Munetaka Murakami named AL Rookie of the Month for May

White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami has been named the American League Rookie of the Month for May.

Murakami batted .244/.382/.556 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs for the month, during which the Sox went 18-10. 

The last Sox rookie to win the award was Yermin Mercedes, of all people, in April 2021.

The only downside to this is Murakami ended the month by suffering a Grade 2 hamstring on May 30, which will keep him out four to six weeks.

So far, Murakami has missed five games, and the Sox have gone 3-2. But the road is about to get much harder: Chicago's next 12 games are against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers, Braves and Yankees are probably the three best teams in baseball. All four of those clubs have aspirations of a deep postseason run.

This will be a big test for the Sox to see if they can hold their ground in the AL standings.

White Sox 8, Twins 0

Erick Fedde (1-5) tossed five shutout innings to pick up his first win of the season as the Sox salvaged the finale of a three-game set at Minnesota on Wednesday afternoon. 

Sam Antonacci went 4 for 4 and reached base in all six of his plate appearances. He had two doubles, two singles, a walk, an HBP, two runs scored and an RBI.

Andrew Benintendi went 2 for 3 with three walks and his sixth home run of the season. Jacob Gonzalez went 2 for 4, including a two-run single that highlighted a four-run top of the first inning that gave the Sox all the runs they would need.

The Sox are 33-29. They remain in second place in the AL Central, 2.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians. They also occupy the second of three wild card spots in the AL. 

David Sandlin's second start goes poorly vs. Twins

David Sandlin's first major league start against the Minnesota Twins couldn't have gone better last week. What would he do for an encore Monday night? 

Well, I'm sorry to report Sandlin's second outing was pretty much a disaster. Five days after limiting the Twins to only one hit over six innings, this time the White Sox rookie right-hander got hit around for eight earned runs in four-plus innings.

The Sox saw their five-game winning streak come to an end with a 9-6 loss at Target Field. 

What was different for Sandlin (1-1) this time? Walks and a lot of traffic on the bases. In his previous outing, he retired the final 18 batters he faced and never threw a single pitch out of the stretch. He walked nobody. On Monday, Sandlin walked four and surrendered eight hits. He was on his heels in almost every inning he pitched.

Despite the high score, believe it or not, this was a 1-1 game into the bottom of the fourth. That's when Minnesota's No. 9 batter, Tristan Gray, took Sandlin deep for a two-out grand slam that made the score 5-1.

That could have been a fatal blow to the Sox, but they answered quickly with three runs in the fifth. Miguel Vargas hit a two-run homer, and Andrew Benintendi followed with a solo homer to make it 5-4.

Suddenly, Sandlin had a new lease on life. Alas, he loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth on a single and two walks. That would be the end of his night, and Tyler Davis allowed all three of his inherited runners to score -- plus one more run -- and the Twins were in full control of the game at 9-4 headed to the sixth inning.

The score stayed that way until the ninth inning, when Vargas delivered his second two-run homer of the night to make it 9-6. However, the Sox could get no closer.

Vargas is up to 15 homers, tied with Colson Montgomery for second on the team, but poor pitching doomed the Sox on this night.

The Sox are 32-28. They fall 1.5 games back of the idle Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. 

Munetaka Murakami injured, but White Sox sweep Tigers

White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami will miss four to six weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which he suffered Friday night in a game against the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field.

It's not great news, especially knowing June features perhaps the toughest stretch of schedule the Sox will face all season long -- including games against the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians.

However, the Sox survived Murakami's absence just fine over the weekend, sweeping the series from the last-place Tigers. Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, May 29

White Sox 4, Tigers 3, 10 innings.  Miguel Vargas got a high changeup from Detroit reliever Drew Anderson and cranked a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to turn a 3-2 Tigers lead into a 4-3 Sox victory.

The Sox trailed 2-1 from the third inning until the bottom of the ninth, when they scratched across the tying run against Detroit reliever Kyle Finnegan. Back-to-back singles by Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters placed runners at first and third with one out.

Rikuu Nishida's safety squeeze bunt was fielded by Finnegan, and while he looked at Benintendi, he didn't force the Sox baserunner to go back to third. As soon as Finnegan threw to first to retire Nishida, Benintendi broke for the plate, and he slid safely ahead of a throw from Detroit first baseman Spencer Torkelson to tie the game.

The Tigers took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th, with a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly, but Anderson failed to make the lead stick. Detroit went 6-22 in the month of May. That team is finding new ways to lose. 

Saturday, May 30

White Sox 7, Tigers 1. There wasn't as much drama in this game, as the Sox scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and led from start to finish.

Sox starter Anthony Kay (5-1) made the lead stick through the first half of the game by pitching five innings of one-run ball. The South Siders blew the game wide open late, with two runs in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth.

Edgar Quero, Colson Montgomery and Benintendi all homered in the late innings to help put the game away. Quero went 2 for 3 with a sacrifice fly, and he's pulled his batting average up to .196 after an absolutely terrible start to the season.

The Sox got four innings of scoreless work from their bullpen. Grant Taylor entered with two men on and no outs in the top of the sixth. He stranded both runners, and then struck out the side in the seventh. Seranthony Dominguez tossed a scoreless eighth. Trevor Richards mopped up in the ninth.

Sunday, May 31

White Sox 2, Tigers 1. Detroit starter Keider Montero cruised through the first six innings, needing only 65 pitches as he held the Sox scoreless on two hits. But then the Tigers took him out of the game and put in ... Anderson.

Thank you very much.

The Sox handed Anderson his second loss of the series by collecting four straight hits in the bottom of the seventh. Montgomery hit his 15th homer of the season to tie the game at 1. Chase Meidroth, Jacob Gonzalez and Peters followed with three straight singles, the last of which scored Meidroth and put the Sox ahead to stay at 2-1.

