The Arizona Diamondbacks traded outfielder Dominic Fletcher to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, the teams announced.
To acquire Fletcher, the White Sox had to send 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Cristian Mena back to Arizona in return. MLB.com had Mena ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the White Sox’s farm system at the end of last season.
Fletcher, who just made his MLB debut in 2023, is 26 years old.
The move was made on the heels of another trade involving the White Sox, when they traded right-handed reliever Gregory Santon to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for pitcher Prelander Berroa, outfielder Zach DeLoach and the No. 69 pick in the 2024 draft.
Fletcher appeared in 28 games for the Diamondbacks last year, batting .301 with two home runs, 14 RBI, a .791 OPS and a 0.7 WAR. He racked up 18 hits in his first 12 games of MLB action, at which point his OPS stood at 1.231.
A slump in the second half of May cost Fletcher his roster spot, however, and he only got another brief chance when eventual NL Rookie of the Year winner Corbin Carroll was banged up. Fletcher was sent back down to Triple-A Reno for good in July, and a finger injury in August knocked him out for the remainder of the season.
The former second round pick is a .295 career hitter with an .840 OPS in the minors.
Between Fletcher and the 25-year-old DeLoach, the White Sox have added much-needed organizational depth to their outfield. Fletcher is expected to compete with Gavin Sheets – a former top prospect coming off back-to-back disappointing campaigns – for the starting right field job.
Mena, meanwhile, made it to Triple-A by the end of 2023. Even though he is still just 21 years old, the righty may not be far from joining Arizona’s big league roster.
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