White Sox vs. Reds Lineup: Chase Meidroth's Status, No Miguel Vargas? More
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After a heartbreaking loss on Tuesday to the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago White Sox need to bounce back to have a chance at winning this series.
Game Info
Who: Chicago White Sox (61-57) vs. Cincinnati Reds (57-61)
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. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
3. Andrew Benintendi, DH
4. Braden Montgomery, RF
5. Colson Montgomery, 3B
6. Chase Meidroth, SS
7. Tristan Peters, LF
8. Brenton Doyle, CF
9. Drew Romo, C
This lineup is odd from the start. With Chase Meidroth back after a multi-game absence, why would Will Venable put Sam Antonacci at second and Meidroth at shortstop? With Antonacci's poor defense in general and Meidroth's great defense at second, it just doesn't make much sense to put them both in this situation.
Miguel Vargas is a notable absence with a scheduled off-day, which has ramifications for the defensive positioning of the lineup. While Vargas is slashing .200/.344/.360 in his last seven games, he is a vital part of this lineup and seemed to get back to normal on Tuesday, hitting a home run.
Another unusual placement is putting Braden Montgomery in the cleanup spot. Montgomery is slashing .167/.333/.292 in his last seven games. Putting Tristan Peters in left field may be good from a defensive perspective, but he has just four hits in his last 15 games.
Brenton Doyle, after hitting a leadoff home run on Tuesday, will be batting eighth against a right-hander. Drew Romo, who has just two hits in his last 22 at-bats, will round out the lineup.
Cincinnati Reds Lineup
1. Elly De La Cruz, SS
2. Sal Stewart, DH
3. JJ Bleday, LF
4. Eugenio Suárez, 3B
5. Michael Toglia, 1B
6. Héctor Rodríguez, RF
7. Jose Trevino, C
8. TJ Friedl, CF
9. Matt McLain, 2B
With another right-hander on the mound, the Reds will shake it up a little against former Cincinnati pitcher Luis Castillo. Michael Toglia, Jose Trevino, and TJ Friedl will start. JJ Bleday, Elly De La Cruz, and Eugenio Suárez have home runs in their career off Castillo. In fact, Castillo has just a 7.15 ERA in two starts against the Reds.
On The Mound...
Chicago White Sox - Luis Castillo, RHP
Luis Castillo has not had much success against his former team, with whom he played from 2017 to 2022. In his first start with Chicago, he did not do well, giving up five runs in four innings. He will need to pick up the slack significantly and give the bullpen some rest amid 15 consecutive games being played.
Cincinnati Reds - Rhett Lowder, RHP
After six stellar starts with the Reds in 2024, injuries caused Rhett Lowder to miss the entire 2025 season. Now back, he has a 5.26 ERA in 20 games (17 starts). He has been subject to the long ball often, with 11 home runs allowed in just 89 innings, while giving up a lot of contact in general. The White Sox will have to jump on Lowder early if they hope to win this game and have a rubber match on Thursday.
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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.