Wikelman González: Everything you need to know

Triple-A Charlotte placed Gonzalez on its 7-day injured list April 30 due to a lat strain, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. Gonzalez posted a 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while striking out 20 batters over 14 innings out of the Charlotte bullpen before landing on the shelf. The right-hander possesses a spot on the White Sox's 40-man roster, but he won't be an option for the big-league bullpen anytime soon while he continues to recover from the arm injury.

Gonzalez (back) has struck out two across two scoreless innings in two appearances at Triple-A Charlotte to begin the 2026 season. Gonzalez dealt with a back injury during spring training, but he's managed to return to health for the start of the 2026 campaign. He's yet to allow a baserunner through two appearances and should be in the running for a promotion at some point this year if he continues to deal in the minors.

The White Sox optioned Gonzalez (back) to Triple-A Charlotte on Monday. Gonzalez hasn't made any Cactus League appearances since last Tuesday due to a back issue, but he didn't make much of a case for winning a spot in Chicago's Opening Day bullpen after yielding three earned runs on five hits and six walks in 3.1 innings through his first three spring outings. Assuming he's able to move past the back injury within the next couple of weeks, Gonzalez should open the season in a high-leverage role out of the Charlotte bullpen.