GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Liam Hendriks intends to pitch at some point late in the 2024 season, despite undergoing Tommy John surgery on Aug. 2 in ¡®23.

But it does not look as if Hendriks will be pitching for the White Sox, as the team declined its $15 million option in his contract as announced Friday. Hendriks becomes a free agent, with a $15 million buyout to be paid in $1.5 million yearly increments from 2024-33.

When healthy, Hendriks has been one of the best closers in the game. He also is a charitable force with his wife, Kristi, as well as an engagingly positive clubhouse presence. The word ¡°inspiration¡± can be added to Hendriks¡¯ resume, after he battled through Stage 4 non-Hodgkin¡¯s lymphoma and returned to the Guaranteed Rate Field mound on May 29 against the Angels when the disease went into remission.

Hendriks¡¯ 27 pitches and one inning thrown that night would have been the highlight of Chicago¡¯s season even in far better on-field times. Hendriks met with recovering cancer patients or people still battling the illness during every home series and almost every road series he attended. That commitment won¡¯t stop.

¡°The more you say it, the less weight it holds,¡± Hendriks said during his end-of-season interview. ¡°... If you talk about it with kids who are 12 to 20, tell kids to ask you questions because they¡¯re going to be uncomfortable asking you questions. You¡¯re going to shy from it, but if you both go head on, it will be easier for everyone involved going through this.

¡°In conversations, it¡¯s been a lot lighter for me because you remove the stigma from the word ¡®cancer¡¯ and ¡®chemotherapy.¡¯ All of a sudden, it¡¯s not as dire or anything like that. You have a chance to reshape the way your mind thinks about certain words and diseases.¡±

Right-handed starter Mike Clevinger declined his portion of the $12 million mutual buyout in his contract with the White Sox, leading to a $4 million buyout. Clevinger re-enters free agency after a strong season on the South Side, and should be one of the more sought-after pitchers in this year¡¯s free-agency class.

He missed all of 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and had a 4.33 ERA in 22 starts with the Padres in ¡®22, but had a 3.77 ERA in 24 starts (131 1/3 innings) with the White Sox in '23. The longtime Cleveland pitcher's best season came in 2019, when he went 13-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 21 starts (126 innings). He had a 3.02 ERA in 32 starts (200 innings) the year prior. He was on a one-year, $8 million deal with the aforementioned buyout.

The White Sox also announced that outfielders Clint Frazier and Trayce Thompson?had been outrighted off the 40-man roster to Triple-A Charlotte, which brings the team¡¯s 40-man roster down to 36. Thompson, who was in his third stint with the White Sox after being acquired as part of the Lance Lynn/Joe Kelly trade with the Dodgers at the Deadline, hit .171 with one homer in 36 games with Chicago. Thompson, 32, also was a valuable clubhouse presence on the South Side.

Hendriks had a 5.40 ERA in five games with the White Sox this season before the right-hander could no longer pitch with the pain. He produced a 2.76 ERA and 76 saves in 133 2/3 innings with the White Sox over the last three years, and was named an All-Star in 2021 and ¡®22.

His goal is to get back to the mound as soon as possible, which should surprise no one familiar with Hendriks¡¯ fortitude.

¡°It¡¯s just who I am. I don¡¯t necessarily want to get into a position mentally where I¡¯m OK with delaying things. It¡¯s going to be a constant push to try and, ¡®Oh, this is my goal? I want to beat that goal,¡¯¡± Hendriks said. ¡°Also doing it in a smart way.

¡°We¡¯ll see as far as what everything else goes. Just a matter of going through the steps, the game plan from the surgeon. Sent Dr. [Keith] Meister [Hendriks¡¯ Tommy John surgeon] a text, and I¡¯ve already tried to trim some fat off the throwing program a little bit, but we¡¯ll see how that goes.¡±

The White Sox hold a $14 million club option for shortstop Tim Anderson, with a $1 million buyout, which must be decided by Monday.