GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chase Meidroth will not open the 2025 season as the starting shortstop for the White Sox.
In fact, Meidroth will begin the year at Triple-A Charlotte, which he was told by manager Will Venable and the White Sox front office before Monday¡¯s final Cactus League game against the Athletics. So, who will be the White Sox starting shortstop Thursday afternoon against the Angels at Rate Field?
Jacob Amaya was there on Monday's 8-5 win against the A's in a regular-filled lineup. But as has been the team¡¯s watchword over the past week, nothing has been made official.
¡°We'll probably be mix and matching,¡± said Venable of the shortstop outlook. ¡°That's one we¡¯re still ironing out and trying to figure out how that looks and how it's going to shape up. But yeah, you'll probably see some kind of matchup there.
¡°[Amaya is] obviously a great defender. And we love that, just the stability that he brings to the defensive position. He's done a really nice job offensively, really kind of shortening down his stroke. He admittedly was trying to do a little too much early in camp, but I think he got back to kind of who he really is.¡±
Veterans Nick Maton, 28, and Tristan Gray, 29, who were both in camp on Minor League deals as non-roster invites, could be possibilities, with Gray having played eight games at shortstop this spring. The same goes for the versatile Brooks Baldwin, who has played across the infield and outfield during Spring Training.
Meidroth, who was acquired from the Red Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade, finished with a .313 on-base percentage over 16 Cactus League games, after posting an impressive .293/.437/.400 slash line at Triple-A Worcester last season. But he only hit .154 with a .179 slugging percentage in Arizona. Being a little more aggressive in the zone was one of the work areas Meidroth was given as he finished camp.
¡°That's something that is going to be part of his challenge to get to who he wants to be as a big leaguer. So, we just want to give him some time to do that at Triple-A,¡± Venable said. ¡°He's a patient hitter and we don't want to change his DNA. At the same time, we know that in this league you can't let too many of these pitches in the heart of the plate go by.¡±
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s taking chances over the heart. It¡¯s something I need to get better at. I¡¯m going to do that,¡± Meidroth said. ¡°The atmosphere is great here. Guys are awesome. It was really positive for me and for getting ready for the season.¡±
Venable indicated Meidroth, who is Chicago¡¯s No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, would play all over defensively at Charlotte. Meidroth understands the plan but also enjoyed his 12 games at shortstop during Spring Training.
¡°It was super fun, and I love short,¡± Meidroth said. ¡°You are kind of involved in every single play, so that¡¯s a big thing for me. I love defense. I love taking hits away.
¡°So, yeah, shortstop was awesome here. We have a lot of good infielders so I¡¯m looking forward to going down and working with Colson [Montgomery] and the guys down there.¡±
Rotation Updates
The White Sox will go with a full five-man rotation at the season¡¯s outset despite scheduled off-days on March 28, April 3, April 7 and April 14. Venable still would not announce the starting alignment behind Opening Day hurler Sean Burke, but if they stay in current order, it would be Jonathan Cannon and Davis Martin on Saturday and Sunday against the Angels, Martin P¨¦rez in the series opener against the Twins Monday and Shane Smith potentially making his big-league debut on Tuesday.
With opt-outs and roster moves taking place across baseball, the White Sox could look to make additions outside their group. But Venable indicated they are primarily focused on who they have.
¡°At the same time, our front office does a great job of doing their job and doing everything they can to improve our ballclub,¡± Venable said. ¡°Part of that is trusting our guys and leaning on our guys to get the job done, too.¡±
Catching up
The White Sox released veteran catcher Omar Narváez but hope to bring him back on a Minor League deal. They will go with Matt Thaiss and Korey Lee behind the plate.