Chicago White Sox seem to be deploying a strange pitching strategy

The Chicago White Sox are one of the clear-cut worst teams in all of Major League Baseball and are competing with the Colorado Rockies for the worst team in baseball for this season. The White Sox, thankfully, added more offense to their lineup by trading for Gage Workman, who came over from the Chicago Cubs after being designated for assignment.

Adding Workman is a nice addition for a team that sits dead last in team batting average (.209), but the White Sox also need to find some starting pitching, given the recent injury to Martín Pérez, who will miss the rest of this season. The White Sox have a few options they can turn to internally, but they’ve decided to opt for an unusual method of filling Pérez’s spot, which won’t last and adds insult to injury.

Chicago White Sox implementing an interesting pitching strategy

We’re not at the end of April, and the White Sox appear to have given up on their starting pitchers, with today being the third straight game of the White Sox using an opener. MLB.com’s Scott Merkin has reported that the White Sox will start left-hander Brandon Eisert and Davis Martin who will come in relief after him.

“Brandon Eisert will be the White Sox opener tomorrow followed by Davis Martin, per the team”

Brandon Eisert will be the White Sox opener tomorrow followed by Davis Martin, per the team

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) April 27, 2025

Eisert has ten career starts at the minor league level and none at the major league level, so today will be his first-ever start at the major league level. Eisert, 27, has seen time at Triple-A and the big leagues this season. Eisert has seen more time at the big league level, with injuries and the bullpen being one of the weaknesses this season.

Tyler Gilbert started the previous two games for the White Sox and Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon came in relief after his one inning of work. In total, Gilbert gave the White Sox 2.0 innings pitched, allowing one hit, striking out three, and walking one without allowing an earned run.

Why it makes no sense to use an opener

For the White Sox to use an opener at this point in the season is, to put it mildly, a joke. The White Sox are bad, but they don’t need to add to that by using an opener and not allowing guys like Burke, Cannon, or Martin to gain experience as starters. In the case of Martin, not getting him reps as a start will affect his trade value, which the Sox can ill afford to mess with given the injury to Pérez.

There’s no value in Burke or Cannon not getting reps as a starter since this is their second year in the big leagues and they need the experience. If the White Sox are trying to build up Gilbert to get more innings as a starter since they need a lefty in the rotation, this is not the way to do it.

Brsye Wilson is in the bullpen and could be utilized in a piggyback role until Gilbert is ready to go deeper into ballgames. The White Sox also have Jairo Iriarte and Nick Nastrini, who are on the 40-man and down at Triple-A and could be an option as well.

These guys could provide the White Sox with the innings they need to cover until Noah Schultz or Hagen Smith are ready to get the call to the big leagues. Nevertheless, using an opener doesn’t need to happen, especially with the White Sox only playing 27 games this season.