White Sox vs. Rays Lineup: Fedde's Last Start? Romo Behind the Plate, More

After pulling off back-to-back walk-off wins to even up the series against the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox' tough schedule will continue.

With the trade deadline only a few days away, the Sox will now have to face the top squad in the American League. The Tampa Bay Rays have been dominant at times this year, killing teams with their small-ball play style and elite starting pitching.

With the Cleveland Guardians only 2.0 games back of the AL Central lead, the Sox are going to have to play some of their best baseball of the season to avoid potentially losing ground this weekend.

Game Info

Who: Chicago White Sox (57-51) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (64-44)
Where: Tropicana Field
When: 6:10 PM 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. Braden Montgomery, RF
7. Tristan Peters, CF
8. Chase Meidroth, 2B
9. Drew Romo, C

The White Sox will go back to a more familiar-looking lineup against righty Nick Martinez on Friday night. Sam Antonacci will return to the leadoff spot, while Colson Montgomery will hold down cleanup duties after Randal Grichuk did the honors on Thursday.

Andrew Benintendi will also step back into the lineup after a day off and bat fifth. He will continue to handle DH duties while rookie Braden Montgomery plays in right field.

Speaking of which, Braden is now 0-for-8 over the last two games after opening the series with three hits and an RBI in the first two games. Braden has been considerably better since mid-July, so the hope is that this isn't the start of another extended slump.

Lastly, Drew Romo will take over at catcher after Quero was in the lineup yesterday. Manager Will Venable has preferred the former Rockies prospect as of late, going with him in four of the last six outings.

Tampa Bay Rays Lineup

1. Yandy Días, DH
2. Jonathan Aranda, 1B
3. Junior Caminero, 3B
4. Cedric Mullins, LF
5. Chandler Simpson, LF
6. Victor Mesa Jr., RF
7. Richie Palacios, 2B
8. Taylor Walls, SS
9. Hunter Feduccia, C

The Tampa Bay Rays are all about making contact. They have the lowest whiff rate in baseball, the fewest strikeouts, and sit second in the league with a .259 team batting average. To be clear, they aren't going to hit much for power, but they will repeatedly put the ball in play and force the defense to make tight plays. The White Sox infield has to be sharp.

On the Mound ...

Jul 26, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Erick Fedde (47) throws the ball against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

White Sox – Erick Fedde, RHP

Will this be Erick Fedde's last start? The White Sox are widely expected to add starting pitching at this year's trade deadline. Fedde has been solid with a 4.25 ERA, but he's given up a combined 5 earned runs over his last two outings. Horrible? Not at all, but it's a reminder that he can be a tad underwhelming, especially when factoring in that it's been tough to get him to go over 4.0 innings.

Rays – Nick Martinez, RHP

Nick Martinez has been excellent for the Rays, holding a 10-2 record with a 2.45 ERA. He isn't going to be one to force many strikeouts, but he will induce a lot of weak contact by getting batters to chase his off-speed stuff.

With that said, don't expect him to give up many trips to first. His walk rate is a ridiculous 4.2 percent. He is just efficient and calculated, and the White Sox offense will have to be locked in to find the few pitches that can be hit for power.

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