The Chicago White Sox continue to show that they’re intrigued by former Milwaukee Brewers.
That was certainly the case last year, when a litany of ex-Brewers wound up on the White Sox roster, including Aaron Civale, Adrian Houser, Shane Smith, Tyler Alexander, Elvis Peguero, Bryan Hudson and Vinny Capra.
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Most of those players are gone from the organization in 2026, but that doesn’t mean the ex-Brewers pipeline has stopped. That includes the coaching staff, where former Brewers staffer Walker McKinven is the bench coach, in his second season with the organization. Third-base coach Justin Jirschele, though not an ex-Brewer, was a standout athlete at Clintonville High School and UW-Stevens Point.
Shane Smith, starting pitcher
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Shane Smith (64) delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Rate Field in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025.
The headliner, of course, is Smith, the former Brewers minor-leaguer who’ll start the season opener on the mound for Chicago in Milwaukee on Thursday, March 26. Part of the Brewers organization from 2021 to 2024, Smith was the first overall pick in the Rule 5 draft by the White Sox and that paid off when he made the all-star team last year.
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The connections don’t stop there, though only one current White Sox player actually suited up for the Brewers.
Erick Fedde, starting pitcher
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Erick Fedde (59) pitches during the Milwaukee Brewers open workout ahead of the National League Division Series on Tuesday September 30, 2025 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Fedde briefly joined the Brewers last year and pitched in seven games, posting a 3.38 ERA out of the bullpen. As he returns to the team where he resurrected his stateside career in 2024, he figures to be at the back of the starting rotation.
Fedde, 33, started the 2025 season with St. Louis but was traded to Atlanta before the trade deadline. When he was released in August, the Brewers scooped him up as a free agent.
Reese McGuire, catcher
Feb 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Umpire Brian Walsh (60) makes the call behind Milwaukee Brewers catcher Reese McGuire (33) against the Cleveland Guardians at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
And yet, the more recent Brewers player on the White Sox roster is backup catcher McGuire, who signed a minor-league contract in late January with Milwaukee but didn’t get added to the roster for the start of the season. The Brewers are covered behind the plate with starter William Contreras and another offseason signing, Gary Sánchez, with top prospect Jeferson Quero waiting in the wings.
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The White Sox just signed McGuire on March 22 to a one-year deal. He played 53 games for the White Sox in 2022 and has been doing a tour of the upper Midwest, playing in 44 games for the Cubs last year before briefly joining Milwaukee.
Tristan Peters, outfielder
Acquired from Tampa Bay in December, Peters was a bit of a surprise final outfielder on the roster, winning the spot over Waukesha West alumnus Jarred Kelenic, among others. Peters had an .847 OPS in spring. He made his big-league debut last year with 12 at-bats with the Rays, though he struck out seven times and is still looking for his first hit.
A Brewers seventh-round draft pick in 2021, Peters was dealt to San Francisco in August 2022 for Trevor Rosenthal, a then-injured pitcher who never got healthy enough to appear for the Brewers. The Giants turned around and traded Peters to the Rays later that year. He can play all three outfield spots and had a .784 OPS at Class AAA Durham last year.
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Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago White Sox starting pitchers
Thursday, March 26, 1:10 p.m. CT: White Sox RHP Shane Smith (7-8, 3.81 ERA last year) vs. Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski (5-3, 4.36 ERA). Coming off an electric half-season of baseball, Misiorowski will make an Opening-Day start against Smith, a player who was teammates with Miz at three minor-league levels in 2023 and again at Class AAA Nashville in 2024.
Saturday, March 28, 6:10 p.m. CT: White Sox RHP Sean Burke (4-11, 4.22 ERA last year) vs. Brewers RHP Chad Patrick (3-8, 3.53 ERA). It’s crazy to imagine Patrick as one of the elder statesmen in terms of experience in the Brewers rotation, but after spending most of his rookie season with the big-league team, he’s almost as grizzled as it gets in this group. Burke has made 25 career starts over the past two seasons with the Sox.
Sunday, March 29, 1:10 p.m. CT: White Sox LHP Anthony Kay (0-0, 6.14 ERA last year) vs. Brewers RHP Brandon Sproat (0-2, 4.79 ERA). Kay has seven career starts and Sproat four, all last year with the New York Mets. But Kay hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2023, pitching in Japan the past two years. He signed a two-year deal with the White Sox worth $5 million before the season, and he’ll give Milwaukee its first test against a left-handed starter.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers have many connections on White Sox roster for Opening Day