White Sox acquire righty Gregory Santos from Giants

The White Sox acquired right-handed reliever Gregory Santos from the San Francisco Giants Thursday in exchange for minor-league right-hander Kade McClure.

Once considered a top prospect in the Giants organization, Santos, 23, was designated for assignment Tuesday to clear space on the Giants’ 40-man roster for free agent signee Sean Manaea.

Santos went 1-2 with a 4.63 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 35 appearances and 35 innings with one save between Triple-A Sacramento and the Arizona Complex League Giants Black last season. He made two relief appearances with the Giants, allowing two runs over 3²⁄₃ innings.

Santos, a 6-2, 190 pounds, showed 98-99 mph velocity to go with a hard slider last season but has struggled with consistent command, issuing 112 walks over 254 professional innings covering six seasons. White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz’ familiarity with Santos from his time in the Giants organization was likely a factor in the Sox’ interest.

Santos owns a 3.56 ERA with 190 strikeouts over 97 appearances and 225 innings six minor-league seasons in the San Francisco and Boston organizations. He has pitched in five career major-league games with the Giants since 2021, allowing seven earned runs in 5²⁄₃ innings.

In June 2021, Santos received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

McClure, 28, was a sixth-round pick by the Sox in 2017. He owns 4.03 ERA in five minor-league seasons, posting a 4.97 ERA at Triple-A Charlotte in 2022.

The Sox’ 40-man roster increases to 38.