White Sox vs. Rockies Lineup: Why is Meidroth Out? Grichuk Against a Righty, More
In this story:
After the Chicago White Sox clinched a playoff spot on Thursday, the champagne and celebrations should be the furthest thing from the players' minds. After all, there is still more work to be done! The White Sox will face the Rockies for the final series of the regular season with a key player missing.
Game Info
Who: Chicago White Sox (82-77) vs. Colorado Rockies (57-102)
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. Kyle Teel, C
3. Miguel Vargas, 3B
4. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
5. Andrew Benintendi, DH
6. Tristan Peters, CF
7. Randal Grichuk, LF
8. Colson Montgomery, SS
9. Braden Montgomery, RF
The White Sox will roll with a lefty-heavy lineup against the Rockies on Friday. However, the loss of second baseman Chase Meidroth complicates things. Sam Antonacci will lead off, per usual against a right-hander. However, he will play second base with Meidroth out. It's unclear what Meidroth's exact injury is at the moment, or how much time he will miss. But hopefully his absence is solely precautionary.
Kyle Teel will bat second after hitting a home run in Thursday's playoff-clinching game. Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami will follow. After a mini slump, Vargas is back with a .320/.485/.600 slash line in his last seven games. Murakami seems to have broken out of his huge slump entirely with a .240/.406/.600 slash line in his last seven games. Andrew Benintendi will be the designated hitter, despite a rough last 15 outings. Tristan Peters will follow him after his own cold stretch.
Because Antonacci is playing second base, Randal Grichuk will have to play left field against a right-hander. However, Grichuk is to be trusted after a .400/.408/.733 slash line in his last 15 performances. Colson Montgomery will attempt to avoid unwanted history, standing at the precipice of breaking the single-season MLB strikeout record. Braden Montgomery will round out the order after breaking out of a major funk with a .360/.360/.480 slash line in his last seven games.
The White Sox' offense is humming!
Colorado Rockies Lineup
1. Jake McCarthy, CF
2. Adael Amador, 2B
3. Hunter Goodman, C
4. TJ Rumfield, 1B
5. Kyle Karros, 3B
6. Mickey Moniak, LF
7. Troy Johnston, RF
8. Zac Veen, DH
9. Ezequiel Tovar, SS
On The Mound...
Chicago White Sox - Sean Burke, RHP
After a phenomenal stretch of baseball for Sean Burke, he came back down to earth a bit, with a 5.17 ERA in his last seven games. However, he has given up one run in his last 11 innings with nine strikeouts, proving he still has the chops to be Chicago's ace in the postseason. He will attempt to dice up Colorado's weak lineup outside of Coors Field.
Colorado Rockies - Tomoyuki Sugano, RHP
As for Tomoyuki Sugano, he's been one of the worst pitchers in baseball with a 5.36 ERA in 28 starts (147.2 innings). His second season hasn't gone as planned at all, with just 91 strikeouts and 31 home runs allowed. He has an 8.47 ERA in his last seven starts, completing his horrible season. The White Sox will look to get plenty of runs early off Sugano to win this one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.