The White Sox and Athletics have announced a trade, as outfielder Junior Perez is on his way to Chicago in exchange for minor league southpaw Jackson Nove. Perez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, and further roster move was required since the Sox already had an open spot on their 40-man roster.
The A’s designated Perez for assignment on Thursday, ending a stint on the 40-man roster that began back in November when the Athletics added Perez in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. That placement came on the heels of the .298/.412/.642 slash line that Perez posted over 182 Triple-A plate appearances in 2025. Over the whole season at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, Perez hit .231/.348/.473 with 26 home runs, and 27 steals out of 33 attempts.
This seeming breakout got Perez ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the Athletics’ farm system by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, yet his numbers fell back to earth this year. He was hitting just .210/.273/.384 over 154 PA for Triple-A Las Vegas when the Athletics sent him to DFA limbo.
Perez has yet to make his big league debut, and he’ll now look for that opportunity in the Windy City. While his bat remains a work in progress, Perez is known as an excellent defender who can handle all three outfield positions, and he has a good throwing arm and plus speed. Perez has the tools to stick around as at least a bench option in the Show, but he’ll need to make some level of consistent and productive contact.
Nove is a University of Kentucky product who signed with the White Sox as a free agent after going undrafted in 2025. The 23-year-old has some eye-popping numbers in his first pro season, as Nove has a 1.96 ERA, 59.5% grounder rate, and a 42.3% strikeout rate over 23 innings with A-level Kannapolis.
