Should the Chicago White Sox Be Worried About Shane Smith?
In this story:
The Shane Smith story is hard not to love.
Selected in the Rule 5 draft ahead of the 2025 season, he proceeded to make the White Sox' braintrust look genius. And that's sure saying something! Smith would quickly become the team's obvious ace thanks to a red-hot start to the season that ultimately earned him an All-Star nod. He was only the second rookie to crack the 2025 MLB All-Star team, as well as only the second player ever to crack the big game one season after being selected as a Rule 5 player.
Throw in the fact that he is seemingly a respected voice in the clubhouse, and an Opening Day start felt inevitable for Smith. Will Venable made that official on March 8 when he called Smith into his office to deliver the emotional news. Especially when we consider that the Sox will kick off their season roughly two hours north in Milwaukee, the start feels like a true full-circle moment for the hardworking 25-year-old.
In the wise words of Brad Pitt's Billy Beane: How can you not be romantic about baseball?
With that said, I'd be lying if a very different famous movie line didn't come to mind when seeing Smith's latest start: There's no crying in baseball. As moving a story as Smith's rise may be, this is also a White Sox team looking to take a very meaningful step forward this season. Can Smith be an important part of that? Absolutely. But there is no ignoring the fact that his performance on the mound this spring has left a lot to be desired.
Shane Smith Struggling in Arizona ...
To say Shane Smith looked rusty during his first start of Cactus League play would be an understatement. He failed to last a single inning after hitting two batters, allowing two hits, and recording three earned runs. Command over his four-seamer was nonexistent, and Will Venable had no choice but to pull the plug early.
Fast forward a handful of days, and Smith would step back on the mound against the Guardians. He certainly did a better job this time around, starting with a three-up, three-down inning. He only allowed one earned run and a walk over his 3.0 innings pitched, as well as struck out two batters thanks to some nice off-speed work. The performance made his ugly Game 1 feel like nothing more than a case of shaking off the winter rust.
But then there was Game 3. Smith took the mound against the Athletics on March 10 and proceeded to look erratic again. Going into the bottom of the first with a 3-0 advantage, Smith gave it up in a heartbeat. He walked three of the first five batters he faced and gave up an RBI double to one of the others. Smith also recorded a throwing error on a pick-off attempt. This led to Venable, yet again, pulling him early from the game.
Smith would at least get a chance to redeem himself in the bottom of the second when put back in. The only problem? He would immediately walk Nick Krutz for a second time and go on to allow two homers before being pulled officially for the day in the fourth inning. Overall, he gave up five hits (including two homers), five earned runs, and four walks in his third stint under the Arizona sun.
There is no way around it; that's bad. Did Smith need to be lights out this spring to warrant an Opening Day start? Not necessarily. You do have to put some stock into how well he threw the ball last season. But it's also impossible to totally ignore these results. Smith simply has not looked like the same guy thus far, which is something that also became a small talking point near the end of the 2025 campaign.
So ... did the White Sox already make an Opening Day mistake? It's hard to go that far when we consider the other questions with their rotation. We still don't even know what that five-man unit will look like. Plus, many of the arms that have jumped off the screen this spring are either expected to start 2026 in the minors or in the bullpen. You obviously prefer to have someone out there with big league experience, particularly in a year where you expect to change the narrative early.
Anthony Kay has looked solid this spring, but he's coming back to the bigs from overseas. Sean Burke has more experience to offer, but he is fresh off a rough 2025 campaign. Davis Martin doesn't necessarily feel like the high-octane arm you go with to begin the season, and the same can certainly be said about veterans like Sean Newcomb and Erick Fedde.
When reviewing the options, Smith still feels like the safest choice. But there is also no denying that some questions have started to emerge, and it will be up to Smith to answer those in the coming weeks.
Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
Follow Schuster_Elias