White Sox vs. Rangers Lineup: Vargas Leading Off? Murakami Slumping, More

Will Venable is going with an unusual lineup to end the White Sox' series with the Texas Rangers.

Aug 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) celebrates in the dugout after he scores during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a thrilling win on Tuesday night, the Chicago White Sox will take on the Texas Rangers for a rubber match on Wednesday with an odd lineup.

Game Info

Who: Chicago White Sox (69-63) vs. Texas Rangers (66-67)
Where: Rate Field
When: 6:40 CT
Watch: CHSN
Listen: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM, 107.9 La Ley

Chicago White Sox Lineup

1. Miguel Vargas, 3B
2. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
3. Randal Grichuk, DH
4. Chase Meidroth, 2B
5. Braden Montgomery, RF
6. Brenton Doyle, CF
7. Jake Rogers, C
8. Tristan Peters, LF
9. Luisangel Acuña, SS

Miguel Vargas will lead off for only the 10th time this season, where he is slashing .143/.220/.400 in those situations. The White Sox almost always have him third in the order no matter who is on the mound, making this a pretty surprising move.

With that said, Vargas has been hitting extremely well over the last week. He has a .450 batting average in his previous seven games and had a two-hit evening on Tuesday. Perhaps he can get them off to a hot start.

Meanwhile, Sam Antonacci will not be in the lineup after DHing against Jacob deGrom on Tuesday. Munetaka Murakami will bat second once again, despite a huge slump. In his last 15 games, Murakami is slashing .130/.277/.333 and .071/.161/.071 in his last seven games.

Randal Grichuk will be back in the lineup on Wednesday. Against Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore, he has a home run and a 1.711 OPS in nine at-bats. Chase Meidroth will be in the cleanup spot for only the fourth time this season. After a hot streak, he is now slashing .214/.241/.214 in his last seven games, despite a three-hit game on Tuesday.

Braden Montgomery, Brenton Doyle and Jake Rogers will be starting against the left-hander. While Tristan Peters has struggled against southpaws, you have to keep his bat in the lineup amid a streak of four consecutive games with a home run. He will bat eighth against Gore. Colson Montgomery will sit in favor of Luisangel Acuña amid a slump of his own.

Texas Rangers Lineup

1. Joc Pederson, 1B
2. Corey Seager, DH
3. Wyatt Langford, LF
4. Brandon Nimmo, RF
5. Ezequiel Duran, SS
6. Evan Carter, CF
7. Justin Foscue, 2B
8. Elias Díaz, C
9. Cody Freeman, 3B

On The Mound...

Aug 21, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Sean Burke (59) delivers the ball during the first inning against the New York Mets at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago White Sox - Sean Burke, RHP

Sean Burke has enjoyed a breakout season for the White Sox and has been their most consistent pitcher throughout the season. Burke has a 2.90 ERA in his last seven games. In his last start, Burke went six innings, giving up four runs with an uncharacteristic four strikeouts.

Texas Rangers- MacKenzie Gore, LHP

In 27 starts, MacKenzie Gore has a 4.26 ERA, including a 3.32 ERA in his last seven games. In his last game against the Los Angeles Angels, Gore pitched six shutout innings with seven strikeouts. The White Sox will have to bring the same intensity they showed on Tuesday to win the series.