White Sox acquire reliever German from Red Sox for Minors righty

CHICAGO -- The White Sox acquired bullpen depth on Friday by trading for right-handed reliever Franklin German from the Red Sox in exchange for Minor League right-hander Theo Denlinger. To make room for German on the 40-man roster, Chicago designated right-hander Jason Bilous for assignment.

The White Sox 40-man roster is full.

German, 25, was named the Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2022 after producing a 5-2 record with a 2.72 ERA, seven saves, 64 strikeouts (11.6 per nine innings pitched) and a 0.91 WHIP in 43 relief appearances (49 2/3 innings) with Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound German, who was designated for assignment by Boston on Jan. 30, allowed eight runs in four innings over five appearances at the big league level with the Red Sox in ’22.

He joins a group competing to fill out the relief crew during Pedro Grifol’s first season as manager. The bullpen locks appear to be Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly, Reynaldo López and Jimmy Lambert from the right side, with José Ruiz also in the mix. Liam Hendriks, one of the best closers in the game, has been sidelined as he continues treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

From the left side, the White Sox feature Aaron Bummer and Jake Diekman. Garrett Crochet would also be a southpaw lock, but he has been rehabbing his way back from Tommy John surgery performed prior to the start of the 2022 season.

Denlinger, 26, finished 2-2 with a 4.47 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 40 appearances (48 1/3 innings) last season between stops at High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. He was selected by the White Sox in the seventh round of the 2021 Draft out of Bradley University. Denlinger is a unique story in that he’s also an accomplished blacksmith and known as Tatanka Hok Shi-La, which translates as Buffalo Boy and is his name as an adopted member of the Lakota Sioux.