Bryan Hudson covered four outs, and then Tyler Davis retired two batters in the top of the ninth to earn his first save as a member of the Sox. 

The Sox are 21-10 in their last 31 games and 32-27 for the season. The Guardians lost two of three to the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, which moves the Sox within one game of Cleveland in the AL Central.

Next up, three games in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Twins. 

White Sox win 3 of 4 in series with Twins

The White Sox came tantalizingly close to sweeping their four-game series with the Minnesota Twins this week at Rate Field.

Better execution in the bottom of the 10th inning Tuesday night would have gotten the ghost runner home. Alas, it was not to be, and the Sox dropped that one.

However, I don't think we're in any position to complain about taking three of four from the Twins, and the Sox accomplished exactly that with a 6-2 win on Thursday afternoon.

Davis Martin (8-1) continued his mastery with six innings of one-run ball. He allowed only two hits, while striking out five and walking two.

Sox hitters tagged Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson (0-7) for five earned runs over 2.2 innings. A four-run third inning proved decisive, highlighted by a two-out, three-run double by Randal Grichuk.

Some other notes after Thursday's victory:

• The Sox are now 10-1 in the 11 games Martin has started. His season ERA is 2.00. Nine of his 11 starts are quality starts, and he's given either no runs or just one run in eight of his starts.
• Grichuk has appeared in 18 games since signing with the Sox on May 4. He's batting .333 with four homers and 13 RBIs. He's slugging .694 with a 1.063 OPS in 38 plate appearances.
• The Sox have won nine of their past 10 games against the Twins, dating back to last season. They have outscored Minnesota 75-32 over that same span. Not bad considering the Sox went 1-12 against the Twins as recently as 2024. 

The Sox are 29-27, three games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. They host the Detroit Tigers for a three-game series over the weekend. We'll talk about that series here on Monday. 

White Sox pitcher David Sandlin dominates Twins in MLB debut

David Sandlin's first major league start probably couldn't have started much worse. The second pitch of his career got knocked out the park by Minnesota's Byron Buxton.

After that? Sandlin probably couldn't have done much better. He was outstanding, retiring the next 18 batters he faced to earn his first career victory as the White Sox throttled the Twins, 15-2, on Wednesday at Rate Field.

Yesterday, I said Sandlin would probably go five innings or 75 pitches, whichever came first. Ha! Shows what I know.

The 25-year-old right-hander needed only 61 pitches to get through six innings. He struck out four, walked nobody and threw 41 of those 61 pitches for strikes. He got seven swing-and-misses, and his fastball topped out at 99 mph. When Sandlin walked off the mound after the top of the sixth, he left with a comfortable 9-1 lead.

There are few Sox debuts this successful. Even a cynical fan like me thought this performance was awesome.

The Sox offense had a great game, too, as they pummeled Minnesota pitching for 15 runs on 18 hits. They had two five-run innings, one in the fifth and one in the seventh.

The seventh inning featured back-to-back home runs by Chase Meidroth and Munetaka Murakami. For Meidroth, it was his fifth homer of the season and first career grand slam. For Murakami, the solo shot was his 20th homer of the season. That leads the American League, and it's the most home runs by a rookie before June in MLB history.

Murakami has homered in all three games of this Minnesota series. On Wednesday, he was 2 for 4 with three runs scored. There's really no question that his addition has completely changed the complexion of the Sox lineup.

Sam Antonacci went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and three RBIs, including a two-run single in the second inning that erased the early 1-0 Minnesota lead and put the Sox ahead to stay. Randal Grichuk was 3 for 5 with two RBIs.

Meidroth, Colson Montgomery and Tristan Peters also had two-hit games for the Sox, who improve to 28-27, maintain second place and stay 3.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central.

Game 4 of this series is Thursday afternoon, with the Sox hoping for a series win, and the Twins looking to salvage a split. 

White Sox call up David Sandlin; Noah Schultz hits the IL

The White Sox have called up right-handed pitching prospect David Sandlin, and he will make the start Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field.

Sandlin, 25, was acquired along with Jordan Hicks in an offseason trade with the Boston Red Sox. He dealt with a sore forearm in spring training, and he has been ramping up in the minor leagues after recovering from the early-season injury.

He has a 0.75 ERA across four outings with Triple-A Charlotte, the last of which lasted four innings. We should not expect Sandlin to pitch deep into the ballgame Wednesday night. It will probably be 75 pitches or five innings, whichever comes first.

Sandlin takes the roster spot of Noah Schultz, who has been placed on the injured list with right knee patella tendinitis. This is the same injury the 22-year-old lefty dealt with in 2025, when he was limited to 17 games and 73 innings.

Schultz has struggled as of late. He's 0-3 with a 9.87 ERA over his past four starts. Worse, he's walked 10 batters in 17.1 innings over that same span. Schultz had the reputation of a strike-thrower during his time in the minor leagues, so the mounting walks have been a head-scratcher.

Perhaps he was pitching at less than 100%, and if so, he shouldn't be pitching. We'll see if Sandlin, who has a high-90s fastball, can fill the gap in the short run.

Twins 5, White Sox 3 (11 innings)

Brooks Lee's 3-run double in the top of the 11th inning off Tyler Davis (2-2) allowed the Twins to take the second game of the four-game series Tuesday at Rate Field.

After getting ahead 0-2 in the count with two fastballs with the bases loaded and one out, Davis tried to trick Lee with splitter, and it did not work. 

The Sox were fortunate to get the game into extra innings. They managed only three hits off Minnesota starter Joe Ryan through the first seven innings. However, with the Twins leading 2-0, Rikuu Nishida singled to open the eighth inning, and one out later, Munetaka Murakami hit his 19th home run of the season to even the score at 2.

In the bottom of the 10th, the Sox had their chance. They had runners on first and third with one out for Murakami, but he hit a one-hopper right at Minnesota first baseman Josh Bell that resulted in an inning-ending double play.

