White Sox sign former Silver Slugger winner Drury to minor-league deal

The Chicago White Sox signed former Silver Slugger winner Brandon Drury to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training, they announced Thursday.

Drury spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, who gave him a $17-million contract during the 2022-23 offseason. He's coming off a woeful 2024 campaign that saw him hit a career-worst .169/.242/.228 with four homers, 15 RBIs, and 81 strikeouts over 97 games. Drury's minus-2.1 fWAR and 34 wRC+ were the worst in MLB among hitters with at least 350 plate appearances last season.

However, he's only one year removed from putting up a .803 OPS with 26 homers for the Halos. Drury won the NL utility player Silver Slugger in 2022 after hitting .263/.320/.492 while setting career highs in doubles (31), homers (28), and RBIs (87) across 138 games split between the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres.

If he's fully healthy, Drury could help the White Sox as a veteran utility player capable of slotting in just about anywhere. The 32-year-old has played every position except catcher and center field during his 10-year career while primarily manning second, third, and first over the past three seasons. He's immediately a candidate to serve as the right-handed half of a third-base platoon with Josh Rojas.

Drury is a lifetime .245/.296/.421 hitter with 109 home runs and 375 RBIs across 867 big-league games with seven teams.

In addition to Drury, the White Sox signed infielder Tristan Gray to a minor-league contract Thursday. The 28-year-old has appeared in 17 big-league games over the past two seasons with the Rays, Marlins, and Athletics.