Jesse Scholtens (born April 6, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Career
San Diego Padres
Scholtens was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 9th round, 264th overall of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. Scholtens split his first professional season between the Low-A Tri-City Dust Devils, Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, and High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, recording a cumulative 1.54 ERA in 19 games. He split the following year with Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore, making a total of 25 appearances (24 starts) and posting a 7–9 record and 3.60 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 147.1 innings pitched.
In 2018, Scholtens played for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas and Double-A San Antonio Missions, making 27 appearances (24 starts) and recording a 4.14 ERA and 8–8 record with 119 strikeouts in 137.0 innings pitched. He spent the 2019 season with the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles, pitching to a 5–7 record and 5.40 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 125.0 innings of work across 24 contests (20 starts). Scholtens did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scholtens returned to El Paso in 2021, making 21 appearances (20 starts) for the team and logging a 3–10 record and 5.05 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. He spent the 2022 season with El Paso as well, pitching in 37 games (starting 15) and registering a 4–4 record and 4.10 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 83.1 innings of work. He elected minor league free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.
Chicago White Sox
On December 20, 2022, Scholtens signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights to begin the 2023 season.
On April 7, 2023, Scholtens was selected the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.