White Sox: 3 prospects to offer for Rockies shortstop Trevor Story

The White Sox have had their outfield thinned by injuries this season, but Rutherford has not yet been called up. With how he’s struggling in Triple-A right now (.225/.275/.331 slash-line, 51 strikeouts in 178 at-bats), he has hasn’t exactly proven worthy either. In June, though he didn’t stay long, the White Sox called up Luis Gonzalez from Triple-A instead.

A first-round pick by the Yankees in 2016, Rutherford sits as the White Sox eighth-ranked prospect (MLB.com). But at 24 years old, fair or not, he’s starting to stretch toward being a “now or never” over-aged prospect if he doesn’t earn a big league call-up soon. Beyond the aforementioned pitching at the top of the the White Sox prospect pipeline, four of their preseason top-10 prospects (as ranked by MLB.com) are outfielders. So they could deal from a surplus, knowing there eventually won’t be a place for everyone.

Rutherford would obviously not be the centerpiece of any White Sox offer for Story. But with latent, lingering potential and the possible benefit of a change of scenery/system, the Rockies probably wouldn’t balk at his inclusion in said possible offer. For Chicago, he’s easy to include in any trade offer as they look to buy at the deadline and create distance from the rest of the AL Central.