CHICAGO — One of the White Sox best young pitchers is ready to return to the major league team for the first time in a year and a half.

Garrett Crochet was called up to the team on Tuesday, 13 months after he underwent Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2022 season. The left-handed pitcher, who was used as a reliever in his first two seasons, joins the White Sox as they start a three-game series with Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday.

After a full year out of the team’s system to recover from his ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery, Crochet made six rehab appearances with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2023. To make room on the major league roster, the White Sox sent down right hander Nick Padilla to Triple-A.

The club’s 2020 first round draft pick, Crochet pitched in five regular season games in that pandemic-shortened season, not allowing a run in six innings of work. He appeared in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card series against the Athletics in Oakland, striking out two batters before leaving with an arm injury.

Crochet was then a regular out of the White Sox bullpen during the AL Central Division championship year of 2021. In 54 appearances, the left-hander had a 2.82 ERA with 67 strikeouts compared to 27 walks.

During the 2021 American League Division Series, he pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in three games against the Astros. His appearance in Game 4 of that series was his last appearance in the majors as he would undergo Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022.

Now back on the White Sox, he joins a team that’s had a difficult start to the season, as they have a 14-28 record on the season. The team’s pitching staff has a 5.50 ERA, which is 29th in the MLB as they start the series with the Guardians.