White Sox lefty Jace Fry reinstated from IL, optioned to Triple-A

The White Sox have reinstated Jace Fry from the 60-day injured list and optioned the left-hander to Triple-A Charlotte, according to James Fegan of The Athletic.  To create room on the 40-man roster, righty Alex McRae was outrighted to Triple-A.

Fry underwent back surgery (a microdiscectomy, specifically) during the offseason and has spent the entire season on the 60-day IL while recovering and getting ramped up to pitch.  The early returns have looked good, as Fry has a 2.08 ERA over 13 Triple-A innings thus far, albeit with eight walks in those 13 frames.

Control has been an issue over Fry’s 132 2/3 career MLB innings, as he has a 13.7% walk rate over four seasons with the White Sox.  Fry has a 4.75 ERA but a respectable 4.05 SIERA, as his 50.5% grounder rate and 28.3% strikeout rate have helped to somewhat limit the damage from his free passes.  Fry has been very effective against left-handed batters, who are hitting just .184/.302/.257 in 243 plate appearances against the 27-year-old Oregon State product.

McRae has appeared in each of the last four major league seasons, with the last two in the White Sox organization.  He has amassed only five total innings in a Chicago uniform, and since he has been outrighted three times in his career, he has the option of electing free agency rather than accepting his latest outright assignment.  McRae has a 7.34 ERA over 38 career innings with the White Sox and Pirates.