The White Sox May Be Preparing a Rotation Surprise Nobody Is Talking About

I won’t pretend to know exactly what the Chicago White Sox are planning to do with their starting rotation in 2026.

But the closer we get to pitchers and catchers reporting without Chicago making an addition, the more I start to wonder if the organization’s internal outlook looks very different from what fans and media members see on the outside.

From my perspective, adding a free agent starter isn’t just a want — it’s a necessity.

Advanced metrics across much of the White Sox’s young pitching staff point toward potential regression. Combine that with a lack of experience and limited innings at the major-league level, and you have a rotation that could easily hold back an otherwise intriguing team from taking a meaningful step forward.

Even one established veteran starter — someone who can reliably take the ball every fifth day and eat innings at a league-average level — would go a long way toward stabilizing things.

And yet, as the calendar flips and free agents continue to come off the board, doubt starts to creep in about whether that move is actually coming.

If not, what’s the plan?

Are the White Sox truly banking on Shane Smith, Davis Martin, and Sean Burke all taking significant steps forward at the same time?

Is the idea that Sean Newcomb transitions back into a full-time starting role? That's not wise, in my opinion. 

Either of those could still be reality. And to be clear, there’s still a world where a meaningful free agent signing is on the way. Just because Chicago hasn’t acted yet doesn’t mean it won’t. The front office may recognize the same need fans and media do.

But there’s another possibility that isn’t being discussed nearly enough.

Don’t be surprised if the missing rotation piece ends up being an unexpected prospect cracking the 26-man roster out of spring training.

Two names, in particular, stand out: Noah Schultz and Tanner McDougal.

Baseball America ranks Schultz as the No. 1 prospect in the White Sox system and No. 26 overall in baseball. McDougal recently cracked a Top 100 list as the No. 100 prospect entering the 2026 season.

Schultz reached Triple-A Charlotte last year, putting him just one step away from his major-league debut. McDougal didn’t pitch above Double-A Birmingham in 2025, but the White Sox protected him from the Rule 5 Draft by placing him on the 40-man roster — a move that significantly increases the likelihood of an MLB call-up.

So why even consider Opening Day as a possibility?

With Schultz, it all comes back to health.

Much of his uneven 2025 season can be traced to a lingering knee issue that impacted his control even when he was able to pitch. The White Sox haven’t shied away from acknowledging that, but they’ve also remained steadfast in their belief that 2025 was a blip — not a red flag.

I tend to agree.

“For Noah, it was an inconsistent year,” Chris Getz told FanGraphs’ David Laurila earlier this offseason. “Much of that was related to his knee — he had patellar tendonitis — and he needed to be shut down. He’s doing physical therapy and strengthening right now. I anticipate that once the knee is completely healed, we’re going to get the version of Noah that made him a top prospect in our game.”

Getz also hinted at Schultz’s readiness when healthy.

“If he’s healthy and ready to go, I’m very confident that he’s going to be able to get major-league hitters out.”

When Schultz is right, he’s borderline unhittable. We saw that in 2024, when he posted a 1.48 ERA in Birmingham as a 20-year-old.

If reports out of spring training indicate his knee is fully healthy, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schultz immediately command attention from coaches and front-office decision-makers. If he shows it on the mound, the organization may feel comfortable giving him a shot — just as it has before.

We’ve seen this movie.

Garrett Crochet pushed for a move into the rotation, impressed in spring training in 2024, and earned the Opening Day start. He’s since become one of the best young starters in baseball.

Last year, Shane Smith followed a similar path. Despite having just 6.2 innings of Triple-A experience before joining the organization, Smith forced his way into the rotation with a strong spring, became an All-Star, and now enters 2026 as the favorite to start Opening Day.

That precedent matters — and it’s exactly why both Schultz and McDougal can't be overlooked.

Triple-A experience clearly isn’t a prerequisite for this front office. McDougal posted a 3.26 ERA with a 10.8 K/9 across 28 starts last season, and if the White Sox valued him enough to protect him from Rule 5 selection, they clearly believe he’s close.

That signals a pitcher on the verge of his MLB debut — not one that still needs months of development in Charlotte.

McDougal has surged up prospect lists for a reason. His fastball earns a 65 grade, regularly sitting in the upper-90s and touching 100 mph, paired with a devastating upper-70s curveball that can make hitters look foolish.

Like Schultz, the raw stuff is off the charts. Harness it, and you could be looking at a breakout contributor in the rotation.

This time of year is always tricky. Without full transparency from the front office, it’s difficult to pin down internal timelines for prospects — and that makes it harder to evaluate which offseason moves are truly “necessary.”

To be clear, this isn’t my personal preference.

You can never have too much pitching, and that’s especially true for a team built around young arms. I’d still prefer the White Sox add a veteran starter.

But if we enter spring training with unanswered questions surrounding the rotation, it’s possible that disconnect stems from Chicago’s internal evaluation of its pitching prospects.

It wouldn’t shock me if Schultz or McDougal breaks camp in the starting rotation, with innings limits managed later in the season as more arms return — including Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush, and Mason Adams.

That’s the type of depth that allows a team to take an aggressive gamble early — and shut it down responsibly later.