HOUSTON – Ahead of Game 1 of their Wild Card series against the Astros, the White Sox released their 26-man roster for this round of the postseason.
While manager Will Venable loves to mix-and-match with different pieces, the actual roster contains few surprises. With a short, best-of-three series, the Sox went with 12 pitchers, allowing them to carry a full complement of platoon outfielders of either handedness.
Right-handed pitchers
Huáscar Brazobán, Sean Burke, Erick Fedde, Jordan Hicks, Davis Martin, David Sandlin and Grant Taylor
Though Venable said there will be no “bulk” pitcher used in Game 1, he did indicate that plenty of arms used as starters throughout the regular season could see action in short stints. In contrast, Sean Burke threw a traditional pre-start bullpen on Monday, as did Astros Game 2 starter Hunter Brown, so a more typical matchup of each team’s best rotation piece could take place on Wednesday.
The most notable exclusion here is middle reliever Trevor Richards, who logged 78 ⅔ IP in just five months on the team, but also threw 3 ⅓ innings in a save just on Sunday. Brazoban made the cut despite a rough early stint with the Sox after being acquired at the trade deadline, but Venable recently endorsed how he’s looked since returning from a left lat strain.
“He’s working himself in a spot where there’s that trust,” Venable said. “ The changeup was really good the last couple of outings. There was a 98, 99 in there with the sinker and four-seamer.”
The Sox haven’t commented yet on how they’ll use Sandlin in the postseason, but it’s clear his form while throwing six innings of one-run ball to help clinch a playoff spot in Kansas City opened some eyes.
“We had a big talk after the Kansas City start, and obviously conversations leading up to that,” pitching coach Zach Bove told the Sun-Times. “I told him [about] the progress [he’s] shown in that start compared to maybe one of the first starts of the year, specifically landing offspeed in the zone.”
Left-handed pitchers
Bryan Hudson, Anthony Kay, Sean Newcomb, Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith
Smith isn’t so much starting on Tuesday as he is opening up a bullpen game, and no one in this group of pitchers are likely to make a traditional start; certainly not in this round. Kay threw five innings on Sunday, but has been getting prepared for a relief role for a couple weeks now.
“They asked if I was willing to do it, and I said ‘Yeah,’” Kay said. “At this point you know you’ve got to be willing to do anything for the team, and if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes.”
Catchers
Jake Rogers and Kyle Teel
Rogers is back on the roster after missing the final games of the season on paternity leave, but Teel should start every game.
Infielders
Luisangel Acuña, Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas
Even with Montgomery’s protracted offensive struggles, the Sox infield is fairly static and Acuna’s biggest chance for impact is as a late-game pinch-runner. Chase Meidroth’s sore left hamstring kept him out against the Rockies, shifting Sam Antonacci to start at second base. Venable said Meidroth should play in the Wild Card series, though he is not quite 100% recovered.
Outfielders
Sam Antonacci, Andrew Benintendi, Brenton Doyle, Randal Grichuk, Braden Montgomery, Tristan Peters and Tommy Pham.
White Sox outfielders operate almost like hockey players, shifting lines depending on the handedness of the opposing pitcher. Switch-hitter Braden Montgomery might ease this behavior in future years, but he’s produced better results left-handed and could be pinch-hit for against southpaws.
With the Astros throwing a bullpen game on Tuesday, and light on reliable left-handed options with reliever Steven Okert out due to injury, when and where Venable is enticed to deploy options like Grichuk and Pham before the arrival of closer Josh Hader into the game, will be a focus.