The White Sox are heading into the Wild Card Series with a roster that barely leaves room for debate. No major shocks.
No last-minute chaos. Just a 26-man group built the way they’ve been leaning all along, with the only real nitpick being how a few players are labeled on the roster sheet.
On the pitching side, Chicago went with seven right-handers: Huascar Brazobán, Sean Burke, Erick Fedde, Jordan Hicks, Davis Martin, David Sandlin and Grant Taylor. Trevor Richards is the odd man out, and the decision makes sense with the White Sox only likely to need about 12 pitchers across a series that could last three games.
Brazobán’s recent return from the injured list closed the door further; he’s thrown 4⅓ scoreless, walkless outings, and the White Sox appear to view him as covering the same kind of role Richards would have filled. His 3⅓-inning save in Game 162 may end up being his final appearance of the season.
The left-handed group gives Chicago its flexibility. Bryan Hudson, Anthony Kay, Sean Newcomb, Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith all made the cut, giving the White Sox a collection of arms that can stretch out and cover multiple innings.
That’s the theme here: not a rotation built on certainty, but a staff full of pitchers who can absorb three innings at a time. Kay, who went five innings in Game 162, had already been working on his side days while the White Sox were still chasing down the Guardians, with bullpen warmups between starts suggesting he was being prepared for exactly this kind of usage.
Behind the plate, the White Sox are carrying Jake Rogers and Kyle Teel. Rogers is back from the paternity list after the birth of his daughter, but with AJ Blubaugh opening Game 1 and Hunter Brown starting Game 2, the early matchup points straight toward Teel getting the nod.
The infield group includes Luisangel Acuña, Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas. Acuña’s place was never really in question with only 12 pitchers on the roster, and he even started at shortstop in the final two games of the regular season after logging just 12 plate appearances over the first 25 days of the month.
In the outfield, the White Sox went with Sam Antonacci, Brenton Doyle, Randal Grichuk, Braden Montgomery and Tristan Peters. Doyle’s arrival didn’t pay off immediately after the trade deadline, but he’s arriving in October with some momentum: 12 hits in his last 35 at-bats, including three homers.
The club’s two designated hitters are listed as outfielders on the press release, though Andrew Benintendi and Tommy Pham are really carrying DH-only or pinch-hit profiles right now. Benintendi has played one inning in the outfield since April, while Pham has been limited to DH or pinch-hitting as he works through a minor calf issue. If either one is in front of the Crawford Boxes this week, it would have to be deep into extras - “If either of them end up standing in front of the Crawford Boxes this week, it better be in the 12th inning.”
On the other side, the Astros made a couple of notable choices. Left-handed reliever Steven Okert is out despite a 2.13 ERA and a .190/.244/.325 line allowed over 67⅔ regular-season innings because of a hamstring injury.
They also went with Joey Loperfido over LaMonte Wade Jr. for left-handed outfield depth, even though Loperfido has been limited to one pinch-hitting appearance at the major league level since July 1. Houston’s roster is also unusually new to this stage, with 13 of its 26 players making their postseason debut or something close to it.
Still, the familiar names are the ones that matter most: Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena and Christian Vázquez have all been there before.
In Other News...
White Sox Taking A Game 1 Gamble Against Houston
The White Sox are leaning into a playoff wrinkle right away, opening their Wild Card Series against the Astros with a bullpen day and rookie Hagen Smith as the listed starter. It is the kind of call that says plenty about where the staff is right now: Chicago is not trying to force a traditional Game 1 look so much as it is trying to maximize the arms it has available and keep Houston from settling in early.
Manager Will Venable and general manager Chris Getz have both framed the plan as one built on flexibility, with multiple pitchers expected to work in short bursts rather than hand the ball to a starter and a bulk reliever in the usual order. The approach puts a premium on matchups and versatility, and it also sets up an early postseason test of just how far the White Sox are willing to push that style when every inning carries extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Wild Card Hopes May Hinge On One Astros Problem
The White Sox are heading into the wild-card round with a familiar problem in front of them, one that has already shown up over seven regular-season meetings with Houston. The Astros took five of those games, and the matchup now brings together a Chicago club trying to find enough offense around Chase Meidroth, Munetaka Murakami and Sean Burke against a Houston group built around Jeremy Pena and Hunter Brown.
Chicagos path is made trickier by the fact that both staffs arrive with questions, but the Astros have the kind of lineup depth that can make those issues easier to survive in October. Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez bring postseason experience that could tilt a short series, which leaves the White Sox needing their own answer to one glaring Astros advantage if they want the upset to feel realistic. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Wild Card Roster Hints At A Bold Astros Plan
The White Sox have put together a Wild Card roster that says plenty about how they intend to attack the Astros, even before a first pitch is thrown. Chicagos official group leans heavily on pitching depth, with seven right-handers, five left-handers, two catchers, five infielders and seven outfielders, a structure that points to a lot of matchup management once the series begins.
Hagen Smith is set to open Game 1 in what is expected to be a bullpen game, which already gives the opener a different feel than a standard postseason start. Anthony Kay is also on the roster after recent pitching work, a detail that suggests the White Sox may be keeping another option available on short rest as they try to piece together outs against Houston. [Read more 🡒]