The White Sox are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021, and with Tuesday’s American League Wild Card Series opener against the Houston Astros looming, manager Will Venable finally has his roster in hand.
The biggest wrinkle came in how Chicago chose to split the 26 spots: 14 position players and 12 pitchers. That left Tommy Pham on the roster as the club opted for an extra bat instead of carrying another arm.
Pham’s inclusion stands out because he barely factored into the late-season mix. In 17 at-bats with the White Sox, the 38-year-old hit .176/.333/.353 with one home run.
Still, the team is betting on the possibility that he can provide another right-handed option in a series where matchups could matter. One possibility is more Randal Grichuk in left field against lefties, with Pham also getting time at designated hitter.
The roster also gives the White Sox a chance to ride two rookies who earned their way in down the stretch. Noah Schultz and David Sandlin both made the cut after strong late-season work, and while neither is expected to start the series, both should have a chance to log meaningful innings.
On the position-player side, Jake Rogers kept the backup catcher job despite hitting just .103/.239/.179 in 18 games with Chicago. He stayed on the roster over Edgar Quero and Drew Romo.
The rest of the group came in largely as expected: Luisangel Acuña, Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas; Sam Antonacci, Andrew Benintendi, Brenton Doyle, Randal Grichuk, Braden Montgomery, Tristan Peters and Pham.
The pitching staff includes Huascar Brazobán, Sean Burke, Erick Fedde, Jordan Hicks, Bryan Hudson, Anthony Kay, Davis Martin, Sean Newcomb, David Sandlin, Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith and Grant Taylor.
The one real omission beyond Tyler Davis was Trevor Richards, and that was the surprise. Richards had been heavily used during the regular season and even finished the year by closing out the White Sox’s final game against the Colorado Rockies. Over 52 appearances, he posted a 3.78 ERA in 78.2 innings.
Richards was asked to go multiple innings almost every time he pitched, and that workload made him a steady option when the White Sox needed to protect the bullpen. For much of the season, he was the arm Venable leaned on to soak up innings and keep others fresh. If this is it for Richards in Chicago, he left after a solid run.
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