The 29-year-old right-hander has struggled badly with his command this spring, and that was on full display in Thursday’s outing. He came on to start the fifth inning and walked each of the first three hitters that he faced — while also allowing three stolen bases. Jackson Chourio then lined into a sacrifice fly to plate a run. Karinchak battled back to get each of the next two hitters (while allowing his fourth stolen base), but on the whole it was an absolutely brutal outing. He now carries an uninspiring 7.20 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and a 6/5 K/BB ratio over five frames on the spring.

Karinchak once seemed on par with Emmanuel Clase as a young talent in the Guardians pen, but his star faded quickly and he’s coming off a lost season due to shoulder problems. If he somehow puts it together this year, he’ll quickly become a factor late in games for the White Sox. It’s not something anyone should count on, though.

Karinchak looked like one of the most promising young relievers in baseball just a few years ago, but injuries limited him to just seven appearances this past season at the Triple-A level. The 29-year-old righty is purely a high-risk lottery ticket at this stage of his career, but there’s probably an organization out there willing to give him a look during spring training.

Karinchak kicked off a throwing program earlier this month, but he’s going to be sidelined until at least late May.