The Chicago White Sox have released their playoff roster and there are some surprises.
The Chicago White Sox are playing in their first playoff game today in 12 years. It has been a long time since that 2008 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays but their time to win is back. They have the Oakland Athletics for a short three-game series in the bay. Ahead of their game one, they released their playoff roster and it has some surprises. There are a few players missing that might surprise some fans even though it shouldn’t.
The #WhiteSox finalize their 28-player postseason roster prior to Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series, presented by @HankookTireUSA. pic.twitter.com/U0ZOBPF09s
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 29, 2020
Of course, there are some locks. Lucas Giolito is the ace of the staff and will start game one. Dallas Keuchel is the guy who will take the ball in game two. After that, there are some question marks. Reynaldo Lopez and Gio Gonzalez are off the roster which is a bit surprising. Before being dominated in his last start, there are some people who thought Lopez might get the ball in game three but that isn’t going to happen. Gonzalez hasn’t been good either so we don’t have to worry about him coming out of the bullpen.
Leury Garcia and Zack Collins made their returns to the roster which is something of note. Garcia is going to be in the starting lineup to open the playoffs as Eloy Jimenez is still coming back from an injury. Collins is a good addition because now the White Sox have both James McCann and Yasmani Grandal as designated hitter options. Whoever isn’t catching is the DH and Collins is the backup catcher. It is a sign of good depth here and something fans should be excited about.
This is a roster that the White Sox have been working to build for a long time. Even with a guy like Garrett Crochet who was just drafted there, they have a lot of options that can make this a winnable series. The starting rotation is in doubt after the big two but they have some good bullpen pieces to work with. There are also two MVP candidates in Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson supplemented by players like Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, and Nick Madrigal so they should be able to score some runs. Get ready because this roster is good and can win some playoff games.