The first full month of the 2026 MLB season has come to an end, and it’s been a mixed bag for the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox currently sit at 14-17, in third place in the AL Central. It’s quite the improvement over the last few years, but it certainly could’ve gone better after the White Sox choked away some winnable games. With some players excelling and some players struggling, let’s grade each area of the team through the season’s first full month.
Offense: B-
The White Sox offense has had some excellent highs and some tough lows through the season’s first month. They struggled to hit early in the season before seemingly coming alive during their West Coast road trip. Munetaka Murakami, the biggest addition of the White Sox offseason, has been everything the White Sox needed and more. The Japanese slugger is leading Major League Baseball with 12 home runs and holds a .939 OPS and 161 OPS+ entering May. Last year’s breakout star Colson Montgomery continues to produce and Miguel Vargas looks to have taken another step forward. Not everyone had a great month, however. Catcher Edgar Quero could be heading to Triple-A soon as he looks completely lost at the plate, and offseason trade addition Luisangel Acuna has provided very little on offense. Veterans Andrew Benintendi and Austin Hays are off to slow starts but are looking to get back on track in the next few weeks. The White Sox offensive production will be worth watching over the next few weeks as the weather heats up.
Starting Rotation: A-
This is hands-down the biggest surprise in the early going for me. I expected the White Sox rotation to be the team’s weakness, and the first trip through the rotation was rough. Credit to Davis Martin, Sean Burke, and Erick Fedde, who have found their groove and provided stability in the rotation for the White Sox. Martin, in particular, has been impressive in the first month, with a 1.95 ERA and a 33/8 K/BB ratio in a team-leading 37 innings. Top pitching prospect Noah Schultz has arrived in Chicago and looks like the real deal. Opening Day starter Shane Smith struggled to find his command in three starts and was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte and lefty Anthony Kay has a 6.12 ERA in his six outings, so not everyone in the rotation is off to a good start. Overall, though, this group has consistently put the White Sox in position to win each and every night, and their start to the year has been better than expected.
7 Ks for Davis Martin today 👏 pic.twitter.com/jxlIMrsGrD
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 24, 2026
Bullpen: C
The White Sox spent some money and trade capital to upgrade their bullpen this offseason, adding Jordan Hicks, Chris Murphy, Sean Newcomb, and Seranthony Dominguez, among others. The hope was to add a solid group of veteran relievers to stabilize a young pitching staff, but it’s been mostly rough in the first few weeks. Entering May, the White Sox bullpen ranks in the bottom ten in baseball in ERA, and they’re bottom five in WHIP. The unit as a whole has the second-most walks in all of baseball, with only the league-worst Astros having walked more hitters. The White Sox have already shuffled through several relievers to find a mix that works. It hasn’t been all bad though. Grant Taylor looks like one of the best relievers in baseball, and Sean Newcomb has been a reliable option. Seranthony Dominguez’s seven saves matches the White Sox team leader from last season, and he’s been mostly productive except for a couple blow-up outings. We’ll see how the White Sox bullpen evolves over the course of the season, but it’s fair to say the team was hoping for better in this area.
Manager: C
Will Venable deserves a lot of credit for the culture he’s established and his rapport with the young players. His in-game decisions, however, have left a lot to be desired this season. There’s very little consistency in the White Sox lineup, which seems more focused on handedness than actual statistics often, and his management of the bullpen has frequently raised questions. Other things like seemingly not knowing the pitcher’s spot was coming up in a winnable game against the Athletics, simply haven’t helped the White Sox win more games this season. I’m not all the way out on Venable yet, and I think he has some good qualities, but I expected more from a manager who was supposedly in tune with the analytics and well-respected around the league at the time of his hire. Venable is just a second-year manager, so he’ll be learning how to do his job alongside his young core, and mistakes are bound to happen. We’ll see if more success and better processes come with more experience.
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