Chicago White Sox DFA Eric Stults, activate Jesse Crain

In order to make room for right-handed set-up man Jesse Crain, the Chicago White Sox designated left-handed reliever Eric Stults for assignment. Crain was activated from the 15-day disabled list after suffering from a right oblique strain since late April. He had a 2.57 ERA through seven innings before getting injured.

The 32-year-old Stults pitched in two games for Chicago this year and allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings, with one appearance being a spot start. He was signed to a minor league deal by the White Sox in the offseason after pitching for the Colorado Rockies last season and appearing in six Major League games.

Jesse Crain will provide some much-needed late-inning help with his return, as the former Minnesota Twins star reliever is coming off of a 0.9 WAR season in his first year with the White Sox in 2011. He continues to mow down hitters this season and has struck out ten hitters in seven innings this year after striking out 70 in 65 1/3 last year.

Stults, meanwhile, was expendable with the activation of the solid set-up man, as the long reliever had a 1:1 K/BB ratio with a 4.01 FIP and a more accurate 4.62 xFIP to go with a 2.70 ERA early on this year. Stults was projected to have a 4.95 ERA in 63 innings this season had he kept on pitching, with a 6.4 K/9 and a 3.9 BB/9.

Before missing the 2010 season, the southpaw was worth a career-high 0.5 WAR in 2009, his last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last season, the Rockies pitcher was worth -0.3 WAR in just 12 innings with a 6.00 ERA.

It is great to see Jesse Crain back to bring more stability to the White Sox bullpen.  Eric Stults provided 6.2 decent innings of work for the Sox before getting DFA’d to accommodate the 30-year-old RHP.

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