After a shaky first inning, Noah Schultz settled in to his MLB debut and showed why the White Sox view him as a future ace.
Tuesday night’s game between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays featured one of the most highly anticipated MLB debuts for a White Sox player in recent memory.
Left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz, the team’s top pitching prospect, was called up from Triple-A Charlotte to make the start. The entire day centered around Schultz, his journey to the big leagues, and the bright future ahead. Everyone at Rate Field was there to watch him take the mound.
In the top of the first inning, it was clear Schultz was feeling some nerves. Back-to-back walks put two runners on for Ryan Vilade, who turned on an inside fastball and lofted an RBI double into left field.
Understanding the moment, Rays second baseman Ben Williamson followed with a bunt that resulted in two runs—one scoring on the play and another coming home on a throwing error by Schultz, who rushed and sailed the ball rather than taking the easy out at first.
Not the ideal start.
But after escaping the first inning and recording his first MLB strikeout, Schultz began to settle in. From that point forward, he looked far more comfortable and in control.
Schultz finished with 4.1 innings pitched, allowing three hits and three earned runs, while walking four and striking out four on 82 pitches.
The box score alone doesn’t fully capture how sharp Schultz looked as the outing progressed. He found a rhythm, trusted his stuff, and showed that it can absolutely play at the MLB level. I fully expect some dominant starts from him in the near future.
As always, the key for Schultz will come down to command. Getting ahead of hitters and limiting free passes will unlock more efficient and productive outings. That’s also been one of the most encouraging developments in his game so far in 2026. In the minors, Schultz has looked like a more mature pitcher. He was throwing strikes, working efficiently, and trusting his arsenal to generate contact rather than pitching around hitters.
According to White Sox catcher Edgar Quero, the game plan leaned heavily on Schultz’s cutter early, helping him get ahead with a 75% first-pitch strike rate. As the outing went on, his confidence in the fastball continued to grow.
“A lot of stuff to learn off of. A lot of things I was proud of,” Schultz said after the game. “A lot of things to work on this week. It was incredible. Such a surreal experience. It’s great being out there. It was really awesome.” (via Scott Merkin)
Ultimately, that first inning should be nothing more than a small blip on the radar. The version of Noah Schultz that emerged afterward—the composed, confident version—is far more indicative of what’s to come.
Schultz’s next start is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Sacramento against the Athletics.