That set the stage for Lee to deliver the decisive hit that made the score 5-2. In the bottom of the 11th, the Sox got their ghost runner home on an RBI single by Chase Meidroth, but that was as close as they could get.

The Sox are 27-27, 3.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central.

Rikuu Nishida debuts; White Sox beat Twins

Before the start of a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins, the White Sox on Monday promoted all-purpose player Rikuu Nishida from Triple-A Charlotte.

Nishida, 25, who was born in Japan and played college baseball at the University of Oregon, was selected by the Sox in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB draft.  

He began this season at Double-A Birmingham and quickly earned a promotion to Charlotte, where he was batting .347/.454/.395 with a home run, 10 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 33 games.

It was an eventful MLB debut for Nishida on Monday, as he batted ninth and played right field for the Sox in their 3-1 victory over the Twins.

He collected his first major league hit, going 1 for 3 with a single, and recorded seven putouts in the outfield. Perhaps most impressively, he provided the best defensive play of the game. Nishida threw Orlando Arcia out at the plate to end the top of the second inning, after Minnesota's Alex Jackson had singled to right field.

The play kept the score tied at 1 at the time and got Sox starter Anthony Kay (4-1) out of the only jam he was in all afternoon.

Speaking of Kay, has anyone noticed that he's been the second-best starter on the Sox lately? The left-hander is now 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA across five May starts after he tossed six innings of one-run ball against the Twins.

Brooks Lee homered in the first inning for Minnesota, but that was the only run the Twins could manage all day.

Meanwhile, the Sox hit two home runs in the first two innings off Minnesota starter Zebby Matthews (1-2), and that was the difference in the game.

Munetaka Murakami hit his team-leading 18th home run of the season in the first inning -- a solo shot that tied the game at 1. In the second inning, Tristan Peters worked a leadoff walk and scored when Drew Romo hit his fifth homer of the year. The two-run blast put the Sox ahead 3-1 and capped the scoring for the day early.

The Sox got scoreless innings of relief from Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson and Seranthony Dominguez, with Dominguez earning his 11th save of the season.

The Sox are 27-26, 3.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. 

Memorial Day 2026

Make it a safe and reflective one.

 

 

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel out another 3-6 weeks

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel will miss another three to six weeks after spraining the lateral collateral ligament is his right knee Saturday while playing in a rehab game with Triple-A Charlotte.

Teel has not played a game with the Sox yet this season after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain on March 10, during a game in which he was representing Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

Coming into the 2026 season, we expected catching to be a Sox strength, with both Teel and Edgar Quero coming off respectable rookie years in 2025.

Instead, it's been one of the weaker position groups. Sunday's performance notwithstanding, it's been a terrible start for Quero. Here's a look at what the Sox have gotten from their catchers heading into Monday's game against the Seattle Mariners:

• Quero: .176/.264/.220, 1 HR, 1 2B, 10 RBIs, 28 Ks, 9 BBs
• Drew Romo: .184/.340/.553, 4 HRs, 2 2Bs, 7 RBIs, 10 Ks, 8 BBs
• Reese McGuire: .172/.273/.172, 0 HR, 0 2B, 3 RBIs, 9 Ks, 2 BBs (given his release) 

At least Romo is hitting for power. It seems the coaching staff trusts him more than Quero at this point, because Romo was in the starting lineup Monday against the Mariners -- even after Quero walked off the Cubs on Sunday.

And rightfully so. Romo has outplayed Quero over the past few weeks. But this is still a lineup hole that could cause the Sox a problem until Teel returns -- if he returns.

We probably won't see him until July at this point. 

Edgar Quero walks off Cubs; Sox complete 7-2 homestand

Rate Field on May 13. (Photo by Jason Bauman)

Struggling White Sox catcher Edgar Quero picked the ideal time for his first home run of the season.

Quero, who entered Sunday's game against the crosstown Cubs batting .151 with a .163 slugging percentage, picked on the first pitch he saw from Ryan Rolison in the bottom of the 10th inning and smacked it over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer to give the Sox a 9-8 victory over the hated and despised North Siders.

The Sox took two out of three over the weekend at Rate Field, picking up their first series victory over the Cubs since 2022. 

It was hard-earned.

Sox starter Erick Fedde didn't have good stuff. He needed 84 pitches to get through the first three innings, and after allowing the first two Cubs batters to reach base in the top of the fourth, he was mercifully removed from the game.

Fedde's final line: three innings pitched, six hits, four runs (all earned), four walks, two strikeouts. Fortunately, the Sox only trailed 4-1 headed to the bottom of the fourth. With the traffic the Cubs had on the bases, it easily could have been 7-1.

Instead, the Sox remained within striking distance. They scored one in the fourth, and then tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth on a two-out, two-run double by Miguel Vargas.

Meanwhile, the Sox bullpen held the line. Sean Newcomb tossed two scoreless innings. Grant Taylor tossed two scoreless innings. Bryan Hudson pitched out of a second-and-third, one-out jam in the eighth to keep it at 4-4.

In the bottom of the eighth, Tristan Peters took his shot at being the unlikely hero. With two outs, he connected for his first MLB homer off Cubs reliever Phil Maton. It was a 3-run shot that gave the Sox a 7-4 lead going to the top of the ninth.

That should have been the decisive blow, but alas, Seranthony Dominguez has been an adventure as Sox closer. And he had another misadventure Sunday.

Alex Bregman walked to lead off the top of the ninth. After Ian Happ struck out, Seiya Suzuki reached on a two-base throwing error by Vargas that placed runners on second and third.

When a multi-run lead is blown, usually walks and errors are part of it. Dominguez fell behind in the count, 3-1, to Michael Conforto, and the Cubs outfielder blasted the next pitch out to center for a 3-run homer to tie the game at 7-7.

