Munetaka Murakami headlines a loaded first Cactus League lineup as the White Sox open 2026 spring training against the Cubs.
Baseball — the spring training variety, at least — is here.
On Friday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. CST, the Chicago White Sox will take on the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa to begin Cactus League action for the 2026 season.
The game will be available for fans to watch on Marquee Sports Network. The White Sox radio broadcast will air on ESPN Chicago AM 1000.
Jonathan Cannon will get the ball and make the start for the White Sox.
It marks an exciting turn of the page for the organization and its fans. There’s a lot of optimism and anticipation building around this year’s team.
Not only are fans excited to see continued development from young players who flourished at the big-league level in 2025, there’s also plenty of curiosity surrounding the team’s ceiling after several intriguing offseason additions.
Nobody is more fascinating than Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami.
Murakami is already a superstar overseas, and his 56-home run season in Japan highlights the rare raw power that could make him one of the most feared hitters in Major League Baseball.
But will it translate? That’s the question.
Spring training — along with the upcoming World Baseball Classic, in which Murakami will represent Team Japan — will help White Sox fans begin to set expectations for the rookie.
And it all starts Friday, with manager Will Venable delivering good news to Sox fans: Murakami will be in the starting lineup against the Cubs.
The White Sox are looking to get Murakami as many live at-bats as possible before he departs for the World Baseball Classic.
That approach applies to all of the players participating in the WBC. And for White Sox fans, it means more exciting talent to watch in the opening games of spring training.
“So the lineup for the first game, we are still working on some stuff. Definitely want to take care of these WBC guys who are out there,” Venable told reporters this week.
“Sam Antonacci will be in there, Mune [Murakami] will be in there. Curtis Mead will be in there and Kyle Teel will be in there.”
Antonacci is another player White Sox fans are buzzing about. He rocketed up prospect rankings in 2025 after an excellent all-around season that saw him reach Double-A Birmingham.
The bat-to-ball skills are exceptional, and White Sox front office executives view Antonacci as one of the more underrated prospects in the game.
A strong showing in the Arizona Fall League only reinforced the idea that an MLB debut is possible for the 23-year-old at some point in 2026. Spring training — and potentially the World Baseball Classic — will provide an intriguing litmus test as Antonacci faces higher-level pitching.
Sometimes in these early spring games, the lineup taking the field isn’t nearly as exciting as the projected one for Opening Day.
That won’t be the case Friday.
While shortstop Colson Montgomery will not play, the White Sox are still giving fans plenty of reasons to tune in Friday afternoon.