Right-hander Drew Thorpe apparently has shown the White Sox’ brass enough that he will bypass Triple-A Charlotte and head straight to the majors.
Manager Pedro Grifol said Sunday that Thorpe, one of the Sox’ top prospects, is likely to start Tuesday against the Mariners in Seattle.
Thorpe came to the Sox from the Padres as part of the trade for right-hander Dylan Cease this spring. In 11 starts at Double-A Birmingham, he is 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA.
‘‘He’s a strike-thrower, he’s a competitor and he’s got a plus-plus-plus changeup,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘He knows how to pitch, he’s calm and he has a really good demeanor. [I’m] looking forward to seeing him pitch at this level because he looks like a big-leaguer.’’
Thorpe’s changeup grades out at a 70 on a scale of 80, according to Fangraphs. It’s the best pitch in his arsenal. By comparison, his fastball grades out at a 35.
Grifol, however, said the lack of a plus fastball doesn’t dim Thorpe’s potential.
‘‘I’ve seen a lot of pitchers without a [Garrett] Crochet fastball that have had Hall of Fame and big-time careers in the major leagues,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘Let’s not forget about the art of pitching and mixing pitches and understanding the game and game management.
‘‘Every pitcher here in the major leagues has to have some type of weapon and some type of above-average pitch. This kid has as close to an 80 changeup as you could possibly have.’’
Bringing Thorpe to the majors will enable the Sox to gauge where he’s at in his development and what he needs to improve on. They also have shown they’re willing to send guys back down to the minors, as they have with right-hander Nick Nastrini.
Ideally for the Sox, Thorpe will come up and prove he belongs. But if he needs more development, especially after skipping Triple-A, they will adjust accordingly.
The Sox are at an early stage in their latest rebuild. Players will continue to be called up, sent down and released as the Sox identify players who fit the culture they’re trying to build.
‘‘It gives us the opportunity to see how close they are or if they’re here already,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘These are the things we’ve got to continue to do moving forward, just to see where we are as an organization. It’s a really good move.’’
Nastrini optioned
After pitching 4⅓ innings of one-run ball Saturday, Nastrini was optioned to Charlotte. He has to continue working on his command.
‘‘He’s a big part of the future here, a huge part of the future, but there’s some things we have to iron out,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘We talked to him about it — controlling the running game, economizing pitches — and he did great.’’
It’s fair to wonder about the benefit of Nastrini returning to the minors to work on his game. Grifol said the ‘‘more controlled environment’’ is why it’s more beneficial for Nastrini to be at Charlotte.
Another roster move
To replace Nastrini on the active roster, the Sox selected the contract of left-hander Sammy Peralta from Charlotte. The Sox claimed Peralta, 26, off waivers from the Mariners last month.
Peralta, who was 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA in 16 appearances with the Sox last season, pitched 3⅔ scoreless innings at Charlotte and provides another arm in the bullpen.
‘‘Sammy gives us some versatility,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘He helps us against lefties and gives us some length.’’