The Sox left two runners on base in the bottom of the inning, sending the game to extras. The Cubs got their ghost runner across against reliever Tyler Davis (2-1), with Bregman picking up the RBI on a slowly hit grounder to short.

But Davis did a good job of preventing further damage and gave the Sox a chance in the bottom of the inning.

After Andrew Benintendi's sacrifice bunt moved ghost runner Chase Meidroth over to third, the struggling Quero delivered perhaps the biggest hit of his career thus far, sending those dressed in black in the crowd into a frenzy.

The Sox are 24-22, one game back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. For the homestand, the South Siders went 7-2, winning two of three from the Seattle Mariners and sweeping the Kansas City Royals prior to the Cubs series.

I made it to Rate Field for the middle game of the Kansas City series, after a co-worker who is a Royals fan invited me to the game. I took the above photo in the bottom of the eighth inning that night, with Munetaka Murakami at the plate.

As you can see, the fans haven't really come back from these past three miserable seasons. Sure, all these games against the Cubs were sellouts, but all the losing and lousy Jerry Reinsdorf ownership has hit everybody hard.

But maybe more homestands like this will slowly rejuvenate interest in this team. There's a lot of baseball left to be played, and it's a long road back to relevance. But punking the Cubs is one way for the Sox to get a little more mention on the sports talk shows and in the national press. 

Angels snap White Sox back to reality

There was a moment Tuesday night when it looked as though the White Sox might take sole possession of first place in the pillow fight known as the AL Central.

The Detroit Tigers had lost to the Boston Red Sox. The Cleveland Guardians had lost to the Kansas City Royals. Both Detroit and Cleveland had fallen to 18-19, and with a win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Sox could have gotten to 18-18 and leapfrogged them both.

The Sox even took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Ha! You didn't really think that was going to happen, did you? If the Sox had taken over first place, I would have been worried about the Earth possibly spinning off its axis.

The Sox left the bases loaded in the ninth inning and lost the game, 4-3. I wouldn't say they should have won it, but they most certainly could have.

With runners on first and third and one out in the ninth, Colson Montgomery got a 2-0 fastball right in the middle of home plate and fouled it off. The at-bat continued, and Montgomery fanned on a hanging slider for the second out.

Jarred Kelenic also got a hanging slider moments later, but he fouled it off. Any of those three pitches -- two to Montgomery and one to Kelenic -- could have been put in play hard and likely tied or won the game for the Sox. 

While Kelenic eventually worked a walk to load the bases, the game found Edgar Quero, who is batting .154 this season. Quero grounded out to second to end the game.

Most of us were probably hoping the Sox would bounce back in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. Alas, it was a bad day for starting pitcher Noah Schultz, and the defense behind him wasn't especially good.

The Angels shellacked the Sox, 8-2. 

The Guardians beat the Royals on Wednesday night, so they are now in first place at 19-19. The Tigers lost to the Red Sox again. They are 18-20. The Sox and Royals are tied for third at 17-20, 1.5 games back. The Minnesota Twins are last at 16-21.  

Like I said, a pillow fight. 

The Sox finished their road trip 3-3, which honestly is about what you'd expect. It just came in a different shape than maybe I expected. I figured they'd lose two of three in San Diego, and beat the Angels two of three.

It turned out to be the exact opposite. That's baseball for you. 

Braden Montgomery promoted to Triple-A Charlotte

The White Sox announced on Sunday afternoon that outfielder Braden Montgomery has been promoted to Triple-A Charlotte.

Montgomery, 23, is the No. 73 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America's top 100 list. In 27 games at Double-A Birmingham this season, he batted .313/.429/.606 with six homers, five doubles, three triples and 22 RBIs.

The swing-and-miss in Montgomery's game remains at issue, as he struck out 32 times in 126 plate appearances. However, he did draw 21 walks.

Given the Sox's unstable outfield situation at the big-league level, fans should cross their fingers and hope Montgomery can conquer Triple-A pitching in relatively short order. A call-up to Chicago sometime later in 2026 would be nice to see.

Let's take a look at what the Sox have gotten out of their outfielders so far this season, with all numbers entering Monday's action:

• Sam Antonacci: .255/.361/.431, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 121 OPS+ in 61 plate appearances
• Luisangel Acuna: .169/.235/.182, 0 HR, 3 RBIs, 19 OPS+ in 86 plate appearances
• Everson Pereira: .250/.310/.453, 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, 111 OPS+ in 77 plate appearances
• Andrew Benintendi: .200/.241/.350, 2 HRs, 15 RBIs, 64 OPS+ in 108 plate appearances
• Tristan Peters: .284/.346/.324, 0 HR, 5 RBIs, 89 OPS+ in 83 plate appearances
• Austin Hays: .233/.250/.326, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 60 OPS+ in 44 plate appearances
• Derek Hill: .263/.349/.421, 2 HRs 3 RBIs, 115 OPS+ in 44 plate appearances
• Jarred Kelenic: .167/.286/.167, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 31 OPS+ in 7 plate appearances 

It's not great, is it? Pereira has shown encouraging signs when healthy, but he's on the injured list for the second time already this season. The same is true for Hays, who hit the 10-day injured list Monday with a left calf strain.

It's gotten so bad for the Sox that they signed Randal Grichuk off the scrap heap Monday. The 34-year-old veteran batted .194 in 16 games with the New York Yankees before being designated for assignment in late April. 

He takes Hays' spot on the roster immediately after inking a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. 

So, indeed, the Sox could use a fixture for at least one spot in their outfield. I don't see that guy among this current group. Let's hope Montgomery comes quick. 

White Sox 'settle' for 2 out of 3 at San Diego

The San Diego Padres are 20-13 this season, so I can't complain about the White Sox taking two out of three at Petco Park over the weekend.

The results of this series are disappointing only in the sense that the Sox won the first two and had a legitimate chance to sweep on Sunday. Alas, the Padres scored late to salvage the final game, and the Sox saw their season-best five-game winning streak come to an end.

