White Sox top pitching prospects Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith on track for '26 debuts — just not Opening Day
GLENDALE, Ariz. — It’s an open competition this spring training for at least two spots in the White Sox’ rotation, but don’t look for top prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith to break camp with the team.
After rocky seasons in the minors last year for both highly touted left-handers, Sox manager Will Venable said this week that he expects Schultz and Smith to make their major-league debuts sometime this year — just not in March.
“We want to build them up to be starters,” Venable said. “They’re gonna start most likely in Triple-A, and so we want to make sure they’re on their path.”
Schultz, an Oswego East product and the No. 49 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, struggled in 2025 after making the jump from Double-A Birmingham to Triple-A Charlotte. A nagging knee injury cut his season short and prevented him from playing in the Arizona Fall League.
Smith, the No. 72 prospect, suffered his own bouts of inconsistency at Birmingham but rebounded with a strong Fall League showing. His long season has him a bit behind schedule entering camp at Camelback Ranch.
“His ramp-up will be thoughtful, and we’ll make sure he’s in a good spot to get going in his Triple-A season to be pitching every fifth day and eventually with us in Chicago,” Venable said.
After a winter of rest — and a focus on finding consistency in his mechanics — the lanky, 6-10 Schultz felt optimistic after throwing his first bullpen session Tuesday.
“Last year, I would get a little wild, lose hitters, throw a couple walks in there,” said Schultz, whose fastball has topped out at 99 mph. “It’s not something that I’ve been used to in the past, but it’s good that I can get back up. I’m excited.”
Smith — 6-3 and barrel-chested, with a fastball touching 97 — had a 3.57 ERA over 12 starts in Double-A last year but walked 56 batters in 75⅔ innings to go with his 108 strikeouts.
“I hold myself to a high standard. I didn’t meet that last year,” he said.
He spent his winter at home in eastern Texas, dialing in his splitter/changeup in consultation with Sox pitching coaches.
“I feel like I got a lot better this offseason, and I want to prove it,” he said.
Shane Smith, Davis Martin and Anthony Kay, who was signed out of South Korea’s KBO League in December, are poised to hold down the front end of the Sox’ rotation entering the season, with a wide group of pitchers vying for the remaining slots.
Returning right-hander and fellow KBO veteran Erick Fedde seems likely to get first crack at a spot after signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal. Another free-agent signing, Sean Newcomb, brings more experience to potentially shore up the staff.
Jonathan Cannon and Sean Burke are looking to regain their footing after bumpy performances that resulted in late-season demotions for both last year. Grant Taylor and Mike Vasil are pushing for starting opportunities, too, after bullpen success in 2025. And newcomers Chris Murphy, Jedix-son Paez and David Sandlin could warrant consideration, as well.
Over the winter, many fans saw Schultz as potentially cracking the big-league roster. Although Venable hasn’t completely shut the door on that, Schultz isn’t concerning himself with the idea.
“I have a ton of goals,” he said. “There’s a lot of things I could say, and I think staying healthy is the No. 1 thing. Improving some of the things that probably took a dip last year every day. Just getting 1% better every day.”