Will Venable rolls out his lineup as the Chicago White Sox look to spark an early turnaround in their 2026 home opener against Toronto.
The first scheduled matchup was pushed back due to rain in the Chicagoland area, but on Friday afternoon, the Chicago White Sox will take on the reigning American League champion Toronto Blue Jays and play their first game of 2026 in front of a home crowd.
No matter what your record is or how the beginning of the season has gone, the home opener usually comes early enough, and with enough built-in excitement, to create a stadium full of energy. Even for a 1–5 White Sox team that has disappointed over the first week of the season, I’m still expecting a good amount of energy at Rate Field on Friday. It’s the first chance for fans to get back out and watch their team in person.
The White Sox are 4–6 in their last 10 home openers, and the last time their home opener was postponed due to rain was in 2019. Similar to this year, it was originally scheduled for a Thursday before being pushed back to Friday. The White Sox went on to win that game that game 10–8 over the Seattle Mariners when it was finally played.
Fans in attendance will be hoping for a similar outcome on Friday afternoon against the Blue Jays, as the White Sox look to spark an early-season turnaround. Here’s a look at the lineup that manager Will Venable will deploy to try and get it done.
White Sox Starting Lineup Vs. Blue Jays (4/2/26)
- Chase Meidroth, 2B
- Munetaka Murakami, 1B
- Miguel Vargas, 3B
- Colson Montgomery, SS
- Austin Hays, LF
- Andrew Benintendi, DH
- Tristan Peters, RF
- Edgar Quero, C
- Luisangel Acuña, CF
SP - RHP Grant Taylor
There are no real surprises in the White Sox lineup from an offensive standpoint. Tristan Peters gets the start in the outfield over Everson Pereira, who is 4-for-his-last-10 with a double and a home run. Peters has the favorable matchup from a handedness perspective as the White Sox face right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease—a former White Sox star the city knows well.
On the mound, the White Sox are turning to Grant Taylor, who will serve as an opener for Sean Burke. Taylor is expected to handle the first inning and possibly the second, with the hope that it allows Burke to pitch deeper into the game while helping preserve Chicago’s bullpen. Burke has struggled in the first inning throughout his MLB career.
First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. CT, as the White Sox look to take the first step toward climbing out of this early-season hole and making things more interesting for the fan base.