Here's a look back at what has to be considered a successful weekend for the Sox:

Friday, May 1

White Sox 8, Padres 2. Munetaka Murakami's 3-run homer capped a six-run second inning that put the Sox in full command of the series opener. It was the Japanese slugger's 13th home run of the season, and he concludes the weekend's action tied for the American League lead in that category with reigning league MVP Aaron Judge.

The run support helped rookie lefty Noah Schultz settle down. Schultz (2-1) walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and needed 29 pitches to get through the inning. But after being staked to a 6-0 lead, he only needed 58 pitches to get through the next five innings. When his outing was over, he had thrown six shutout innings, allowing just two hits. He did not walk another batter from the second inning on.

Colson Montgomery hit his ninth home run of the season for the Sox, and Sam Antonacci went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Saturday, May 2

White Sox 4, Padres 0. Sox right-hander Sean Burke matched zeroes with San Diego's Michael King until the South Siders finally broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth.

With runners on second and third and two outs, Miguel Vargas blooped a two-run single into shallow right field to give the Sox the only two runs they would need. The Sox added two more runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Edgar Quero and a safety squeeze by Tristan Peters.

Burke (2-2) was unscored upon for his second consecutive outing. He struck out eight over six innings, allowing four hits with only one walk.

San Diego loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but Seranthony Dominguez entered the game in relief of Grant Taylor to get two outs and record his eighth save of the season. This is notable because no Sox pitcher recorded more than seven saves for the entirety of the 2025 campaign. 

Sunday, May 3

Padres 4, White Sox 3. With runners on second and third and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, San Diego shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit a check-swing roller up the third-base line for an infield single that plated the go-ahead run for the Padres.

The Sox got the tying run to second base in the top of the ninth when Peters singled and stole second, but San Diego closer Mason Miller fanned Luisangel Acuna on three pitches to earn his 11th save of the season. 

The Padres grabbed a 3-1 lead with three runs in the fourth off Sox starter Anthony Kay. Luis Andujar and Manny Machado each homered during the San Diego rally. The Sox answered in the seventh when Derek Hill hit his second homer of the season, a 2-run shot, to tie it at 3.

Alas, Sox reliever Tyler Davis (0-1) issued a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth, and that runner ended up scoring when Bryan Hudson gave up the infield single to Bogaerts.

Drew Romo also homered for the Sox, his third of the season. Kay pitched five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He stuck out five and walked one. 

The Sox are 16-18. They had to Anaheim for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, starting Monday night. 

Munetaka Murakami: No, the White Sox should not trade him

Do you remember what I wrote on Feb. 17? Probably not, so here's a refresher:

"Barring a postponement or two, the Sox will have 31 games played on May 1 this year. Would a record like 14-17 be too much to ask? Maybe they could at least get into double-digit wins by the end of April for a change. Baby steps. Let's start with that." 

Sure enough, the White Sox are 14-17 on May 1. They went 13-13 in April, and this is a significant step forward from where they were on this date the past three years. In case, you had forgotten, here's a brutal reminder:

• 2025: 7-23
• 2024: 6-24
• 2023: 8-21

The Sox sit in third place in the American League Central, only 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers. Both the Guardians and the Tigers are 16-16 at the conclusion of Thursday's play. 

In fact, only three teams in the AL -- the New York Yankees (20-11), the Tampa Bay Rays (18-12) and the Sacramento Athletics (17-14) -- have winning records as the calendar turns to May.

So, the Sox are still in contention because the rest of the league is soft, but they are in contention nonetheless. It would be easier to take them seriously if their record were, say, reversed at 17-14. I have a hard time getting excited about a team that has a losing record, and no, I still do not expect the Sox to be in the race this season.

That said, I've seen some fans and media talking about whether the team should trade first baseman Munetaka Murakami for prospects at some point.

Murakami is leading the AL with 12 home runs, and he ranks among the top 10 in the league with a .564 slugging percentage. 

Here's my reaction to this discussion: Hell no, the Sox should not trade Murakami. If he continues to play at the level he's played at through 31 games, then he's a core piece of the team. He's only 26 years old, and he's entering what should be the prime of his career. That's a player you build with, if not build around.

You see, here's the problem with this latest Sox rebuild. ... What exactly have they built? Coming into this season, there wasn't a single player in place that you would call a cornerstone. Sure, there are some guys that you *hope* will become cornerstones, but there's uncertainty all over the diamond.

The Sox have just been churning their roster the past couple of years. If a guy plays well, he gets dealt for prospects. If a guy plays poorly, he gets designated for assignment. Year over year, more than half the roster exits. Another group of "value adds" arrives. Wash, rinse, repeat with no continuity.

Maybe, just maybe, it's time to keep some guys who play well and try to build a roster, you know, instead of just serving as a farm club for other teams around MLB. Act like a big-market team for a change.

5 White Sox players off to decent-to-good starts

Even after beating the Athletics two games out of three over the weekend in Sacramento, the White Sox are 8-14.

I don't think the organization is pleased with this start, although it shouldn't be surprising given the subpar nature of the roster. There are, however, some glimmers of hope.

In a rare moment of positivity, I present five Sox players who are off to decent-to-good starts in 2026:

1. Davis Martin. The right-hander has 37.5% of the Sox wins, having gone 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in his first four starts. Even in his one loss, Martin tossed seven innings of two-run ball -- he just didn't get any run support in that game. In his most recent start, Martin again went seven innings, allowing only one run in a 9-2 win Friday over the Athletics. He leads the team in innings pitched (25), strikeouts (19) and bWAR (1.1).

