The White Sox opened the season against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 26th in Milwaukee. Shane Smith was the Opening Day starter, and the White Sox ended up dropping that game 14-2.
However, that series feels like a completely different year. Outside of the roster being significantly different than it was in March, the vibes around the team are different in a good way, and a part of the reason why the White Sox are having so much success.
Perhaps the most shocking difference is the fact that the Opening Day starter was optioned to AAA after just three starts. That isn’t something you see everyday.
However, Shane Smith had some significant issues with his command, as he never made it past 3 2/3 innings in 2026. After being optioned to AAA, he threw 13.2 innings, pitching to a 5.27 ERA. However, there was some slight improvement, as hitters only hit .191 against him. He struck out 18 batters in those 13.2 innings, but he walked eight. This was part of the reason why he was sent down, as he needed to work on his control and getting ahead of hitters.
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Unfortunately, Smith hit the injury list less than a month later, and he has not pitched in a game in almost two months. Now, according to Scott Merkin, Smith is close to returning and getting in game action with the Winston-Salem Dash. It is expected that he will get in game action next week. This could be a significant addition for the White Sox, as he was their best pitcher last year.
Zach Bove on Shane Smith's progress: "Yeah, he threw a live bullpen a couple of days ago and he’s on track to kind of get it going in games here this following week. I think he’ll start off in Winston-Salem."
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) June 28, 2026
But, assuming things go well and Smith makes it back to the major leagues, where does Smith fit in with the new-look White Sox roster? At this point, it’s hard to tell what the White Sox will do with Smith if he’s promoted back to the big leagues. He could potentially take the spot of somebody in the rotation, he could fill-in if there is an injury, or he could be put in the bullpen. There are certainly quite a few options.
There is no doubt Smith has all the talent in the world, as he was an All-Star last season and was dominant for stretches of time. However, this year he has had trouble finding the strike zone. If he can figure that out, he’ll be a huge asset to the White Sox playoff push. But, coming off an injury, that could be a big if.
A minute and 16 seconds of Shane Smith dealing 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/qxR1RSTiDy
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) June 4, 2025
The White Sox could slot Smith into the bullpen and have him eat up multiple innings, similar to what Trevor Richards has done this year, or they could implement a six man rotation.
Getting Smith back to his 2025 form would be an absolute game changer for the White Sox. He pitched like a top of the rotation arm, which is exactly what the White Sox could use right about now. At this point, I believe the White Sox will likely ease him in through the bullpen, having him work his way back into a starting spot. Having him build his confidence in lower leverage situations could help him get back on track.
The biggest question at the end of the day is what kind of production will the White Sox need to see out of Smith to have him return to Chicago? The amount of starts he gets in the minor leagues and the quality of those starts will likely determine where he slots in with the team in Chicago.
Smith didn’t have these kind of issues last year, and for some reason it got out of hand this year. Hopefully the White Sox organization and Smith were able to use this time off to identify the issues with his command. If they were able to figure it out, he would be a significant addition to the roster.
