As the White Sox close the door on the offseason and get the 2026 season underway, all eyes turn toward Thursday in Milwaukee. Every team, regardless of expectations, begins with the same record, and hope abounds in all 30 clubhouses. The White Sox will turn to last season’s lone All-Star in the season opener, as Shane Smith lands his first career Opening Day start against his former team. Spring training was not kind to Smith, however, and the right-hander will get his first chance to prove it doesn’t matter this week. 

Will Venable announces Shane Smith as White Sox starter on Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/E0Jhtojw6Y

— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) March 8, 2026

Shane Smith entered White Sox camp looking to build on his 3.81 ERA from 2025, but ran into some roadblocks in Arizona. In four spring starts, Smith allowed 12 earned runs in 10.2 innings. He struggled mightily with his control, allowing nine walks and hitting five batters during that span. It’s not the spring Smith or the White Sox would’ve liked, but fortunately, the games don’t count. Smith shattered his career high with 146.1 innings in 2025, and it’s very possible that he’s a bit fatigued in his build up. It could be a sign of things to come, though.

Shane Smith’s underlying spring metrics are reason for concern

Spring training stats aren’t everything, and often don’t carry over to the regular season. Many players are working on specific things during spring training games and players are at different stages of their build-up. Velocity being down or breaking pitches not being as crisp are easy to explain away, but an overall lack of control is much more difficult. Smith’s main problem wasn’t getting hit around, though he allowed an absurdly-high 65.6% hard hit percentage during Cactus League play. His struggle lay in his inability to finish at bats, often getting ahead of hitters before losing them and putting them on base. If this general lack of control carries over into the regular season, it could be a rough go for Smith in 2026. 

Smith’s importance to the White Sox success cannot be overstated. When he’s on top of his game, his fastball is nearly unhittable, and his curveball and changeup add serviceable pitches to complement his arsenal. The White Sox have a young offense that should score plenty of runs, and the bullpen looks much improved after some offseason additions. The starting rotation for the White Sox has the most questions and the last thing they need is to add Smith to that list. The White Sox really need Smith to be a stabilizing presence atop their rotation. A strong outing Thursday in Milwaukee could quiet a lot of the concerns and raise the excitement level. 

One outing won’t make or break Smith’s entire 2026 season, but it’ll be his first chance to redeem his shaky spring and get himself back on the right track. For the sake of Smith and the White Sox, I hope he’s able to take advantage of it.