The Chicago White Sox have finalized their 2026 starting rotation, sticking with the group that had long been projected throughout spring training.
The Chicago White Sox roster is beginning to take shape for the 2026 season. And in the wake of the devastating news that right-handed pitcher Mike Vasil will miss the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the club has also officially announced its starting rotation.
The group the White Sox are rolling with shouldn’t come as a surprise. In fact, it’s the exact five I projected from the moment the team agreed to a free-agent deal with right-hander Erick Fedde.
Fedde will slot in as Chicago’s No. 5 starter, joining Opening Day starter Shane Smith, along with Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, and Davis Martin. That’s the order the White Sox are expected to follow.
When the White Sox take the field in Milwaukee on Thursday, March 26, it will be Smith getting the ball against his former team—earning the Opening Day nod and setting the tone for the season.
Chicago will follow that series with three games in Miami. The projected pitching matchups line up as Smith, Burke, and Kay against the Brewers, followed by Martin, Fedde, and Smith against the Marlins. That alignment sets up Sean Burke—last year’s Opening Day starter—to take the mound for the home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 2.
The rotation remains my biggest concern for the White Sox heading into 2026. The starting pitching simply wasn’t good enough last season, and it’s fair to question whether this group will be any better. Martín Pérez and Adrian Houser are no longer with the organization, and both provided steady, reliable innings during their time in Chicago.
It may also be optimistic to assume that Smith, Burke, and Martin will all take meaningful steps forward, especially when you dig into some of the underlying metrics. Regression feels likely for at least one of them. And while I’m generally bullish on Anthony Kay after his stint in Japan, he still represents a bit of an unknown at the MLB level.
If the White Sox get off to a slow start—something this organization has struggled with in recent years—the rotation will likely be a major reason why.
The good news is this group probably won’t be the same by season’s end. Top prospects Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz are expected to begin the year in Triple-A Charlotte and could make their MLB debuts at any point. Tanner McDougal likely isn’t far behind.
Other arms who could factor into the rotation at some point include David Sandlin, Duncan Davitt, and potentially Drew Thorpe or Ky Bush once they return from Tommy John surgery.
It’s still very much up in the air which of these pitchers are part of the White Sox’s long-term future, but the 2026 season will go a long way toward answering that question. It’s not the most glamorous rotation to open the year, but it’s the one we expected all spring—and the White Sox won’t hesitate to make changes if needed.