The White Sox took a low-risk swing on a pitcher who has not thrown a big-league inning in two years.

Chicago announced Thursday that right-hander Alec Marsh has signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to big-league spring training.

Marsh is 28. The Royals drafted him in the second round in 2019, 70th overall. He threw 203 1/3 innings for Kansas City across 2023 and 2024, with 33 starts and 10 relief appearances. He finished with a 4.96 ERA.

Two seasons lost to the shoulder

His last full year in the majors was 2024, when he made 25 starts and one relief outing over 129 innings with a 4.53 ERA. A shoulder impingement put him on the injured list before the 2025 season. He had surgery in October 2025 to repair a torn labrum and spent all of 2026 on the injured list.

The Royals outrighted him off the roster last month and he became a free agent. He still has a minor-league option, so a healthy Marsh could move between Chicago and the minors instead of locking into a rotation spot.

Pitching coach Zach Bove, now with the White Sox, was on the Royals staff when Marsh first reached the majors. Two lost seasons make a starter's workload a real question. The deal is a depth flier while Chicago keeps looking for pitching.