With former top prospect Andrew Vaughn struggling mightily to open the 2025 season, the Chicago White Sox were forced to demote him to Triple-A. However, Will Venable hasn’t taken his eyes off Vaughn since the demotion.
The manager is still a big believer in Vaughn and still considers him to be apart of the White Sox’s core. Sending him down was a way for the first baseman to clear his head and re-find his swing.
Vaughn went 4-for-20 over his first five games in Triple-A before going 3-for-5 on Saturday. Venable is eager to see him continue to find his stride and ultimately work his way back up to the big leagues, via Kade Heather of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“For him, it was about having the opportunity to press pause on the pressure of performing here and give him a chance to regain himself without any major swing adjustments or anything,” Venable said. “Just take a little break and go down there and find yourself again.”
Andrew Vaughn’s run with Chicago White Sox
May 15, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox designated hitter Andrew Vaughn (25) bats against the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Vaughn came to the White Sox as a highly touted prospect, being selected No. 3 overall in the 2019 MLB Draft. By 2021, he was the No. 1 overall prospect in the organization, via MLB Pipeline. That same season, Vaughn made the jump to MLB.
As a rookie, the first baseman hit .235 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI. One year later, he’d set a new career-high in batting average at .271 while hitting 17 home runs and 76 RBI. Vaughn’s 2023 season is when he truly broke out, though. Hitting .258, Vaughn hit a career-best 21 home runs and 80 RBI.
His numbers would drop slightly in 2024 to a .246 batting average, 19 home runs and 70 RBI. However, it wasn’t as bad as things got in 2025. Through his first 48 games, Vaughn was hitting .189 with five home runs and 19 RBI. He drew seven walks compared to 43 strikeouts, which still rank as third-most on the team despite him now being in the minors.
Still, the White Sox have seen flashes of greatness from Vaughn. They’re hoping to extract a bit more consistent out of him. If he is able to get on the right path, Vaughn will return to being a staple in Chicago’s lineup.
Vaughn’s road back to big leagues
How Vaughn responds at the Triple-A level will ultimately dictate how quickly he returns to the major leagues. If his three-hit performance on Saturday is any indication, Chicago won’t be waiting long before he is back in the lineup.
The White Sox aren’t alone in employing this strategy. The Texas Rangers recently sent down Jake Burger during a slump. He is now back in MLB, and while his batting average is still at the Mendoza line, Burger has three home runs in his last 12 games.
Vaughn and Burger are two completely different players, and their development plans won’t look similar. But both franchises had the same goal in mind. Switching back to the White Sox, Venable and company simply want to see Vaughn find his stride again.
At this stage of his career, Vaughn should have no problem handling Triple-A pitching. The White Sox moreso want him to find his confidence and return to mashing baseball at the big league level.
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