The Cuban outfielder will start in right field for the Sox on Friday after picking up a pinch-hit single in Thursday's season-opener.
The Chicago White Sox got it done in crunch time on Thursday to secure their first win of the 2023 campaign. A 3-2 triumph on Opening Day positively set the tone, and the South Siders will look to build on it Friday in another meeting with the Houston Astros. With a right-hander set to take the mound for Houston, Sox manager Pedro Grifol's lineup card has some notable changes. Rookie outfielder Oscar Colas will make his first MLB start, playing right field and batting eighth.
For Starters
Friday's appearance won't be Colas's first taste of big-league action, however. The 24-year-old came off the bench to replace Romy Gonzalez and give the White Sox a platoon advantage on Thursday. Colas delivered in his first at-bat by driving a single up the middle.
The Left-Handed Advantage
Regarding platoon advantages, Grifol will sit first baseman Andrew Vaughn in favor of big lefty Gavin Sheets. Despite Vaughn's late-inning heroics in the opener, he will sit, and the White Sox lineup will include five left-handed hitters. Cristian Javier, a right-handed starting pitcher, will toe the rubber for the Houston Astros.
Andrew Benintendi will bat third while switch-hitters Yoan Moncada and Yasmani Grandal sandwich Sheets and Colas from 5 to 8.
What's On Tap Next?
We expect to see this heavy left-handed lineup throughout the year, as it is prudent to gain a platoon advantage everywhere possible. Pedro Grifol plans to do precisely that and deploy one of the most left-handed heavy lineups in recent White Sox memory.
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