The White Sox are on the doorstep of their first postseason berth in five years, and that means the hard part is no longer just getting there. With MLB rosters set to shrink from 28 in September to 26 for October, the White Sox have to start trimming the fat - and a few players have already made that decision easier.
The cleanest example is right-hander Luis Castillo. Chicago brought the 33-year-old in at the trade deadline to stabilize the rotation, provide innings and bring some playoff mileage to a young staff.
Instead, his run with the White Sox has gone off the rails. In 30 innings since the deal, Castillo has put up a 7.50 ERA while allowing 41 hits and 11 walks.
That’s not the profile of someone you trust in a postseason series.
Even if the White Sox go with a four-man rotation in October - or just three for a Wild Card round - Castillo’s path to the roster is narrow. The only realistic route would be out of the bullpen, and Chicago has already used plenty of other arms in multi-inning roles this year.
Sean Newcomb, Grant Taylor, Hagen Smith, Trevor Richards, Noah Schultz, and Erick Fedde have all done it, which leaves the team with better, safer options. Castillo was solid in his first outing after shifting to relief on Sunday night, so there’s still a tiny opening if he strings together a couple more good appearances this week.
But right now, he looks like the odd man out.
David Sandlin is in a different spot, but the same problem follows him: inconsistency. The right-hander has made seven bulk appearances this season and has been all over the map.
He was sent back up to replace Castillo in the rotation, then turned in a strong outing against the Cardinals last week. In his next start against the Tigers, though, his command vanished and he was charged with five earned runs in four innings.
When Sandlin is right, he can get big league hitters out and work deep into games. When he isn’t, the contact gets loud in a hurry.
The White Sox likely have Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, and Erick Fedde lined up as their postseason starters, which could leave Sandlin competing for a bullpen role. But that’s not a lane he’s really lived in before, and there’s no guarantee the club forces him into it.
He’s a real candidate to get squeezed out.
Then there’s Luisangel Acuna, whose season has drifted from regular duty to bench piece. The White Sox acquired him in a January trade and hoped he’d answer the center field question, but that hasn’t happened in 2026. He opened the year as a lineup regular, then slid into a reserve role and has mostly been used against left-handed pitching.
Acuna still brings speed and defense, and those traits matter in October. Teams often carry a pinch runner or defensive replacement for late-game situations, and Acuna fits that mold.
But Chicago already has two players who can fill that type of role in Luisangel Acuna and Brenton Doyle, and Doyle has offered more offense lately. If the White Sox need an infield injury replacement, they could turn to Sam Antonacci and let Randal Grichuk or Tommy Pham handle the outfield, both of whom bring offense off the bench.
Acuna has spent the entire season on the roster, which makes the possibility of leaving him off now a difficult call. It may also be the right one.
In Other News...
White Sox Make A Surprising Lineup Bet Against Kansas City
The White Sox head into a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium with an eye on a Kansas City pitching staff that is still settling into roles. Chicago announced a balanced lineup against a left-hander, with Miguel Vargas leading off and Randal Grichuk hitting third, a setup that gives the order a different look than usual while the club tries to find the right mix against the Royals.
Kansas Citys probable options add another layer to the matchup, with Anthony Kay coming in after a rough stretch and Daniel Lynch working as a starter since the trade deadline. For Chicago, the question is whether this lineup construction can give it an early edge in a series where the pitching matchup may be just as fluid as the batting order. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Real Playoff Roster Debate Over Acuna
As the White Sox chase both the AL Central lead and a postseason berth, Luisangel Acuna has become one of the more interesting roster questions on the board. The young outfielder and shortstop has not given the club much at the plate this season, with a .227/.260/.261 slash line and a .522 OPS, but his profile still carries a skill set Chicago cannot ignore when games tighten up.
Acunas speed is the obvious counterweight to the offensive numbers, since he ranks in the 98th percentile for sprint speed and could offer value as a late-game baserunner in October-style situations. For a team trying to balance present production with roster versatility, the debate is less about whether he has tools and more about how much those tools matter if the White Sox get into a short series and every bench spot starts to count. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Still Have One Bullpen Trust Issue Before October
The White Sox brought in Huascar Brazoban at the trade deadline to give their bullpen a needed jolt heading into October, but the first month after the move did not exactly settle any nerves. Before the injury, he was fighting through control issues and had put up a 6.30 ERA with Chicago, making it hard to know what kind of late-inning help the club was actually getting from the former Met.
Brazoban has now returned from a left lat strain and logged a scoreless inning in his latest appearance, which at least gives the White Sox something to build on as the postseason nears. Still, the larger question remains the same: whether he can be trusted when the games tighten up and the margin for error gets thin. [Read more 🡒]