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Altermatt ascends to Triple-A level

By Travis Rosenau 6 min read

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nick Altermatt is one step closer to having his dream of making the big leagues become a reality.

The right-handed pitcher took one more step this past weekend after getting the call-up to the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Altermatt, a 2018 Wabasso High School graduate and Wanda, Minnesota, native, was drafted by the White Sox in the 17th round (521st overall) of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft after his four-year college baseball career at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

At MSU, Altermatt started as a shortstop for the Mavericks and hit .372, finishing as the 2019 NSIC Freshman of the Year. A shortened 2020 season saw Altermatt continue playing in the field and get two mound appearances before he split time as a positional player and a pitcher his final two seasons.

After getting drafted, the right-hander played at the Single-A, High-A and ROK levels from 2024-2025 before getting called up to play for the Double-A Birmingham Barons earlier this year. Less than a week ago, Altermatt got the good news of his call-up to Triple-A after a game in Huntsville, Alabama.

Altermatt said after the game, Barons manager Pat Leyland gave a speech about what the team was doing, who they were playing and what they were playing for.

"There was a bigger week [ahead], and he was, like, 'Yeah, we gotta come out and get these next two tomorrow,' which would have been Saturday and Sunday. And he said, 'Well, I got some exciting news that Nick Altermatt's going to be going up to Charlotte.’ So, I was quite surprised … and I was very shocked that he said my name and I was going up to Charlotte. Not that I wasn’t expecting it -- it’s probably not the right way to put it -- but it's always a shock whenever you know you’re moving up a level and it just gets you one step closer to the main goal."

Leyland would likely be more than happy to have Altermatt on the Barons yet, but Altermatt said he enjoyed his time with Leyland and the Barons and believes the feelings are mutual.

"I played with Pat for three years now, so we’ve got to know each other over those three years," Altermatt said. "I’ve always loved playing for Pat. And I hope it goes both ways with him, and I’m sure it does. But he seems pretty happy for me. And you know, a lot of the guys were pretty happy, so it was a good time."

Altermatt had a 2.61 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings of work with the Barons this season.

Altermatt said he always tried to stay away from looking at transactions so he didn't question his ability or get frustrated. While his initital shock of the call-up was real, he wasn't surprised by the timing of it as call-ups tend to happen more following the MLB Draft, which took place July 11-12.

After Altermatt got the news of his promotion to Charlotte, Knights manager Chad Pinder gave him some solid advice.

"He kind of came up to me and was just, like, 'There is a very good chance that you'll pitch.' That was the first night that I got there and running on, I don’t know, maybe three hours of sleep, it could have been,” Altermatt said. “He was just like, 'There's no expectations on you just because you got called up.' And I think that’s a good way to put it.

"A lot of athletes put expectations on themselves to just go out there and be perfect and especially in a sport like baseball, perfection is very hard to come by. So, I guess the biggest advice I got is don’t put expectations on yourself that are too great. Just go out there and be yourself and then everything else will go off of that."

Pinder wasn't lying when he told Altermatt his high odds of pitching right away as it was a bullpen day.

August 8, 2026, the 6-foot, 225-pound righty and 2018 All-Journal Baseball Player of the Year took the Triple-A mound for the first time in his career during a game against the Durham Bulls in Charlotte at Truist Field.

He entered in relief and pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and one walk for no runs while striking out two. His first strikeout was a memorable one as it came on a challenge in the fifth inning to get Tatem Levins out.

"My first strikeout was actually on a challenged call," he said. "So that was pretty cool to throw the pitch, got called a ball, and our catcher challenged it and it got overturned to a strike for a strike three."

Altermatt was also happy to see his family make the trip to Charlotte to see him in his first Triple-A game.

"When I got called up, I called my wife, and then she made the trip to Charlotte that morning," Altermatt said. "After the game, I found out that my mom and dad surprised me, and they got the first flight out of Minnesota to come to North Carolina and surprise me at the game, so that was a very pleasant surprise to see them down there."

While more of a fastball-changeup pitcher, Altermatt has also been working on mixing in cutters and sliders. His fastball typically sits between 91 and 95 miles per hour, while his changeup is about 10 miles per hour slower.

While he's pitched in just about every relief role there is this year, Altermatt isn't sure quite what to expect yet the rest of the year.

"For the most part this year, I have pitched in almost every reliever role there is," Altermatt said. "Felt like you could come in right after the starter, or you could be the guy right before the closer. You could be the closer one game. We’ll see at this level kind of how things run. I might be a little different, but it’s kind of [been] more of a, 'OK, get Altermatt going,' and then kind of get-up-and-get-going type of deal."

Regardless of his role going forward, Altermatt will be working to continue bettering himself and his team.

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