2026 NBC baseball schedule another reminder of how far White Sox have to go

With nine MLB teams recently severing their broadcasting agreements and NBC welcoming the return of Sunday Night Baseball, big changes are coming to the MLB broadcasting landscape in 2026. In addition to Sunday Night Baseball, NBC will host a series of games on Sunday mornings broadcasted exclusively on Peacock. Earlier this week, the platform released their broadcast schedule for 2026, and it’s a stark reminder of how far the White Sox still need to go. 

Out of 28 Sunday Night Baseball games airing on NBC in the 2026 season, the White Sox will play in none. Out of the 18 nationally broadcasted Sunday morning games on Peacock, the White Sox lone appearance is a July 19th game against the Toronto Blue Jays. In total, the White Sox will be featured just once in the 46 games nationally broadcasted by NBC during the 2026 season. Teams like the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Braves, and Blue Jays are among the most featured, each appearing at least four times throughout the season. The only team with less primetime appearances is the Colorado Rockies, who will not be featured after losing 119 games in 2025. 

Excitement has been building around the White Sox and the young core they’re working to establish. They finished 28-37 after the all-star break and have since added Japanese superstar Munetaka Murakami, garnering national and international attention. Still, the White Sox lost 102 games overall and finished in last place in the AL Central for the third consecutive season. As exciting as the past few months have been, 100-loss teams simply aren’t rewarded with nationally broadcasted games very often. 

White Sox will need to improve to earn nationally televised games in 2027

It’s easy to feel good about where the White Sox currently stand, but the reality is, improvement in 2026 is not guaranteed. Rookies like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Shane Smith had very strong performances in their rookie season, but development often isn’t linear and it’s not a sure thing that they’ll improve in 2026. Prospects Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, and Braden Montgomery are among those slated for their big league debut in 2026, and without a single MLB game played, it’s impossible to tell the impact they’ll make on the team. Munetaka Murakami has enormous potential, but may take time to acclimate to higher-level pitching. The White Sox may continue to add some veterans to supplement the roster, but both Will Venable and Chris Getz have made clear their beliefs that the primary improvement will come from within. 

If things go right, it’s easy to see how the White Sox could take another leap forward and place themselves on the cusp of contention in 2027, but it’s just as likely that there are some hiccups along the way. 

Chris Getz and the White Sox have worked hard to revamp their infrastructure to give this rebuild the best possible chance at success. The organization has brought in well-respected external voices in player development and operations, and has completely overhauled their processes. It’s only a matter of time before we start to see the fruits of this labor on the Major League team. Whether it reflects in the 2026 win/loss record, however, remains to be seen. 

It may not be in 2027, but the White Sox will get back to being a National TV mainstay before too much longer.