It is time for the Chicago White Sox to move on from Dallas Keuchel

Chicago White Sox pitcher Dallas Keuchel believes he will bounce back after a second-straight start where he put his team in an early hole.

Keuchel can bounce back with another team then.

You never want to see someone lose their job. Since Keuchel is guaranteed the remaining $18 million on his deal and has a 7.88 ERA, he can be designated for assignment the moment Lance Lynn comes off the injured list.

Keuchel has had three starts this season where he has given up six or more earned runs. This is on top of the three he had last season. He had three more games last season where six or more runs were scored off of him but a couple of them were unearned because of poor defense.

Needless to say, he has not been an effective starter for a while now.

To be fair, Keuchel has had starts where the defense has failed him. Keuchel has no problem throwing the infield under the bus.

In the few times he has resembled the pitcher that won a Cy Young with the Houston Astros, Keuchel has still found something to complain about. He ended up getting a terse response from manager Tony La Russa regarding Keuchel’s complaints about innings.

Keuchel had a really good 2020 with a 6-2 record, a 1.99 ERA, and a 3.08 FIP. He had an amazing June last season when he posted a 2.70 ERA.

Since July 3, 2021, it has been all downhill for Keuchel.

He gave up nine home runs and posted a 6.26 ERA that month. In August, he was even worse when he walked 12 and gave up 19 earned runs. He surrendered 28 hits in 23 innings pitched. He also had a 7.43 ERA. September was not much better for Keuchel.

The Chicago White Sox front office and Keuchel were hoping 2022 would be a bounce-back season. It has yet to happen.

Opposing hitters are batting .343 with an on-base percentage of .421 and a slugging percentage of .524. His win probability added is -0.9. Right now he is a -0.4 wins above replacement player.

The Chicago White Sox offense is scuffling right now and the last thing this team needs is a pitcher that is very likely to put the Sox in an early hole.

Keuchel is a high-risk pitcher right now. Sure, he has had some decent outings but he did not exactly look dominant out there either.

The Chicago White Sox has ace Lance Lynn returning from the injured list soon. They also have Johnny Cueto pitching ten times better than Keuchel to be the fifth starter once Lynn comes back.

If the Chicago White Sox need starting pitching depth, they still have Vince Velasquez on the roster. They also have Davis Martin and Jimmy Lambert in Triple-A.

The poor numbers and the other options available mean it is time for Keuchel to be designated for assignment. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf might not like paying the remaining balance on Keuchel’s hefty deal but Keuchel does not provide a lot of bullpen value either.

Also, Keuchel could benefit from a change of scenery. He was very valuable in 2020 but now his value to the Chicago White Sox is probably playing somewhere else.