Spring Training, only for the outfielder to hit .227 with a .735 OPS and get reassigned to minor league camp. He will have the same opportunity with the White Sox in 2025, competing for an Opening Day roster spot down in the Cactus League.

As it stands, Andrew Benintendi is the only player locked into Chicago's starting outfield for next season. Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. may be the most talented of the bunch, but he is firmly on the trade block and could be shipped out of town in the coming weeks.

Longtime San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater joined the White Sox on a big league contract last month, so he presumably has a leg up on Mitchell. Dominic Fletcher, Corey Julks and Zach DeLoach are the ones left competing for time in the outfield after Gavin Sheets was non-tendered.

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