Shushkewich: Peters excelling in everyday role with White Sox

Okotoks Dawgs alum Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) has excelled in his first shot at regular major league playing time with the Chicago White Sox this season. Photo: Chicago White Sox

July 1, 2026

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

There have been five major leaguers that were born in the province of Manitoba, from Mel Kerr (Souris, Man.), who appeared in just one game in 1925, to nine-year veteran Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.).

Now, Tristan Peters is forging a new path, putting Winkler, Man., on the baseball map with his stellar play for the Chicago White Sox.

A left-handed-hitting outfielder, Peters was traded to Chicago this past winter from the Tampa Bay Rays. After being designated for assignment, the Rays dealt him to the White Sox in exchange for cash. It was a move that made sense for both sides: Tampa Bay had Peters buried in triple-A Durham despite his excellent all-around play, while Chicago presented an opportunity for the Canadian to earn a regular role in a big league outfield.

The 26-year-old put together a solid spring training with his new club and cracked the Opening Day roster. Peters had a cup of coffee with the Rays last season, going 0-for-12 in four games, but he has made the most of his opportunity to play regularly for the White Sox.

Through 80 games and 217 at-bats, Peters owns a .286/.345/.438 slash line with a .782 OPS, including 17 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 30 RBIs. His Statcast page places him around league average in most offensive metrics, with his only "red" category being his 18.2 percent strikeout rate. Still, he's consistently putting the ball in play, as evidenced by his .341 BABIP and he has produced well above league average, posting a 119 wRC+.

Among White Sox position players, Peters ranks third in both bWAR (2.3) and batting average, while his 80 games rank fourth on the club. He has also contributed five stolen bases, fifth-most on the team, and has drawn 17 walks, good for a seven percent walk rate.

Recently, Peters made headlines by breaking up Yoshinobu Yamamoto's no-hit bid with a ninth-inning home run. He jumped on a middle-middle 96 mph fastball and launched it 388 feet over the right-field wall at Rate Field.

Peters has always been a contact-oriented hitter and has experienced both the highs and lows that come with that profile. What truly separates him, however, is his outfield defence, and the Manitoba native has continued to establish himself as one of the game's best defenders.

Primarily a centre fielder, Peters has split time among all three outfield positions this season. Overall, he owns a .984 fielding percentage with three errors and one outfield assist. More impressively, he ranks among the game's elite outfielders with +8 Outs Above Average (98th percentile) and +8 Fielding Run Value (97th percentile). He has recorded a 94 percent success rate on 191 fielding opportunities and has made numerous highlight-reel catches, using his plus speed to track down baseballs all over the outfield.

It's been a long journey for Peters to reach this point.

Originally selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft, the Canadian was traded to the San Francisco Giants at the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for reliever Trevor Rosenthal. Later that offseason, he was dealt to the Rays for infielder Brett Wisely, where he remained until this past winter.

With the Rays, Peters never received a legitimate opportunity in the major league outfield. Tampa Bay cycled through more than 10 different outfielders in 2025 while battling injuries and inconsistent production. Despite a strong season in Durham, Peters received only a brief opportunity in mid-August before being sent back to triple-A for the remainder of the season. He wasn’t given a chance to showcase what he can do while trying to adjust to the game’s best pitchers.

Chicago is now reaping the rewards of the Rays’ decision to part with Peters, as the young outfielder has already accumulated the same bWAR as the Rays' current outfield group combined. Among all major league outfielders, he is tied for 10th in fWAR (2.1) alongside Julio Rodríguez and Mike Trout—not bad company to keep.

For Peters, this season has proven that, given a legitimate opportunity, he can more than hold his own at the highest level. He wasn't afforded that chance in Tampa Bay, and while the Rays currently sit atop the AL East, they might have an even firmer grip on first place had the Manitoba native been patrolling centre field for them this season.