The Chicago White Sox have not had a consistent starting rotation since the first couple of weeks of the season, with injuries and on-field struggles leading to turnover.
The White Sox gave a shakeup to their staff recently when they decided to option right-handers Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon to Triple-A after they continued to struggle and approached an innings limit for the season. Veteran left-hander Martín Pérez has been back in the rotation from the 60-day IL and performing well.
The White Sox have had one pitcher remain consistent throughout the turmoil of this season.Shane Smith has been one of the more consistent starters in 2025.
Even though he’s experienced his ups and downs in his first season in the big leagues, Smith, after a brief stint on the injured List, is back and is ready to pitch the rest of the way.
The White Sox expect Shane Smith to make the rest of his starts
Smith, the White Sox's lone All-Star this season, was placed on the IL with a sprained ankle after the All-Star break as he approached his career high in innings. Given the injuries that have already hindered the pitching staff, giving Smith a break was the right decision for the White Sox.
Smith, 25, has been in All-Star form since returning from the IL. In five starts this August, Smith has a 2.63 ERA over five starts and 27.1 innings pitched. Overall for the season, Smith is 4-7 with a 3.87 ERA in 23 starts and throwing a career high 114 innings.
The White Sox will continue to monitor Smith as the season progresses. According to manager Will Venable, via Jack Ankony of Sports Illustrated, they’ll watch Smith start by start, adding that some outings could be “five and dive” outings.
"I think we just move forward start by start with him. Having benefited from that break, I think he can continue to make his starts and we should be in an okay spot," manager Will Venable told Ankony on Friday. "Again, like we've said for a while now, we're just taking it start by start and as things change and rest in between starts might fluctuate, maybe it's a five-inning start and not pushing him in the sixth. But I think he's in a good spot to go ahead and make his starts for the rest of the year."
Smith is a key piece of the White Sox future starting rotation
The White Sox need to address their starting rotation going into the 2026 season, but thankfully, they have quite a few options to fill it out. Smith is a lock to make the rotation for next season and be a piece for Chicago moving forward.
The White Sox could potentially bring back Martín Pérez on a one or two-year deal to be a veteran presence in the rotation, which they need. Other names that could be in the mix are: Noah Schultz, Grant Taylor, Mason Adams (who missed this season due to Tommy John surgery), and both Burke and Cannon.
However the rotation shakes out, the White Sox have options and could have one of the better starting staffs in the American League if everything works out. We know at least one spot in the rotation is filled by Smith, and it should give fans peace of mind to know he's going to pitch out the rest of 2025.