Chicago White Sox Players swing into after-school fun at the Bartlett J. McCartin Boys & Girls Club ft. Michael Soroka and more

Several Chicago White Sox players got into action in after-school fun activities with students at the Bartlett J. McCartin Boys & Girls Club.

With weeks away before spring training commences, the White Sox players engaged with students and also posed for a few clicks.

The White Sox, along with the Chicago White Sox Charities, collaborated for the event to bring star players closer to the community. The club shared glimpses of the occasion on Instagram.

Players, including prospect Nick Nastrini, Michael Soroka, Andrew Benintendi, Gavin Sheets and Bryan Ramos, attended the event.

Activities including sneaker design, computer skills, dancing, basketball and painting were performed by the MLB athletes.

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Michael Soroka is excited to join White Sox

Earlier, in Nov. 2023, Michael Soroka was part of the six-player deal that would send him to the White Sox.

The Braves traded Soroka, Jared Shuster, Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake and Riley Gowens in exchange for Aaron Bummer.

“They see my potential and everybody in the organization seems to be wanting to extract the most out of that right now and down the line,” Soroka said on a Zoom call after the trade. “I’m very excited to get to work. These people seem awesome."

Soroka will help the White Sox in their rotation, which could use some depth. The right-handed pitcher is coming off injuries and has only thrown 32.1 innings in the majors since the 2020 season, though.

Soroka expressed confidence in general manager Chris Getz and manager Pedro Grifol.

“Pretty cool vision, actually,” Soroka said. “I kind of got giddy on the phone with [Getz]. And I spoke to Jared Shuster and it was pretty much the same with him. Having a former player that is at the helm kind of makes things a little easier from this player to GM relationship [standpoint]."

“It sounds like he’s looking to make a team that is out there to compete to win every day. It’s a team that’s also ready to learn and to do what it can to get better,” he added.

The 26-year-old finished second in the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in the NL Cy Young.

It remains to be seen if he stays healthy throughout the season and adds value to the starting rotation.