White Sox vs. Guardians Lineup: Teel Time, Can Benintendi Stay Hot, A Huge Series
In this story:
After the Chicago White Sox were swept by the Detroit Tigers, they now have the most important series of the year in front of them with the Cleveland Guardians. This upcoming series will likely have a huge impact on who wins the American League Central.
Buckle up!
Game Info
Who: Chicago White Sox (39-37) vs. Cleveland Guardians (41-37)
Where: Rate Field
When: 6:40 CT
Watch: CHSN
Listen: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM, 107.9 La Ley
Chicago White Sox Lineup
1. Sam Antonacci, LF
2. Miguel Vargas, 1B
3. Andrew Benintendi, DH
4. Kyle Teel, C
5. Colson Montgomery, 3B
6. Chase Meidroth, 2B
7. Braden Montgomery, RF
8. Tristan Peters, CF
9. Luisangel Acuña, SS
Will Venable will go with a lefty-heavy lineup in Monday's series opener against the Guardians. Sam Antonacci and Miguel Vargas will be at the top of the order, per usual. However, the White Sox will have a new addition to the lineup. The return of Kyle Teel is here, and he will be batting third in his season debut.
Teel smashed a homer in the first at-bat of his rehab assignment. He was originally placed on the IL in the offseason due to a hamstring strain in the World Baseball Classic. Then, while ramping up for a return, he suffered a setback that extended his absence. He will now finally reclaim his spot in the lineup at arguably the most important time of the season for the Sox.
Andrew Benintendi, who has been on fire in his last seven games (.267/.313/.733 slash line), will be batting cleanup. With a right-hander on the mound today, I'm not against this at all. While he may have had a rough start to 2026, the veteran has really turned things around, which has felt particularly huge in the absence of young slugging star Munetaka Murakami.
As for Colson Montgomery, he will hope to rebound in the five spot after going 0-for-11 in his last handful of games.
Cleveland Guardians Lineup
1. Travis Bazzana, 2B
2. David Fry, LF
3. Brayan Rocchio, SS
4. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
5. Kyle Manzardo, DH
6. Gabriel Arias, 3B
7. Stuart Fairchild, RF
8. Austin Hedges, C
9. Petey Halpin, CF
This lineup will be without superstar third baseman Jose Ramirez, who suffered a hamate fracture. Without him, this Cleveland lineup sorely misses a power hitter.
Bazzana will be the player to watch this series. In his last seven games, he is slashing .417/.517/.875 with three home runs.
On The Mound...
Chicago White Sox - Anthony Kay, LHP
After a bad outing against the New York Yankees, where he gave up four runs in just four innings, Anthony Kay will look to rebound. In his last seven games, Kay has pitched to a 4.33 ERA in 35.1 innings. Overall, Kay is 6-2 with a 4.61 ERA.
Cleveland Guardians - Gavin Williams, RHP
Gavin WIlliams will be on the mound for Cleveland, sporting a 3.83 ERA in 15 starts with 103 strikeouts.
However, Williams has struggled in his last seven games, giving up 21 runs in 42.1 innings (4.46 ERA). Against the Milwaukee Brewers in his last start, he gave up seven runs in five innings.
The White Sox will have to have great plate discipline against Williams, who has the fourth-most strikeouts in the American League.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.