Chicago

White Sox

Martin’s next outing has been moved up a couple days after he threw just 23 pitches over one inning during a rain-shortened start against the Guardians on Sunday.

It was a bullpen game for both teams, as a lengthy rain delay cut Davis Martin’s start short. The White Sox ended up using seven pitchers on the day, which wasn’t ideal with the way things have been going over the past few days. The save for Richards didn’t come easy, as he walked two batters, threw a wild pitch, and also gave up a sacrifice fly. Still, he got the job done. With the way saves are handed out like candy these days, it’s fairly astounding that Richards only had two career saves given that he’s had 257 relief appearances dating back to 2021. Assuming the White Sox have a normal day soon, we doubt Richards will have more saves in his future.

After a two-hour and 23-minute rain delay interrupted play following the first inning, the White Sox plated four runs in the third inning, which was punctuated by Montgomery’s three-run shot which landed beyond the fence in the right field corner. Montgomery entered Sunday’s action with a .136 batting average over his last 11 games, so hopefully this will get him going in the right direction. The White Sox won two out of three this weekend and hold a 2.5 game edge over the Tigers in the AL Central. After this weekend, the Guardians are four games back.

Smith, who was selected fifth overall in 2024, got the call with the White Sox in need of some fresh arms this weekend. The southpaw came in handy after a lengthy rain delay interrupted Davis Martin’s start. Smith threw just 25 out of his 49 pitches for strikes, so the control was shaky, but he also didn’t allow a hit and struck out three. Smith is unlikely to provide fantasy value in the short-term, but it was a memorable debut for the 22-year-old.

The issue is believed to be minor and the White Sox anticipate Meidroth returning to the lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Reds. Sam Antonacci will cover second base in his absence on Sunday with Randal Grichuk starting in left field and batting cleanup against Guardians’ southpaw Joey Cantillo.

Murakami also drew a walk. The 26-year-old has gone deep 26 times in his first taste of MLB action, and the two-reach game improves his slash to .237/.370/.540. That average seems to be as good as it can get for Murakami because of his immense swing-and-miss issues, but if he gets on at this kind of clip with this kind of power, it’s worth it.

Taylor allowed a hit, but kept the runner at bay while picking up his sixth save of the campaign and lowering his ERA to 2.28. He’s looked the part in 2026 and should get the bulk of chances down the stretch, and it would be a pretty big surprise if Taylor wasn’t the full-time closer in Chicago for the foreseeable future.

Kay and Gavin Williams matched zero-for-zero for the first five innings, but Kay blinked first with a two-run homer allowed in the sixth to Rhy Hoskins. It turned into a no-decision with the White Sox also getting a pair off Williams in the sixth. The southpaw struck out four against one walk, and his ERA has dipped below 4.00 to 3.96. That’s now seven straight starts where Kay has not allowed more than three runs, and a chance to make it eight comes Friday in Detroit against the Tigers.

Smith is ostensibly up with Chicago as emergency long relief depth behind veteran starters Anthony Kay and Davis Martin for the remainder of their weekend against the Guardians after a mistake by manager Will Venable forced Noah Schultz to exit after just 23 pitches on Friday night. The 22-year-old southpaw was selected fifth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and misses bats at an incredible rate, thanks to a wicked slider that comes at hitters from a three-quarters arm slot. He remains a project from a mechanics and arsenal development standpoint, which leaves some questions regarding his ultimate role. He misses enough bats to matter for fantasy purposes, whether he sticks as a starter or winds up in the bullpen down the road. His odds of making a significant fantasy impact right away are extremely long.

McDougal has made a significant leap from a development standpoint thanks to noticeably improved command and control over the last two years. The 23-year-old has compiled a strong 2.84 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 40/20 K/BB ratio across 34 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level this season. He gets the call to the big leagues as emergency relief depth behind veterans Anthony Kay and Davis Martin after a misstep by White Sox manager Will Venable forced the club into an unexpected bullpen game against the Guardians on Friday night. He’s unlikely to deliver an immediate fantasy impact, but he’s an interesting pitching prospect that needs to be monitored.