The Chicago White Sox are going to play in their first Cactus League game on Saturday. The game will take place at Camelback ranch at 2:05 PM against the San Diego Padres. It is sure to be fun seeing the team back in action.
We learned on Thursday that Lance Lynn was going to be the starting pitcher which is very exciting news. He is getting ready to pitch in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA and this will be a great way for him to continue that process.
Seth Lugo will be the starting pitcher for the Padres against the White Sox. This will be San Diego's second game of the exhibition season as they got the party started on Friday against the Seattle Mariners.
On Friday afternoon, Pedro Grifol announced the first starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox in Cactus League play. It looks like this:
1. Tim Anderson - SS
2. Luis Robert Jr. - CF
3. Yoan Moncada - 3B
4. Eloy Jimenez - RF
5. Andrew Vaughn - 1B
6. Yasmani Grandal - C
7. Gavin Sheets - DH
8. Victor Reyes - LF
9. Leury Garcia - 2b
The Chicago White Sox have a lot to be excited about in 2023.
Grifol shares the lineup for spring opener tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/I9bWx36Q6N
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) February 24, 2023
Obviously, this is a spring training lineup and there is absolutely no reason to get upset about it. In fact, seeing them try things is a good idea.
Eloy Jimenez wants to play right field now that he is healthy. Well, he needs to go out there and prove he even slightly deserves it more than Oscar Colas. If he gets hurt, that will be three years in a row which is actually a bigger problem than the strategy part of the game. He can be an elite hitter, however, if he stays healthy.
Andrew Benintendi won't start in the game and we will see Victor Reyes in the game which is goign to be interesting. Seeing healthy players like Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, and Andrew Vaughn should be awesome after a long off-season.
Everyone on the 40 man deserves a shot to prove themselves in spring training. This will also be our first chance to evaluate Grifol as a manager which is going to be very important. Baseball is back and it is now starting to feel real.