Game Day Preview: Chicago White Sox Begin Road Trip Against Houston Astros

Shane Smith takes the mound for the White Sox Tuesday in Houston. Here's the game day preview, including the probable pitchers, lineups, roster news, TV and radio details, weather forecast and more.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Shane Smith (64) against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Tuesday's game between the White Sox and Astros could feature some of Chicago's top young arms. One is for certain, as rookie right-hander Shane Smith will make his 13th start of the season.

Smith is on the verge of going from a Rule 5 Draft pick to an All-Star in one season. Among MLB pitchers with at least 60 innings, Smith ranks 14th with a 2.45 ERA. He's held teams to three earned runs or fewer in each start, including four shutouts.

The other is Grant Taylor, who has been called up from Double-A Birmingham to join the major league team in Houston. Taylor, 2023 second round pick, began the season in the starting rotation before transitioning to the bullpen to manage innings due to his injury history. The White Sox No. 6 prospect been dominant in both roles, allowing just three earned runs across 26.2 innings while striking out 37. He's expected to pitch out of the bullpen, though there's no guarantee he makes his major league debut Tuesday.

For the Astros, it's veteran righty Lance McCullers Jr., who made his first major league start since 2022 on May 4 against the White Sox. Rain shortened that game to seven innings, a 5-4 Astros loss, though McCullers tossed 3.2 shutout innings. He also pitched against the White Sox twice during the 2021 playoffs, allowing just one earned run in 10.2 innings.

Here's more information on Tuesday's game.

How to watch White Sox vs. Astros

• Who: Chicago White Sox (22-44) vs. Houston Astros (36-29)
• When: Tuesday, June 10 at 7:10 p.m. CT
• Where: Daikin Park in Houston, Texas
• TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN). For more information on how to watch CHSN, CLICK HERE.
• Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
• Betting information: The Astros are favored on the money line at minus-174 and the White Sox money line odds are plus-146. On the run line, you can bet the White Sox plus-1.5 at minus-152 odds, and the Royals minus-1.5 at plus-126 odds. The over/under is 7.5 runs, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Weather: At 7 p.m. in Houston, the forecast is 82 degrees and mostly cloudy with a 7% chance of rain with east-southeast winds at 10 mph, according to weather.com.

Lineups

White Sox

1. Mike Tauchman, RF
2. Chase Meidroth, SS
3. Andrew Benintendi, LF
4. Miguel Vargas, 3B
5. Edgar Quero, DH
6. Kyle Teel, C
7. Luis Robert Jr., CF
8. Josh Rojas, 2B
9. Tim Elko, 1B

Astros

1. Jeremy Peña, SS
2. Isaac Paredes, 3B
3. Jose Altuve, 2B
4. Yainer Diaz, DH
5. Christian Walker, 1B
6. Jake Meyers, CF
7. Victor Caratini, C
8. Cam Smith, RF
9. Jacob Melton, LF

Probable pitchers

• White Sox RHP Shane Smith: 12 starts, 62.1 IP, 46 H, 17 ER, 25 BB, 60 K, 4 HR, 7 HBP, 2.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 2-3 record, 1.7 WAR.
• Astros RHP Lance McCullers Jr.: 6 starts, 24.1 IP, 22 H, 12 ER, 12 BB, 33 K, 3 HR, 4 HBP, 4.44 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 1-1 record, -0.1 WAR.

Roster news

• The White Sox selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Grant Taylor from Double-A Birmingham and designated right-handed pitcher Bryse Wilson for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

• Prior to Sunday's game, the White Sox signed left-handed pitcher Tyler Alexander to a one-year, $760,000 contract and placed left-hander Jared Shuster on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his left hand. Left-hander Fraser Ellard (left lat strain) was also transferred to the 60-day injured list.

• Before Friday's game, the White Sox promoted catcher Kyle Teel from Triple-A and optioned catcher Korey Lee. The team also designated right-handed pitcher Ryan Cusick for assignment. Cusick was claimed off waivers from Detroit on Wednesday.

Managers

• Will Venable, White Sox: Venable, 42, is in his first season with the White Sox and first year as an MLB manager. He was previously an associate manager for the Texas Rangers from 2023-24 and on the coaching staffs for the Boston Red Sox from 2021-22 and Chicago Cubs from 2018-20. An outfielder during his playing days, Venable began his career with the San Diego Padres from 2008-15 and later played for the Texas Rangers in 2015 and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016. He had a .249 batting average in 967 career games. Venable graduated from Princeton University, where he played baseball and basketball.
• Joe Espada, Astros: Espada, 49, is in his second season managing the Astros. Last season, he guided Houston to an 88-73 record and an AL West division title before losing to the Tigers in the wild card round. Espada has been with the Astros since 2018, serving as a bench coach under managers A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker. He was previously an assistant coach for the Yankees and Marlins. Espada attended the University of Mobile and played minor league baseball from 1996-2006 but never reached the majors.

Related stories on the Chicago White Sox

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• TEAMS INTERESTED IN ROBERT: Luis Robert Jr. has fallen well short of his former All-Star numbers in 2025, but general manager Chris Getz said teams are still making calls to trade for the White Sox center fielder. CLICK HERE

• UNIQUE DEBUT: Tyler Alexander didn't get to Rate Field until around 1:30 for Sunday's 1:10 p.m. CT game, but he still managed to pitch three innings with one earned run. CLICK HERE