Grant Taylor’s first save of the season came at the perfect time for the White Sox, and with Seranthony Dominguez continuing to struggle in save situations, Chicago may need to rethink how it handles the ninth inning.
It wasn't a pretty series for the Chicago White Sox in Seattle this week. The bats struggled to get going, and a series of bad calls by the umpiring crew had the odds stacked against the White Sox for most of the three-game set.
All things considered, finding a way to be competitive and taking one of the three games wasn't the worst outcome, given how ugly it looked at times. Fortunately, a ninth-inning rally on Tuesday night sparked a White Sox comeback, and Grant Taylor was able to close the door on a 2-1 victory.
Taylor came on for the ninth inning with the White Sox feeling desperate for a win. He threw just 13 pitches and sat down the Mariners in order with a one-two-three inning, striking out the side.
For a lot of White Sox fans, that performance and Taylor's first save of the season opened the door for a conversation about what his role should be moving forward.
Taylor has the potential to be an All-Star closer. The expectation coming into 2026 was that he could be the team's closer of the future if a transition to the starting rotation didn't work out by 2027. But should the White Sox consider making Taylor the regular closer immediately? There's an argument to be made.
Seranthony Dominguez, who signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the White Sox in the offseason, has a 4.82 ERA this season in 20 appearances. Dominguez has allowed five home runs in just 18.2 innings pitched.
For reference, he allowed five home runs over the course of the entire 2025 season.
Being home run prone isn't traditionally a character trait of a reliable closer. And if you look at the situations in which Dominguez has allowed a long ball, it's easy to see why. Four of the home runs Dominguez has allowed have come in save situations. Two of them have directly cost the White Sox a game. The only home run he gave up in a non-save situation came in a tie game in extra innings, which also essentially lost a game for the White Sox.
Taylor, on the other hand, has not allowed an earned run over his last 10 appearances. He has pitched 14 innings with 22 strikeouts and a perfect 0.00 ERA during that stretch.
The last time Taylor allowed a home run was on May 17, 2024 while pitching for the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. Since then, Taylor has thrown 103.2 innings of baseball in the minor leagues and big leagues without allowing a home run. That's pretty unheard of. And it makes him a really intriguing closing candidate for Chicago.
I don't think there's any doubt that Taylor is a better pitcher than Dominguez. The real question here, though, comes down to value. Is Taylor more valuable as a closer who's getting 30 to 40 saves a year? Or do the White Sox actually have the right recipe with Taylor being a multi-inning relief option who can be deployed whenever Will Venable chooses?
I don't necessarily believe it's wise to pigeonhole Taylor as a closer, but I also don't think the White Sox should continue giving Seranthony Dominguez the ball in every save situation. It's become clear he's no longer your best high-leverage arm. If that means splitting save opportunities, so be it. But I'd rather live and die with my best option (Taylor), and Dominguez has a history of being a more reliable setup option than he does a closer.
With the White Sox still sitting in a playoff spot, they're not in a position to beat around the bush. They need to be aggressive in their managerial style and try to win every close game possible. Will Venable has done a good job of that recently, and he needs to keep his foot on the gas, even if that means making Grant Taylor the go-to guy in save situations from now on.
