Chicago

White Sox

He struck out two and walked one. Newcomb is hoping to join the White Sox rotation after a successful 2025 spent mostly in the pen, but he should have a roster spot either way after signing for $4.5 million in December.

Murray was a fringy 40-man roster guy after hitting .241/.299/.400 in Triple-A last season, but the White Sox liked him enough to acquire him from the Rays and protect him from the Rule 5 draft, and now he’s opened this spring with two homers and a double in nine at-bats. The White Sox have several out-of-options bench candidates, so Murray has little shot of winning a spot out of spring training. His opportunity could come this summer if other players disappoint.

Montgomery’s first big fly of the spring came off Cincinnati reliever Lyon Richardson in the fourth inning. The 23-year-old former top prospect turned his career around last year, walloping 21 round-trippers in 71 games as a rookie. He offers zero stolen base potential and a near-30 percent strikeout rate suggests he won’t be much help in the batting average department either. There’s some real thunder in his bat but his fantasy value is limited to deeper mixed leagues as a cheap power source.

Acuña suffered a cut above his left eyebrow and will undergo further evaluation to determine whether he’ll require stitches. He was 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and his first steal of the spring before departing. The 23-year-old infielder, who came over from the Mets in the Luis Robert Jr. trade last month, is presumably day-to-day for the moment. He’s competing for a spot on Chicago’s bench this spring.

Murakami started at DH and recorded hits with exit velocities of 100 and 74.4 mph, respectively. The 26-year-old offseason import arrives stateside with some serious contact issues, especially since he’ll be facing premium velocity more frequently than he was in Japan. Yet, he’s shown an ability to drive the ball with authority during the early stages of spring training.

Taylor hit triple-digits three times and averaged a blistering 99.8 mph on his four-seam fastball, needing just 12 pitches to spin a flawless frame. The hard-throwing 23-year-old former top prospect has the unmistakable aura of a future closer — the velocity, the demeanor, the kind of stuff that feels pre-destined for the ninth inning. However, it feels like the rebuilding White Sox will turn the ninth inning role over to veteran Seranthony Domínguez at the outset of the season, if only to increase his value for a midseason trade.

There were some initial worries when Montgomery was scratched from the lineup, but the crisis was averted. He may take a couple of days off before returning to the White Sox lineup.

Peters took Sam Garcia deep in the ninth for his first homer in the White Sox organization. Acquired for a player to be named later in December, Peterss has shown some decent offensive upside in the minors, but the 25-year-old isn’t likely to see regular playing time even on a poor roster like Chicago’s.

Vasil is battling for one of the final spots in the rotation for Chicago after a very strong rookie campaign working out of the bullpen for the White Sox. This outing didn’t go particularly well, however, as he walked two and gave up three hits before exiting. Vasil is worth monitoring, but can be safely kept off rosters to open 2026.

Quero hit a pair of two-run singles. The 22-year-old backstop was the subject of trade rumors this winter as Kyle Teel appears to be their answer at catcher, but there’s a decent chance he’ll still get some solid playing time in 2026.