Lucas Giolito to rep White Sox in players-only ‘MLB: The Show' league

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If Lucas Giolito can't win games with his arm for a while, he'll at least try to win some with his thumbs.

The White Sox ace is one of 30 major leaguers participating in an "MLB: The Show" league set up by Major League Baseball, according to an ESPN report.

Starting Friday, one player from every big league team will take control of his squad and face off against the rest of the league in a 29-game regular season, followed by playoffs.

The format is a little different. Don't expect to see players putting on their managerial caps to navigate through nine innings of bullpen management.

From ESPN's Joon Lee:

The regular season begins Friday and will last through April 28. Games will take place every one to two days with three to five three-inning matchups played each game day. The postseason is scheduled to begin April 30, with a World Series played on May 2. The postseason will feature the eight best teams, with a best-of-three format for the first two rounds and a best-of-five format for the World Series.

Of course, if you're craving something a little more nine-innings-y, you can always check out our simulation of the 2020 White Sox season, with a featured game each week announced by Jason Benetti and Chuck Garfien.

Getting back to the MLB-sponsored league, there's a great charity angle, as well, with MLB, the union and Sony, which produces the game, donating $5,000 on behalf of every player to Boys and Girls Club affiliates. The winning player will win an additional $25,000 donation.

Reportedly there have been discussions about potentially broadcasting some of these games on TV. But it seems Twitch will be the main way for fans to watch, with the players streaming their games on their personal Twitch channels at 8 p.m. every night. Certain streams will include MLB Network broadcaster Robert Flores, who will engage players and fans in conversation during the stream.

Giolito is the White Sox representative, though not the only participant with South Side connections. Former White Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle will represent the New York Yankees, and former White Sox farmhand Fernando Tatis Jr. will represent the San Diego Padres.

Here's the full list of reported participants:

Jon Duplantier, Arizona Diamondbacks

Luke Jackson, Atlanta Braves

Dwight Smith Jr., Baltimore Orioles

Eduardo Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox

Ian Happ, Cubs

Lucas Giolito, White Sox

Amir Garrett, Cincinnati Reds

Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians

David Dahl, Colorado Rockies

Niko Goodrum, Detroit Tigers

Lance McCullers Jr., Houston Astros

Brett Phillips, Kansas City Royals

Ty Buttrey, Los Angeles Angels

Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ryne Stanek, Miami Marlins

Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers

Trevor May, Minnesota Twins

Jeff McNeil, New York Mets

Tommy Kahnle, New York Yankees

Jesus Luzardo, Oakland Athletics

Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies

Cole Tucker, Pittsburgh Pirates

Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres

Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants

Carl Edwards Jr., Seattle Mariners

Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals

Blake Snell, Tampa Bay Rays

Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers

Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays

Juan Soto, Washington Nationals

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