White Sox vs. Pirates Lineup: No Miguel Vargas? Sam Antonacci Moves to 2B, More

Will Venable is going with a weird lineup as the White Sox try to bounceback from yesterday's ugly showing.

Sep 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) celebrates in the dugout after he hits a solo home run during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After an ugly loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago White Sox will be right back at it for the second game of the series. And they will do so with a pretty unusual lineup.

Game Info

Who: Chicago White Sox (75-69) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (72-73)
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, 2B
2. Andrew Benintendi, DH
3. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
4. Randal Grichuk, LF
5. Colson Montgomery, 3B
6. Braden Montgomery, RF
7. Tristan Peters, CF
8. Chase Meidroth, SS
9. Kyle Teel, C

Will Venable will put together an odd group ahead of Wednesday's matchup. Sam Antonacci is leading off once again, but will man second base. This will be only Antonacci's 10th start at second base this year. Andrew Benintendi will follow him after a 2-for-4 night on Tuesday.

Murakami will still be hitting third. While he showed signs of getting out of his slump, Tuesday night was an indication that it is still ongoing for the first baseman. Murakami went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Tuesday and is slashing .109/.269/.182 in his last 15 games with 30 strikeouts. What's very noticeable in this lineup is the absence of third baseman Miguel Vargas. It may just be a day off for the All-Star, but Vargas is slashing .292/.420/.496 in his last 30 games and has become indispensable to that offense.

Despite a lefty not starting on Wednesday, lefty-killer Randal Grichuk will be starting in left field. In his last 30 games, Grichuk is slashing .344/.375/.672 with three home runs and 12 runs driven in. Colson Montgomery will follow Grichuk, playing third base. After coming out of a slump of his own recently, Montgomery is 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in his last two games.

One last thing to note is that Chase Meidroth will be at shortstop on Wednesday. Normally, when the White Sox are putting this type of lineup out, Luisangel Acuña will start at shortstop. Acuña has appeared in just one game since August 26 as a pinch runner.

Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup

1. Konnor Griffin, SS
2. Brandon Lowe, 2B
3. Bryan Reynolds, LF
4. Nick Gonzales, DH
5. Oneil Cruz, CF
6. Esmerlyn Valdez, RF
7. Spencer Horwitz, 1B
8. Rafael Flores Jr., C
9. Jacob Gonzalez, 3B

On The Mound...

Sep 2, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Davis Martin (65) throws out a pitch during the third inning against Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago White Sox - Davis Martin, RHP

In his first start back since August 13, Davis Martin looked like the first-half version of himself. In 5.2 innings, he gave up five hits, no runs, and one walk with three strikeouts. After Sean Burke got shelled last night, Martin will need to show that version of himself for a White Sox win.

PIttsburgh Pirates - Lake Bachar, RHP

Lake Bachar has been used as an opener and reliever this season. In 47 games (eight starts) between the Miami Marlins and Pirates, he has a 3.59 ERA. His highest inning total this season is 3.0, which he's matched plenty of times. Don't expect him to go far into this one, especially if the White Sox offense strikes.