The White Sox AL Central lead is on life support. After a brutal sweep at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates that saw the White Sox lineup muster just five runs in three games, the lead is down to 1.5 games, the lowest it’s been since July 28th. With 16 games to go, the White Sox need to turn things around quickly if they’d like to take home the AL Central crown and guarantee playoff baseball at Rate Field. The White Sox lineup has carried the club for most of the season, but with several players struggling, it might be time for Will Venable to shake things up in the lineup. Here’s how he can do that.
Move Tristan Peters up in the order
The rise of Tristan Peters has undoubtedly been one of the best stories of the White Sox season. The 26-year-old was acquired from the Rays in the offseason for nothing more than cash and barely made the White Sox Opening Day roster, but has put together an All-Star campaign. Despite establishing himself early on as the team’s starting center fielder, Peters has consistently hit near the bottom of the White Sox lineup. Over the past month, however, he’s been one of the more consistent hitters on the team, slashing .341/.408/.659 over his past 28 games. Meanwhile, leadoff hitter Sam Antonacci is slashing .237/.358/.330 over the same span. Both players are productive enough that they should remain in the lineup, but switching their spots in the batting order to give Peters more table-setting at bats could be wise. Even if Peters isn’t put into the leadoff spot, moving him up in the order to get him more plate appearances with runners on base could help the White Sox lineup, which is hitting just .192 with RISP over its last ten games.
Get Randal Grichuk more at bats
The addition of Randal Grichuk in April has turned out to be a complete heist for White Sox GM Chris Getz. Grichuk has excelled in a platoon role this season, bringing an .870 OPS with 12 home runs into this weekend. He’s primarily played against left-handed pitchers for the White Sox, but has recently gotten some more plate appearances against righties. On Sunday against the Twins, Grichuk went 2-2 with a single and a homer, with both at bats coming against right-handers. He started the second game against the Pirates and got another hit against a right-hander. Despite just a .664 OPS against right-handers this year, Grichuk is hitting .372 since August 12th and has been one of the more consistent contributors in the White Sox lineup all season long. Perhaps a couple days off for Murakami, who has struggled mightily over the past few weeks, would be beneficial, and Grichuk could bring his hot streak into the lineup on a more regular basis..
RANDAL GRICHUK FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/WBGQcmpCG3
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 18, 2026
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