After Monday’s win, the White Sox get another shot at the Rangers and a chance to take the series, but they’ll have to do it without Kyle Teel. The catcher was placed on the 10-day injured list with a high left ankle sprain, and there’s no timetable yet for his return.
Chicago’s lineup also takes a hit from Colson Montgomery’s status. He was scratched after leaving Monday’s win with a shin contusion.
The team first labeled him day-to-day and even had him in the initial lineup at shortstop before pulling him out minutes later. For now, the White Sox are treating it as a day off, though they’re still waiting to provide a more concrete update.
With Teel out, Chicago will lean on Edgar Quero and Drew Romo behind the plate, at least for now, and Romo gets the nod Tuesday. He’ll hit ninth. The rest of the order gets pushed up a spot from Monday, with Sam Antonacci leading off and Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Braden Montgomery, Andrew Benintendi, Tristan Peters, Chase Meidroth and Luisangel Acuña filling out the lineup ahead of Romo.
Romo’s bat has cooled off hard after a decent start to his White Sox run. The 24-year-old has shown a little pop, but the production hasn’t followed. He’s hitting just .134 across 37 games.
The Rangers counter with a right-handed-heavy lineup against lefty Noah Schultz. Joc Pederson sits after opening Game 1 with a leadoff homer, and he’s only hitting .167 in 24 at-bats against left-handers. Justin Foscue moves in at second base in place of Nicky Lopez, while Cam Cauley gets the start in center field instead of Evan Carter.
Texas’ order starts with Wyatt Langford at DH, followed by Foscue, Josh Jung, Brandon Nimmo, Jake Burger, Ezequiel Duran, Cauley, Elias Díaz and Alejandro Osuna.
Schultz takes the mound carrying a 5.60 ERA in his rookie season, but his last outing before the All-Star break offered a better sign. Against the Athletics, he worked five innings and allowed one run on four hits without issuing a walk. That part matters most for Chicago, because control has been the biggest issue for him.
On the other side, Kumar Rocker gets the ball for Texas. The former third overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt is in his third major league season and has posted a 4.40 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 90 innings over 18 games, 16 of them starts.
The walks have been the problem, though, with 34 allowed in that span. He’s also been hit harder lately, carrying a 5.82 ERA over his last seven appearances.
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Evan Carter Is Giving Rangers Fans Hope Theyre Afraid To Trust
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The problem is that the Rangers still have to manage the edges of that progress carefully. Carter has been useful enough overall to carry a 1.8 bWAR thanks to his defense, speed and ability to get on base, but the club is still treating him as a platoon bat and limiting his exposure to left-handed pitching. For a team that needs every bit of offense it can find, the question is whether this recent run is the start of something more stable or just another reminder of how fragile the optimism around him still is. [Read more 🡒]