2. Munetaka Murakami. The comparisons to Kyle Schwarber have started. Perhaps that's a little premature, as the rookie from Japan only has 22 games under his belt. But much like Schwarber, Murakami has been a productive three-true-outcome hitter to this point. He homered in all three games of the series against the Athletics, increasing his team-best total to eight. Murakami is batting only .208, but he leads the Sox in walks (20), RBIs (16), on-base percentage (.376) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.542). Sure, he's struck out 31 times in 93 plate appearances, but his .918 OPS and 161 OPS+ are exactly what the Sox were hoping to see. 

3. Noah Schultz. The rookie posted three dominant starts at Triple-A Charlotte to force his way into the majors. The left-hander's first MLB start was shaky -- more specifically, his first inning was shaky as he gave up three runs in an 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay. But Schultz has allowed only two runs in the 8.1 innings since, and he picked up his first career victory Sunday, when he limited the Athletics to just one hit over five innings in a 7-4 win. Schultz is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA since joining the Sox, with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 9.1 innings pitched. 

4. Everson Pereira. The 25-year-old outfielder is the one reclamation project on this roster who has shown us something in the early going. Pereira has dealt with injuries this season, including an ankle problem that kept him on the shelf for the first two weeks of April. But since rejoining the lineup on April 14, Pereira has gone 7 for 21 with three doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. He has struck out 12 times in only 37 plate appearances, so there's plenty of swing-and-miss in his game. But the contact has been loud, as evidenced by his .297/.366/.649 slash line. It's a small sample, but that slugging percentage leads the team.  

5. Colson Montgomery. Despite the weird-looking offensive profile, Montgomery leads Sox position players in bWAR at 0.7. Some of that has to do with his defense at shortstop, where he has not yet committed an error this season. Give Montgomery credit for his glove. Throughout his pro career, he's faced questions about whether he can stick at shortstop. He may not win a Gold Glove anytime soon, but his defense has been more than serviceable. His slash line is at .200/.318/.453, with five homers, four doubles and 13 RBIs. He still strikes out a lot, 28 times in 88 plate appearances. But if Montgomery continues to post a 120 OPS+ with above-average defense at short, can we really complain? I would say no.

Up next for the Sox: three games at Arizona, starting Tuesday night at 8:40 Central. 

Noah Schultz to make MLB debut on Tuesday

White Sox top pitching prospect Noah Schultz is expected to make his MLB debut Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rate Field.

The 6-foot-10 left-hander out of Oswego East High School was the organization's first-round pick at No. 26 overall in the 2022 draft.  

There are two things that came to mind when I heard this news:

1. The move seems reasonable. Fans are forever worried about "rushing" prospects to the majors, but the other school of thought says, "There's no such thing as a pitching prospect." With the high volume of arm injuries around professional baseball, it seems senseless to allow a pitcher to waste bullets dominating Triple-A.

And Schultz has been dominating Triple-A. In three games with Charlotte this season, he's 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA. In 14 innings pitched, he's allowed only two earned runs on four hits. He's struck out 19 and walked just two.

Neither right-handed nor left-handed batters have done much with Schultz. He was drafted as a sinker-slider pitcher, and those two pitches in combination with his arm angle allow him to dominate lefties. But he's added a cutter and a changeup to his mix to help him keep righties at bay.

In fact, Schultz is a five-pitch pitcher now: four-seamer, two-seamer, cutter, slider, change. I would expect to see mostly two-seamers and sliders against lefties, and two-seamers and cutters against righties. The four-seamer and the changeup are more for show than anything, based upon scouting reports I've read.

The other thing is, there's a need in Chicago. Shane Smith was sent to Charlotte to work out his problems, so somebody has to start in that spot. Schultz has earned the opportunity. It's OK to see what he does with it.

2. The hype is unnecessary and ridiculous. Yes, it's exciting news when a top prospect is called up. Fans are looking forward to seeing Schultz in a Sox uniform. But the three hours of Schulz programming on Chicago Sports Network leading into Tuesday's game seems a little excessive.

You can watch replays of a previous outing from Schultz, hear him on the Chuck Garfien podcast and watch the "Road to the Chi" special featuring him Tuesday before the game. Good grief, no pressure, kid. Let's hope he doesn't give up five runs in 2.1 innings or something like that.

It's always a little rough when a promising prospect is called up into a losing situation. The Sox are 6-10. They haven't looked great, and fans and team media are looking for anything they can clutch onto to create excitement. Sometimes that leads to a young kid being treated as Lord and Savior.

We should take a lesson from Gordon Beckham, Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. Pump the brakes a little on the hype. Give the kid some air, and let's hope his talent shines through. 

White Sox option Shane Smith to Triple-A Charlotte

It hasn't been two weeks since Shane Smith made the Opening Day start for the White Sox, but the team optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte before the start of Wednesday afternoon's game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Smith, who made the All-Star team as a rookie last season, has been a disaster in his first three starts of the season. He's 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA, and he's covered only 8.1 innings in those outings. His control has been brutal, as he's walked nine batters already in that small sample size. Combine that with the 12 hits he's allowed, and that's simply too many guys reaching base.

Even though Smith was unscored upon Tuesday in his outing against the Orioles, you cannot say it was a good performance. He needed 99 pitches to work 3.2 innings. While he allowed only one hit, he walked five. 

To be fair, Smith struck out eight, so the outing wasn't a total bust. In a strange anomaly, none of the first 11 Baltimore batters put a ball in play -- six strikeouts, four walks and a hit batsman.

However, Smith has yet to throw a pitch in the fifth inning this season, and the Sox cannot afford such short outings from a starting pitcher who is supposed to be a mainstay.

Smith only covered 11 outs Tuesday, which left 16 outs for the bullpen to cover while protecting a slim 2-1 lead. They couldn't do it -- Baltimore scored three runs in the eighth and won 4-2.

Tyler Schweitzer was called up to take Smith's place on the roster and bolster the depleted bullpen. The lefty made his MLB debut in relief on Wednesday, allowing a run in 1.1 innings as the Sox dropped their third straight to the Orioles, 5-3.

