GLENDALE, Ariz. — Right-hander Touki Toussaint made 15 starts and four relief appearances in his first season with the White Sox and was OK, posting a 4.97 ERA in 2023. Whether it earned him a spot in the starting rotation this season remains to be seen.
‘‘I’d like to start, but that’s not my call,’’ Toussaint said Sunday. ‘‘If I pitch out of the bullpen, I pitch out of the bullpen; if I get to start, I start.’’
Multi-inning relievers have value in the age of five-inning starts, so pitchers such as Toussaint, fellow right-handers Jesse Scholtens, Jimmy Lambert and Chris Flexen and left-handers Garrett Crochet, Jared Shuster and Tanner Banks — all of whom have starting backgrounds or aspirations — can serve well in relief.
‘‘You need those couple of guys to take the ball in a close ballgame and give us two or three innings,’’ manager Pedro Grifol said. ‘‘Especially guys with [Toussaint’s] arsenal who can actually navigate through a lineup a couple of times.’’
‘‘I’m here to compete,’’ Toussaint said. ‘‘I’m here to get some outs and do my job.’’
Toussaint walked 5.6 batters per nine innings last season — his average over six years in the majors — so his focus this spring is command.
‘‘Trying to get my walks down and attacking hitters,’’ he said.
Senior adviser to pitching Brian Bannister talked with Toussaint the day he got to camp, pointing out the pitch locations for his two-seamer that were most effective last season.
‘‘He said, ‘Hey, man, I got some stuff for you. Let’s look it over,’ and we’ve been working on it ever since,’’ Toussaint said. ‘‘And some minor things that will get me more in the zone and get more outs.’’
In his relief appearances last season, his ERA was 2.13; in his starts, it was 5.45.
‘‘It was a good experience,’’ Toussaint said. ‘‘The first time I got consistent starts and innings.’’
Crochet’s live batting practice
Crochet, who is being stretched out as a starter but seems more likely to start the season in the bullpen, ‘‘really threw the ball well’’ in his first live batting practice Sunday, Grifol said.
‘‘I was really encouraged by the way he threw the ball,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘He used all his pitches. He pounded the strike zone. It was a really good day for him.’’
The Sox will be careful not to rush Crochet, a first-round draft pick in 2020 who has been slowed by elbow and shoulder injuries in the early stages of his career.
Shuster ‘impressive’
Shuster, one of five Braves the Sox got in the trade for lefty reliever Aaron Bummer, called his opportunity to work his way into the rotation ‘‘definitely exciting.’’
‘‘I’m really happy to be here,’’ he said. ‘‘Just taking it day by day.’’
Shuster has thrown two bullpen sessions and said he likes how the ball is coming out of his hand.
‘‘I’m focusing on pretty simple stuff, on executing my pitches,’’ he said. ‘‘The shapes are good. Just working on putting pitches in the right spots.’’
A first-round draft pick in 2020, Shuster made the Braves’ Opening Day rotation last season but was out of it after two starts. He made four starts in May, three in June and one each in August and September and logged a 5.81 ERA in 52‰ innings. He wasn’t much better at Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 5.01 ERA in 16 starts.
‘‘He’s been impressive here,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘He’s a finesse guy that knows what to do with the baseball. Those guys throw quiet bullpens. You’ve really got to focus on what they get accomplished because he’s going from corner to corner and doing what he needs to do to get himself ready. I’m looking forward to watching him perform against other uniforms.’’
