The White Sox are sending Noah Schultz to the mound this morning at Camden Yards with a chance to finish off their first road sweep of the season.
Schultz has been back in the mix after missing all of June because of a recurrence of right knee patellar tendintis. He was reinstated from the injured list and made three rehab starts with Charlotte, with the last one looking the most complete of the bunch because it came with an acceptable amount of free bases. In the rotation, he’s stepping into the spot David Sandlin filled on Friday, when he logged six innings of one-run ball in the Sox’s 22-1 rout of the Royals.
Across from Schultz will be Dean Kremer, who is making his first start since April 18 after coming off the 60-day injured list with a strained quad. Kremer has had the White Sox’s number in his career, going 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA in four starts against them over 23⅓ innings.
The Sox also made a change to the roster after Tyler Schweitzer’s unusual bit of history. Schweitzer, who recorded the White Sox’s first four-inning save in 24 years, was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte to open a spot for Schultz.
Will Venable is also mixing up the top of the lineup. Sam Antonacci is back leading off after sitting Tuesday night, with the forearm/wrist hit he took on Monday serving as a reminder that he was probably due for a day off anyway.
That means Colson Montgomery is the one sitting out. Montgomery homered 440 feet to Eutaw Street on Tuesday, but he also went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
June ended with him hitting .186/.263/.442 and striking out 39 percent of the time, and he’d also played 17 straight games.
Elsewhere in the organization, MLB released the Futures Game rosters and Caleb Bonemer was the lone White Sox player selected. Braden Montgomery, who looked like a likely candidate for that stage, is instead producing with the White Sox.
The Futures Game will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on All-Star Sunday, July 12, at 11 a.m. CT.
Lineups:
White Sox: Sam Antonacci LF, Miguel Vargas 3B, Andrew Benintendi DH, Braden Montgomery RF, Jacob Gonzalez 1B, Chase Meidroth 2B, Tristan Peters CF, Luisangel Acuña SS, Drew Romo C. Noah Schultz starts.
Orioles: Gunnar Henderson SS, Adley Rutschman C, Taylor Ward LF, Pete Alonso DH, Coby Mayo 1B, Tyler O'Neill RF, Leody Taveras CF, Jackson Holliday 2B, Blaze Alexander 3B. Dean Kremer starts.
In Other News...
White Sox May Try A Surprising Plan With A Top Pitching Prospect
Tanner McDougal is getting close to pitching again, which gives the White Sox another important arm to monitor as they think about how best to handle one of their higher-upside young pitchers. The organization has been patient with the right-hander while he works back from a flexor strain, and his return comes at a time when Chicago is still sorting through long-term plans for its pitching pipeline.
What makes McDougal especially interesting is the possibility that his next step might not be the straight line most prospects take. The White Sox have precedent for easing talented arms in through relief before stretching them out later, and there is at least some logic to that path for a pitcher whose workload still needs to be managed. Whether that becomes a short-term bridge or something more meaningful for his development is the question hanging over his comeback. [Read more 🡒]
Two White Sox Pitching Rehabs Just Became Worth Watching
Two White Sox pitching rehabs are suddenly worth tracking in Winston-Salem, where Shane Smith and Tanner McDougal both opened their assignments with scoreless work for the Dash. Smith handled two innings without allowing a walk or hit batter, while McDougal came back with a clean inning of his own and two strikeouts in three batters faced, a tidy pair of first steps after time away from game action.
For a Chicago club still sorting through arms, the timing matters as much as the results. Smiths return gives the White Sox another chance to monitor a pitcher trying to reestablish himself, and McDougals outing arrives with the possibility that his path back could be shaped by what the organization needs most in the final weeks. The next few appearances should show whether these are just encouraging first reps or the beginning of something more useful for the big league picture. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Could Be Pulled Into A Brutal Crosstown Pitching Chase
The starting-pitching market around the deadline always gets tricky, and this one may get especially awkward on the South Side. The Cubs are looking to shore up a rotation that has been battered by injuries and uneven performances, and ESPNs David Schoenfield has pointed to one of the more intriguing arms on the board as a possible fit. Even with a 4.81 ERA, the right-hander is still being viewed as one of the better available starters, which says plenty about how thin the rental market can be this time of year.
For the White Sox, the timing matters because they are in the same conversation for the same kind of help. Any pursuit of rotation depth can quickly turn into a race, and the possibility of both Chicago clubs chasing the same arm only adds another layer to a deadline that already figures to be busy. The question now is whether the Sox are willing to push hard enough to keep pace if the market starts moving faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]