All of this was unexpected for Mike Vasil.
First came Tommy John surgery in spring training, knocking the former BC High star and Wellesley native out for the season. So, Vasil replaced the baseball that’s usually in his right hand as a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox with a wand. Yes, a wand like Harry Potter.
Turns out, that is what Vasil needed to become MLB’s breakout star this season as his exuberant, fun-loving personality took center stage and captured his teammates and fans.
“It kind of just blew up,” Vasil told the Herald at Fenway Park prior to the series against the Red Sox. “Then the wizard hat was given to me as well and then just kind of became a big thing.”
It’s a big deal, indeed. The White Sox announced last week a promotional giveaway inspired by Vasil, in which 20,000 magic wands will be handed out to fans prior to a Sept. 4 game against the Minnesota Twins.
Vasil’s magic tricks began in late April when fellow reliever Jordan Leasure purchased him the wand. Vasil brought it to the dugout for the first time for an April 29 game against the Los Angeles Angels and the wand’s powers were immediate with the White Sox winning in 10 innings on a walk-off single by Colson Montgomery.
That was just the start of it. A couple of weeks later, Vasil was captured pretending to put a spell on Munetaka Murakami in the dugout before an at-bat. Murakami then stepped to the plate and launched a home run.
Vasil’s wand has been in the spotlight ever since and along for Chicago’s magical ride with the young White Sox currently in first place in the American League Central after finishing with 102 losses in 2025.
“The way I view it is more of like a symbol of our team and our identity,” Vasil said. “We’re one-of-a-kind as a group, and nothing we do is really normal. We’re a young crew, but we have a lot of fun. It’s just kind of our brand and our culture. And what we’re all about is just having fun and going out there and playing and not really caring who we’re facing and kind of being naive to the situation at all times and believing in ourselves and it works.”
Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami reacts as teammate Mike Vasil waves a magic wand over him in the dugout before the team’s baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
Vasil’s teammates are reveling in the wand experience, too. Even with Vasil on the injured list and unable to contribute on the field, his presence has made an impact on the team’s undeniable strong chemistry.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s literally our mascot,” said White Sox reliever Sean Newcomb, who works out with Vasil in the offseason and is a fellow Massachusetts native. “It’s great to have. He gives everyone energy.”
The 26-year-old Vasil isn’t a mainstream MLB pitcher at this point in his career, having only played one season in the big leagues prior to getting injured. Due to that, he said he’s been recognized more for what he’s done with the wand than his efforts on the mound.
“It’s a lot more branded as the wizard and the wand guy,” Vasil said. “I didn’t really picture I’d get recognized more as an IL guy than a pitcher. But it’s all fun.”
Vasil said the wand “goes everywhere” with him, including this week when he returned home with the White Sox visiting the Red Sox. It’s unusual for a rehabbing player to go on road trips with the team, speaking again to how much his teammates enjoy having him around.
And getting to be back at Fenway is something Vasil couldn’t pass up, either, given his roots.
“I think this trip will be circled for me every year to come home,” Vasil said. “… It means a lot to be here. It’ll always be home to me, obviously. It’s a special place.”
Vasil’s journey to the big leagues was a much longer journey than reaching his new-found stardom. After starring at BC High, Vasil put together a standout career at Virginia before being selected by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-hander spent three-plus seasons in the Mets farm system before hitting some turbulence when he bounced between a few teams in the matter of months. The Philadelphia Phillies plucked Vasil from the Mets in the 2024 Rule 5 draft, and then immediately turned around and traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The White Sox claimed Vasil off waivers from the Rays prior to the 2025 season, setting up Vasil to make 47 appearances with a 2.50 ERA and four saves last year.
Vasil didn’t get the chance to build off that strong first campaign due to his elbow injury, but he’s confident he’ll bounce back strong.
“It’s going well,” Vasil said of his recovery. “Should be a week from (this past Wednesday) I can at least start throwing like a plyo ball, and four weeks after that start throwing. There’s no ideal time to get Tommy John, but I think if you are going to get it, spring training probably is the best time or any time before that.”
Vasil in some ways has to be looking forward to replacing the wand he now carries with a baseball again. It’s hard to fathom that Vasil became a sensation this season without ever throwing a single pitch.
But nobody knew, not even Vasil himself, that he had a trick up his sleeve.
“I couldn’t predict any of this happening,” Vasil said. “But I think with the way the year’s gone and obviously having surgery and dealing with that, I think I’ve definitely made the most of it.”