The White Sox signed infielder to a minor league deal in late November, as reflected on his MLB.com profile. According to Aram Leighton of Just Baseball Media (via X), His contract includes an invitation to Chicago’s Major League Spring Training camp.
Maton, who has played 179 MLB games with the Phillies and Tigers, appeared in just five games for the Orioles in 2024. After being acquired from Detroit last February, He spent much of the year moving on and off Baltimore’s 40-man roster. He was designated for assignment and outrighted three times, in addition to missing about a month due to injury while playing for Triple-A Norfolk.
Despite the roster changes and injury setback, Maton was productive at Triple-A, posting a .258/.363/.471 slash line with 16 home runs in 344 plate appearances. This continued his strong Triple-A performance over the past three seasons. He also showed promise at the MLB level in 2022, recording an .855 OPS in 85 plate appearances with the Phillies.
Detroit had acquired Maton as part of a five-player trade in January 2023, but Matt Vierling proved to be the more effective utility player for the Tigers in 2023 and 2024. Maton struggled with a .173/.288/.305 slash line in 293 plate appearances for Detroit and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last offseason.
Heading into his age-28 season, Maton has a chance to make the White Sox’s roster out of Spring Training, given the team’s needs across the diamond. His versatility—playing second base, third base, shortstop, and corner outfield—makes him a compelling bench or part-time option. His left-handed bat could complement right-handed hitters Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas at second and third base. However, because Maton is out of minor league options, keeping him as depth may prove challenging.
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