Game Day Preview: White Sox Face Royals Ace Seth Lugo

Sean Burke is back on the mound for the White Sox Tuesday night against the Royals. 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 Sean Burke (59) throws against the Milwaukee Brewers at Rate Field. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The White Sox are switching things up a bit for Tuesday's game against the Royals.

Matt Thaiss is batting third and starting as the designated hitter, both of which are first-time occurrences this season. Josh Rojas returned from the injured list Sunday and played third base, but on Tuesday he's starting at second base as the expectation is that he'll move around the infield. Michael A. Taylor is also making just his sixth start of the year in center field.

Some of these changes come as a result of left fielder/designated hitter Andrew Benintendi remaining out with calf tightness, though he hasn't been placed on the injured list. Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is getting the day off after going 0-for-4 in Monday's loss to the Royals.

On the mound, two pitchers with recent success are set to start Tuesday's game. White Sox starter Sean Burke most recenty threw six scoreless innings against the Brewers. The Royals turn to right-hander Seth Lugo, who finished second in AL Cy Young voting last season and has a 3.07 ERA to begin his 2025 season.

Here's more information on Tuesday's game.

How to watch White Sox vs. Royals

• Who: Chicago White Sox (10-25) vs. Kansas City Royals (20-16)
• When: Tuesday, May 6 at 6:40 p.m. CT
• Where: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
• TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN). For more information on how to watch CHSN, CLICK HERE.
• Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
• Betting information: The Royals are favored on the money line at minus-230, and the White Sox money line odds are plus-190. On the run line, you can bet the White Sox plus-1.5 at minus-110 odds, and the Royals minus-1.5 at minus-110 odds. The over/under is 8.5 runs, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Weather: At 6 p.m. CT in Kansas City, the forecast is 73 degrees and cloudy with a 2% chance of rain and east-southeast winds at 8 mph. There's a 1% chance of rain at 7 and 8 p.m., according to weather.com.

Lineups

White Sox

1. Chase Meidroth, SS
2. Miguel Vargas, 3B
3. Matt Thaiss, DH
4. Edgar Quero, C
5. Andrew Vaughn, 1B
6. Joshua Palacios, RF
7. Brooks Baldwin, LF
8. Josh Rojas, 2B
9. Michael A. Taylor, CF

Royals

1. Jonathan India, 3B
2. Bobby Witt Jr., SS
3. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B
4. Salvador Perez, DH
5. Maikel Garcia, 2B
6. Cavan Biggio, RF
7. Drew Waters, LF
8. Freddy Fermin, C
9. Kyle Isbel, CF

Starting pitchers

• White Sox RHP Sean Burke: 7 appearances, 33 IP, 31 H, 18 ER, 14 BB, 25 K, 4.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 2-4 record. Burke is coming off one of his best starts of the season, tossing six scoreless innings with two hits, three walks and five strikeouts against the Brewers.
• Royals RHP Seth Lugo: 7 starts, 44 IP, 34 H, 15 ER, 12 BB, 34 K, 3.07 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 3-3 record. In his last outing against the Rays, Lugo pitched six innings with five hits, two earned runs, zero walks and five strikeouts. He finished second in AL Cy Young voting last season.

Roster news

• Andrew Benintendi left Sunday's game with left calf tightness and is considered day-to-day. Venable said Benintendi injured himself getting out of the box and running to first on a fly ball that was dropped for an error in right field. "Just wanted to be proactive there especially with the conditions and just turn the page on the day," Venable said postgame. He was not in Monday's lineup and remains out on Tuesday.

• The White Sox announced six roster moves ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Astros: Infielder Josh Rojas (toe) was activated from the 10-day IL; White Sox selected right-handed pitcher Caleb Freeman’s contract from Triple-A; Left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert was recalled from Triple-A; Left-handed pitcher Fraser Ellard was placed on the 10-day IL with a left lat strain; Right-handed pitcher Penn Murfee was optioned to Triple-A; Infielder Bobby Dalbec was designated for assignment.

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.
• Matt Quatraro, Royals: Quatraro, 51, is in his third season as the Royals manager. They went 56-106 in his first season, but improved to 86-76 in 2024 with a second-place finish in the AL Central and a loss to the Yankees in the ALDS. He was previously and assistant coach for Cleveland from 2014-17 and Tampa Bay from 2018-22. From East Selkirk, N.Y., Quatraro attended Old Dominion University and was an eighth-round pick by the Rays in the 1996 MLB Draft. He played five minor league seasons until 2002.

Related stories on the Chicago White Sox

• MEIDROTH'S PLATE DISCIPLINE: Chase Meidroth, the White Sox No. 8 prospect who recently made his MLB debut, has a chase rate far below league average. That approach has helped him find early success in the big leagues. CLICK HERE

• MONTGOMERY TO ARIZONA: The White Sox recently sent No. 4 prospect Colson Montgomery, who’s hitting .149 in Triple-A, to Arizona for individualized work. Director of player development Paul Janish and hitting coach Marcus Thames recently commented on the situation. CLICK HERE

• TAYLOR IMPRESSING IN DOUBLE-A: Grant Taylor was named Chicago White Sox minor league pitcher of the month for March and April after allowing just one earned run in 11.1 innings. CLICK HERE

• FREEMAN CALLED UP: After working his way through the Chicago White Sox minor league system for the last seven years, right-handed pitcher Caleb Freeman was called up to the big leagues Sunday. CLICK HERE