Wilmer Difo
Second Baseman
2024 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking: N/R
Charlotte Knights

The White Sox signed Difo to a minor league deal on April 13, 2024, and if the name sounds a little familiar to you, it probably is, as the MLB veteran is trying to work his way back into the bigs. Difo was an international free agent signed by the Washington Nationals back in 2010, when he was only 16 years old, and is now 32 and hoping for one more day in the sun.

The utility infielder made his big league debut in 2015 but didn’t experience his first full season until 2017 when he played in 124 games and hit .271/.319/.370 with a .689 OPS. That’s not at all bad for a rookie. However, the utility infielder has spent most of his career up and down between the majors and minors, never really able to duplicate his initial success. The Nats and Difo cut ties in 2020, and the Pittsburgh Pirates took a flyer on him and inked him to a minor league contract in January 2021. After a productive spring training, the switch-hitter made the cut and played 116 contests with the Bucs, where he regained some of that early form, slashing .269/.329/.384 with a .713 OPS. But after that, it was back to the drawing board as Difo went to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 and only played in three more major league games. Then, he moved on to the New York Yankees for 2023, where he was stuck in the minors.

While he never made it to Chicago in 2024, Difo was a dependable player all year for Charlotte. Difo played in 94 games for the Knights and hit .276/.370/.405 with seven homers, 44 RBIs, and a .775 OPS. June was his best month, slashing .365/.500/.540 and walking 19 times. Defensively, he maintained a super-utility role throughout the season, patrolling second, third, and short, spending the majority of his time and being most effective at the keystone.

It’s unclear what’s next for Wilmer as the South Siders are pretty backed up when it comes to infield prospects with Brooks Baldwin, Lenyn Sosa, Bryan Ramos, Colson Montgomery, and Miguel Vargas. It never hurts, though, to have a dependable backup guy in Charlotte who has the experience and can plug and play if needed.

2024 Sox Populi White Sox Minor League All-Star Team
Edgar Quero (C) (Player of the Year)
Caden Connor (1B)
Wilmer Difo (2B)
Brooks Baldwin (SS)
Mason Adams (RHSP)
Aldrin Batista (RHSP)
Noah Schultz (LHSP) (Pitcher of the Year)
Drew Thorpe (RHSP)
Eric Adler (RHRP)
Adisyn Coffey (RHRP)

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Wilmer Difo Photo/Laura Wolff/Charlotte Knights