White Sox pitchers have been the worst in baseball through six games, prompting a change for the home opener with Grant Taylor scheduled to open for Sean Burke.
Six games into the 2026 season, it’s never been more clear that the Chicago White Sox need to make a change.
And while I could nitpick every last thing going wrong right now, it’s probably better to focus on one flaw at a time. Nothing stands out more than the struggles of the White Sox starting rotation, and pitching staff at large.
With a 1–5 record, the White Sox currently have a team ERA of 8.63 — the worst mark in baseball by more than three full runs.
Through six games, White Sox starting pitchers have accounted for just 23.1 innings pitched. That’s fewer than four innings per start. As a result, an already taxed bullpen has been getting knocked around for big innings on a regular basis.
White Sox relievers own a 9.12 ERA with nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (24) over 25.2 innings pitched. Meanwhile, opposing bullpens have dominated Chicago’s lineup, posting a 0.74 ERA with nine walks and 37 strikeouts.
You’re not going to win many ballgames with that kind of disparity.
So what are the White Sox to do? They don’t have starting pitchers capable of providing consistent depth. They don’t have a well-rested bullpen. Top to bottom, this is the worst pitching staff in Major League Baseball right now — and we’re only six games into the season.
For Friday afternoon’s home opener at Rate Field against the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago is going to try something different: deploying an opener ahead of scheduled starter Sean Burke.
Right-hander Grant Taylor — who might just be the best reliever the White Sox have — has been working in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen this season. He’ll get the ball first against Toronto.
It’s not hard to see the logic. Chicago’s starting pitchers have averaged 21.8 pitches in the first inning this season, and Burke needed 29 pitches in the opening frame against Milwaukee on Saturday, allowing three early runs before eventually settling in.
If Taylor can navigate the top of the Blue Jays’ lineup, it could allow Burke to ease into his outing without an early setback, and maybe even pitch into the sixth or seventh inning before manager Will Venable has to turn back to the bullpen.
All we know for sure is that the White Sox pitching staff has not been good enough. At this point, any change is a welcome sight.