Strangely, Baltimore has won its last 11 games at Rate Field. I don't feel as though the Orioles has been a great team during this stretch, so that's a testament to how bad the Sox have been.

But don't you worry: the next four Sox games are at Kansas City, a place where the Sox have lost 14 in a row and 19 of their last 21. It's been more than two years since the Sox last beat the Royals in Kansas City (Sept. 6, 2023).

There's nothing that says your franchise is a joke more than having multiple streaks like this going on at the same time.

The Sox are 4-8. 

Orioles snap modest White Sox winning streak

It's too cold to hit. Boo hoo hoo.

Or maybe the White Sox were just due to lose after their surprising three-game sweep of the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.

The Sox outscored Toronto 14-7 in their three weekend victories, but they were limited to only four hits Monday in a 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field. 

(Sidebar: The Blue Jays lost 14-2 to the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, so perhaps Toronto is in a slump right now.)

One trend that's emerging for the Sox: the use of Grant Taylor as an opener. The right-hander has started three of the four games on the homestand, working a scoreless first inning each time.

In his two starts against Toronto, Taylor needed only nine pitches to get three outs both times. On Monday, he worked around a leadoff double by Baltimore's Taylor Ward.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it? Or maybe give Taylor two innings, if he's efficient in his first inning and the team thinks his future is as a starting pitcher.

Erick Fedde (0-2) pitched well over six innings on Monday, as well, allowing two runs. But that was enough to get him beat on a night when the Sox didn't do much of anything offensively.

Baltimore starter Brandon Young (1-0) was 1-7 with a 6.24 ERA in his previous 12 career starts, but he tossed five shutout innings against the Sox. He allowed only two hits and two walks, while striking out two.

It wasn't until the ninth inning that the Sox threatened. They scored their only run off Baltimore closer Ryan Helsley, who hung over for his third save of the season.

Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas worked back-to-back walks to start the ninth. They advanced to third on a groundout by Colson Montgomery. Pinch-hitter Lenyn Sosa grounded out, scoring Murakami for the lone Sox run of the game.

An infield single by Andrew Benintendi moved Vargas to third, but with two outs and runners at the corners. Helsely struck out Edgar Quero to end the game.

The Sox lost left fielder Austin Hays to a strained hamstring in the fourth inning. It's fair to expect a trip to the injured list and a roster move before Tuesday's game against Baltimore, which has been moved up to 2:10 p.m. because of the unseasonable cold in Chicago. 

Not that it's going to be much warmer in the afternoon.

The Sox are 4-6. 

White Sox vs. Blue Jays pitching matchups

Here are your pitching matchups for the first series of the season at Rate Field, as the White Sox prepare to face the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays:

(Sox starter listed first) 

Friday, 1:10 p.m.

Sean Burke (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. Dylan Cease (0-0, 1.69 ERA)

Saturday, 1:10 p.m.

Anthony Kay (0-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. Eric Lauer (1-0, 3.38 ERA)

Sunday, 1:10 p.m.

Davis Martin (1-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. TBD 

A melancholy feeling as White Sox begin home schedule

Rate Field (Photo by Jason Bauman)

The White Sox were supposed to open the home portion of their schedule Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Somewhat fittingly after the team's 1-5 disaster of a road trip to start the year, the game was postponed until Friday because of the forecast of inclement weather.

When it rains, it pours.

For the fourth consecutive season, I am choosing not to attend Opening Day at Rate Field. In fact, I have not purchased tickets for one single game in Chicago, and I do not intend to do so this season.

It's a difficult decision, but the team the Sox are putting on the field and the lackluster ballpark experience are not worth my valuable time and money -- and it's been this way for a while now.

The first home game used to be one of my favorite days of the year. Now, it is one of my least favorite days. It brings me great sadness what has happened to my baseball team.

Here's what Opening Day means to me now: 

• It means once-great traditions that have turned sour. 
• It means friendships that are not being renewed because we can't in good conscious give Jerry Reinsdorf our money anymore. 
• It means a sense of dread for the coming year, wondering how many games the Sox are going to lose this time. 
• It means well-meaning people wishing us "Happy Opening Day," while not understanding that we are no longer excited about the possibilities of the baseball season.

It's terrible to feel this way, but that's how it is. We're reduced to dreaming of the day when the 90-year-old miser who hates his paying customers is no longer owner of the team. It's the only way this changes. 

White Sox snap optimistic fans back to reality

One of the strangest things about this past month has been the level of optimism surrounding the 2026 White Sox. If you looked around on social media, you found plenty of folks who seemed to earnestly believe this team could approach .500 this season -- despite 324 losses over the past three years.

Not to be a cynic, but I wasn't feeling it. My prediction for the season was 63-99, and I was just trying to be nice. It still looks like a 100-loss team on paper to me, and I don't see how any objective observer could come to any conclusion other than the Sox look like the worst team in the American League.

I look up and down the roster, and I can't find a single guy who I can point at and say, "Yes, I know what that player is going to do. You can trust him." Not even one single player.

All of the rosy projections are based on wishful thinking. There are hopes that inexperienced players will take the next step. There are hopes that cherished prospects will arrive sometime during the season and boost the team. But it's all hoping and wishing. There's nothing concrete with this team that you can put your arms around.

There isn't a single guy in the starting rotation who is proven. The outfield is full of Quad-A players, or in the case of Andrew Benintendi, a guy who is past his prime. Every major preseason publication picked the Sox to come last in the AL Central, and rightfully so.

This first week of the season has been a disaster, a slap in the face. The Sox are 1-5 after a 10-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. In their first six games, they've been outscored 52-21. Four of their five losses have come by five runs or more. They also had a loss where they led 7-2, only to blow it by giving up six runs in the eighth inning.

