Why White Sox's rotation being worst-ranked among playoff teams is justified
This low ranking is entirely justified for the White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox, currently leading in the final Wild Card spot by 3.0 games and 1.0 game behind the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians, find themselves in a precarious position. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel has ranked their pitching rotation as the worst among postseason contenders this year, a ranking they have no choice but to accept.
Out of 15 playoff hopefuls, the White Sox sit at the bottom of the pitching order, trailing even the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. Their pitching woes stem from a weaker rotation, which forces the bullpen to shoulder a significant burden. With a seventh-best bullpen ERA in baseball, the White Sox might need to lean heavily on their bullpen in the postseason.
Starting pitchers such as Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, Erick Fedde, David Sandlin, Luis Castillo, Hagen Smith, and Noah Schultz have not proven reliable, with ERAs ranging from 3.90 to 6.29. The 2026 season has been a struggle for the White Sox, with both offensive and bullpen issues potentially leading to their early exit from the playoffs.
However, it is the questionable starting rotation that might ultimately be their downfall as they navigate the challenging postseason landscape.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
