The Chicago White Sox have been grinding it out this spring and are getting close to starting their season on March 27.
As the Sox close in on the start of the season they will need to find an answer to who their Opening Day starter will be, with having three guys in contention for the job.
Outside of who the Opening Day starter will be, the White Sox finally decided who will be in the starting rotation, with the fifth spot still up for grabs.
Will Venable names his starting four in the rotation
On Friday, manager Will Venable announced who his starting four for the rotation will be to start the year, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Venable also announced that multiple pitchers will have a run in the ninth inning, with Mike Clevinger having the best chance.
Sox mgr Will Venable confirmed today that the top four pitchers of the rotation will be Perez, Cannon , Martin and Burke.He did not say what order they would be slotted. He also said he may have multiple pitchers in the 9th inning role.Mike Clevinger near the top of the list.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) March 14, 2025
Pérez, Cannon, and Martin are all in line to be the Opening Day starter, with Martin having the best chance to be the guy. Pérez also has a strong chance, given he’s the veteran on the staff.
Burke has been good for the White Sox this spring, pitching in two games, where he struck out three and had a 3.60 ERA in 5.0 innings. Burke earned a spot in the starting rotation for this season after having a great showing last season, where he had a 1.42 ERA.
The only question that remains is who will be the fifth starter?
Two options for the fifth spot
There are two guys in the running, Shane Smith and Bryse Wilson. Both could either work out of the bullpen or fill the last spot in the rotation.
Wilson was signed to a one-year deal for this season and has had a respectable spring. Appearing in three games this spring, with one coming as a start, Wilson had a 3.38 ERA while striking out six in 8.0 innings.
For Smith, he’s been good outside of his ERA (5.40) striking out nine batters in 6.0 innings, which is good enough for a 12.2 strikeout per nine. Smith made an impressive start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he struck out five through 3.0 innings.
Have yourself a day, Shane Smith! pic.twitter.com/0fR9tMEsYe
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 8, 2025
Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft this offseason and will have to remain on the White Sox 26-man roster for this season or be offered back to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Smith has the edge over Wilson to be the fifth starter, given his stuff and upside and how good he was last season at Double and Triple-A, where he had a 6-3 record with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.049 WHIP in 94.1 innings. Both also have experience working out of the bullpen.
Things are coming together
Things are starting to come together for the White Sox roster, with the final few moves to finalize the roster still to come.
The closer's role will look to be a fluid situation this season from Venable's comments. Clevinger was signed to a minor-league deal this offseason and spent the past two seasons with the Sox. Clevinger was not expected to make the roster, but this could be an indication he will.
Venable can now focus on other decisions that need to be made, like who will play shortstop and be the starting catcher.