White Sox vs. Rangers Lineup: No Opener for Fedde? Teel Back in the Mix, More
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After a series win against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Chicago White Sox will face the Texas Rangers in Arlington for a three-game set.
They will go into Game 1 of this series with their usual lineup against right-handers since first baseman Munetaka Murakami returned from injury.
Game Info
Who: Chicago White Sox (52-46) vs. Texas Rangers (50-49)
Where: Globe Life Field
When: 7:05 CT
Watch: CHSN
Listen: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
Chicago White Sox Lineup
1. Sam Antonacci, LF
2. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
3. Miguel Vargas, 3B
4. Colson Montgomery, SS
5. Andrew Benintendi, DH
6. Kyle Teel, C
7. Braden Montgomery, RF
8. Tristan Peters, CF
9. Chase Meidroth, 2B
When healthy, this White Sox lineup is among the best in the league, especially against right-handers. Despite scoring just three combined runs in the final two games of the Toronto series, this offense is still very potent.
The lineup will be the same as it's been since the break against right-handers. The White Sox understandably tabbed Andrew Benintendi against Jacob deGrom, which on the surface seems fine. However, when you look at the career stats versus the two-time Cy Young winner, Benintendi is 0-for-8, while Randal Grichuk is 5-for-13 with two home runs. Manager Will Venable seemed to have opted for the platoon matchup.
While the White Sox don't exactly have a better option waiting for them, catcher Kyle Teel has struggled since coming back from injury. In his last seven games, Teel has slashed.143/.217/.190 with a massive 43.0 percent strikeout rate. Teel will need to have a big second half for the White Sox to stay in contention.
Texas Rangers Lineup
1. Joc Pederson, DH
2. Wyatt Langford, LF
3. Josh Jung, 3B
4. Brandon Nimmo, RF
5. Jake Burger, 1B
6. Ezequiel Duran, SS
7. Evan Carter, CF
8. Elias Díaz, C
9. Nicky Lopez, 2B
This Rangers team is currently leading a weak American League West by a half-game. The Rangers have a dangerous first three batters in the order, with Joc Pederson, Wyatt Langford, and Josh Jung all having an .800 OPS or higher.
The White Sox will also see an old friend in Jake Burger playing first base and batting fifth tonight. Burger has struggled over his last 15 games, slashing .136/.190/.237 with two home runs.
Another old friend the White Sox will see is Nicky Lopez, who has been a massive surprise this year, batting .315 in 127 at-bats. He still has very light pop, but the career-high average goes to show how dangerous he's been.
On The Mound...
Chicago White Sox - Erick Fedde, RHP
Barring any last-minute changes, it looks like the White Sox will have Erick Fedde starting this one, instead of bringing him in following an opener.
In his last seven appearances, he has only started once, but has pitched to a 2.64 ERA in 30.2 innings with 24 strikeouts. He has good career numbers against everyone in this lineup; the big question is, can he keep it up?
Texas Rangers - Jacob deGrom, RHP
No introduction is needed for Jacob deGrom, who has been a great pitcher throughout his career. He has stayed healthy this year, pitching in 18 games and 100.2 innings.
He has had a career resurgence with Texas after failing to stay healthy from 2021-2024 and has a 3.49 ERA this year. The White Sox will have to be incredibly careful against deGrom, who has 122 strikeouts this year and just 22 walks.
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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.