This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin¡¯s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO ¨C The mound bravado shown by White Sox right-hander Sean Burke goes well beyond his four Major League appearances and three big league starts in 2024 and beyond his four seasons in the Minors.

That toughness could have developed from dealing with career ups and downs, as Burke went from the No. 5 White Sox prospect prior to the 2023 season, per MLB Pipeline, to out of the picture entering last year. But Burke, who enters Spring Training with a viable chance to be part of the ¡¯25 starting rotation, really credits basketball.

¡°Honestly, I tell people this all the time: I really think that started playing AAU basketball,¡± Burke told me during a SoxFest Live interview. ¡°I played on a good AAU team, and I don¡¯t know if you go to an AAU tournament, but it¡¯s a pretty hostile environment. I was doing that from 10 years old. You are in gyms, people are screaming, running up into the court, our practices were chaotic.

¡°From an early age, I was thrown into the situation. There was a lot going on at one time. I¡¯ve gone through that, and even high school basketball. Basketball has helped from that aspect, being able to handle a bigger stage, just to be calm in those situations.¡±

Burke, 25, put himself into the White Sox rotation picture thanks to a strong three-start showing last September, when he posted a 1.69 ERA with 19 strikeouts over 16 innings. He joins veterans Mart¨ªn P¨¦rez and Bryse Wilson, along with younger hurlers such as Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin and Drew Thorpe, as the leading candidates.

But Thorpe dealt with a couple of offseason setbacks with recovery from his Sept. 7 surgery to shave down a bone spur in his right elbow, leaving him behind entering Spring Training and hopefully ready by April following a cortisone shot on Jan. 24. Even without that situation, though, Burke¡¯s confidence was high in terms of running with this opportunity.

¡°It was a short stint, and I want to do that for 30 starts, not three,¡± said Burke of the confidence gained from ¡¯24. ¡°Hitters will adjust, and I¡¯ll have to make those adjustments back.

¡°Obviously, I¡¯m going to go out and earn it when spring starts. I want to be part of the rotation. Just have to go out and pitch well to earn it. Nothing is given, and I don¡¯t want anything given to me. I¡¯m looking forward to the challenge.¡±

Right rotator cuff tendinitis limited Burke to nine up-and-down starts with Triple-A Charlotte in 2023, with Burke admittedly feeling ¡°achy¡± a little bit at times last year but nothing severe enough to miss a start. Burke¡¯s shoulder has felt great during this offseason.

Since 2021, Burke has spent his offseasons working out in Nashville, Tenn., with other Major Leaguers such as Jake Burger, Brandon Lowe and Vinnie Pasquantino, as well as teammate Colson Montgomery, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 39 overall prospect. Burke lives with Montgomery, as the White Sox shortstop of the very near future recently purchased a place in Nashville.

¡°I¡¯ve been doing my normal training, workouts, throwing, PT, everything down there,¡± Burke said. ¡°We have a nice setup.

¡°My workouts, throwing, PT are all within a minute drive of each other. I¡¯ve kept up the routine I was on last year coming back from rehab, working with my PT two or three days per week on shoulder stuff, general arm stuff. I¡¯m just making sure I¡¯m getting out in front of that stuff and staying healthy.¡±

Maintaining good health is Burke¡¯s primary key for a successful season. He comes in better prepared than ever, having studied gameplanning, scouting, looking at hitters and talking to other players about working consistently through the rigors of 162 games. He also added a two-seamer this offseason to his existing repertoire of four-seam, curve, changeup and slider.

¡°Consistency is the big thing,¡± said Burke of the two-seamer. ¡°The good ones are really good, and the bad ones are bad. It¡¯s being able to get the good ones all the time. It¡¯s a pitch that will open up the arsenal and the zone a little bit more so that guys are not always just diving for sliders a little bit.

¡°Makes them respect that up-and-in or down-and-in spot in the zone. They can¡¯t be over the plate the whole time.¡±