The team ERA is 8.63, which is about three runs worse than the next-worst team in MLB. With a run differential of -31 six games into the season, they are lucky they are not 0-6.

Wednesday's starter, Shane Smith, is a great example of White Sox hoping and wishing. Nothing against Smith personally, who seems like a great guy. He's just being set up to fail.

Smith was one of the best stories of the 2025 season. He was a Rule 5 pick, a long shot to make the team last year. Not only did he make the team, he ended up being the Sox's lone All-Star representative. He went 7-8 with a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts and posted a 2.3 WAR as a rookie. Very solid, overachieving, round of applause for Smith for that season. Can't take it away from him.

Here's the problem: The Sox were so impressed by that season that they came into this year counting on Smith to be their ace. It's an unrealistic expectation and totally unfair to him. He was on the scrap heap as recently as 15 months ago, and there's a reason for that. Last year was a pleasant surprise, and it just might have been his career year.

Instead of being happy with that, the Sox convinced themselves that they had "found something" and hyped Smith up as a "budding star." They made him their Opening Day starter, almost by default, because they didn't add any credible starting pitching during the offseason.

Welp, guess what? Smith had a bad spring. He couldn't find the plate during the entirety of the Cactus League schedule. When the bell rang on March 26, he wasn't ready. He got knocked out in the second inning on Opening Day, having given up four runs against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Sox burned through their whole bullpen and lost 14-2.

Wednesday? Even worse. Smith gave up four runs in the first inning, two more in the second and two more in the third. Eight runs allowed, and the Sox were buried -- with their bullpen once again overtaxed.

Smith is now 0-2 with a ghastly 19.29 ERA. Another couple outings like this, and there will have to be serious conversations about sending him to Triple-A.

So much for that ace hype. The Sox are guilty of this ALL THE TIME. They put unreasonable expectations on players. They ask them to perform beyond their capabilities.

That's not to say give up on Smith. He might right the ship. But if he does, he's an option for the back of the starting rotation. Former Rule 5 picks are not pitchers who should be considered the centerpiece of your staff. It's ludicrous. 

Some final thoughts on Team USA's loss in WBC

Some questionable lineup and managerial decisions. Underperformance by some highly decorated players.

That's the story for Team USA, which had to settle for silver in the World Baseball Classic after losing 3-2 to Venezuela in Tuesday's championship game in Miami.

The U.S. bats were kept quiet until the bottom of the eighth, when Bryce Harper delivered a two-out, two-run, 432-foot home run to center field to tie the score at 2.

It could have been an iconic home run in baseball history, but it will mostly be forgotten because Venezuela answered quickly with a run in the top of the ninth and made that lead stick.

Reliever Garrett Whitlock walked Luis Arraez to start the ninth, and Eugenio Suarez followed with an RBI double that provided the Venezuelans the winning run.

Honestly, it was silly to not throw strikes to Arraez, a contact hitter without much power. If you throw Arraez a strike, the worst thing that will likely happen is he will hit it for a single. You can't just give him a base. You have to make it earn it.

Suarez is a completely different type of hitter -- big power, but a lot of swing-and-miss. If you lay one in to him, he can hurt you, and he most definitely hurt Whitlock and Team USA.

Why did they pitch Arraez like a slugger and then challenge Suarez in the middle of the plate? No idea.

A better question: Why was Whitlock out there anyway? Mason Miller is Team USA's best reliever, but apparently he was only available for a "save situation." 

That's weird. Can you pitch an inning or can you not? What difference does it make whether it's a save situation? 

When asked after the game why Miller wasn't used, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said he wanted to "honor the Padres" by only using Miller if there was an opportunity for a save.

The San Diego Padres, of course, are Miller's MLB team. But what's the priority here? "Honoring the Padres" or winning a game for your country?

That's why this tournament, as much as I enjoy it, still doesn't carry a lot of weight with people. 

DeRosa's taking a lot of heat for the U.S. loss and rightfully so. Gunnar Henderson had been the hottest American hitter in the tournament. He did not start in the championship game, so Alex Bregman, who is ice-cold, could go 0 for 3. Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs last season, didn't leave the bench in this final game.

In fairness, Raleigh was hitless in the tournament, and he wasn't the only big name who was quiet for the U.S. Aaron Judge was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the title game. Even with his big homer, Harper hit only .214 for the tournament. Will Smith, who was catching instead of Raleigh, was hitless Tuesday night. Bregman batted .143 in the WBC.

Not great. A lot of blame to go around, for both the manager and the players. 

Kyle Teel out 4 to 6 weeks with Grade 2 hamstring strain

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel is expected to miss four to six weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, general manager Chris Getz announced on Wednesday.

Teel, who was playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, was injured Tuesday running from first base to second after doubling in Italy's 8-6 win over the United States.

Earlier in Tuesday's game, Teel homered to give his team the lead. Italy was a surprise winner in Pool B of the WBC, as it completed a 4-0 run through pool play with a 9-1 win over Mexico on Wednesday night.

With two weeks to go until the regular season begins, it is certain that Teel will begin the season on the injured list. The best-case scenario involves a return around mid-April, which would likely require a rehab assignment in Triple-A Charlotte. 

Most likely, Teel will not play for the Sox until late April or early May.

Fortunately, the Sox have depth at catcher. There's been an offseason debate over who will be the team's long-term answer at the position, Teel or Edgar Quero?

With Teel out, Quero will get the chance to catch the overwhelming majority of the games this first month. Despite plenty of trade speculation, the Sox also have Korey Lee on their roster. The pitchers like throwing to Lee, who is a respectable defensive player. You wouldn't want Lee to be your starting catcher because he doesn't hit enough, but he's fine as a backup who plays once or twice a week.

Injuries are inevitable in sports, and despite all the crying from Sox fans on social media, Teel's pulled hamstring does not change the trajectory of the season. It shouldn't be a long-term injury, and the Sox have other players who are capable of filling in.