The Chicago White Sox purchased the contract of RHP Johnny Cueto from Triple-A Charlotte. He will start the team’s road game in Kansas City on Monday.

Cueto signed a minor league deal with Chicago during the offseason in a move made for depth purposes. Sure enough, with Chicago’s continuous amount of injuries, the former All-Star will get his first opportunity to pitch in a White Sox uniform. 

The call-up is a result purely based on track record. Cueto has labored across four starts in the minor leagues this season, pitching to the tune of a 5.17 ERA. But the 14-year veteran right-hander has a proven ability to excel at the big league level.

Johnny Cueto is a two-time All-Star who finished within the top 6 in Cy Young voting on three separate occasions. He did not post an ERA higher than 3.64 from 2010-2016. Despite laboring in 2019 and 2020, Cueto rebounded with a solid 2021 campaign that saw him finish with an ERA of just over 4. 

Cueto is not the same All-Star pitcher he once was. But his deceptive mechanics on the mound mixed with his sharp breaking pitches could lead to success for the 36-year old. The White Sox will benefit as long as Cueto pitches well enough to keep them in games. 

For now, he can be considered a rotation placeholder. But there is a possibility that he performs well enough to earn a permanent spot on the big league staff. 

Johnny Cueto will aim for a solid outing in his White Sox debut on Monday against the Royals.