Projecting a White Sox Opening Day roster two weeks out

Opening Day is a mere two weeks away, yet a number of spots on the White Sox's 26-man roster remain in flux, but Kyle Teel's hamstring issue created an opportunity for some fresh speculation that stands a chance of being halfway informed.

Chris Getz and Will Venable both spoke to reporters in Arizona on Wednesday with Teel's injury -- identified as a Grade 2 right hamstring strain -- front and center, but the immediate futures of a few other players were also discussed, which contributes to our conversation. Summing it up...

Kyle Teel: Out.

"It does look like he’s got a strain, in which he’s probably going to be down for about four, maybe six weeks. That’s likely an IL to begin with," Getz told reporters.

Sam Antonacci: Probably out.

Antonacci continues to add layers to his revelatory WBC performance in Italy's victory over Mexico on Wednesday. He scored from first on a single when the center fielder mishandled the ball, and on the other side of the ball, he deked Joey Ortiz into a double play on a hit-and-run by pretending a routine fly ball to left was a single up the middle.

Getz has enjoyed Antonacci seizing the world stage as much as anybody, but with so many position players out of options, and with Antonacci having yet to experience Triple-A, it'd probably take a targeted injury or two to make an Opening Day roster assignment possible.

"I anticipate him starting in the minors," Getz said to reporters in Arizona. "He’s made a tremendous impression, not surprised. From the beginning, when we signed him, the feedback we were getting from our player development crew, his stops at different affiliates last year, this is a kid that can do a lot of different things to help a baseball team win.

"What he’s about, what he brings on a daily basis, it’s a winning style of baseball that’s going to fit in very well here. I’m very confident that the South Side is going to enjoy watching Sam Antonacci when the time comes."

Everson Pereira: Not out.

Pereira is just starting to get into games after an oblique injury set him back a couple of weeks, but Will Venable said there's still time for Pereira to complete a conservative ramp-up period.

"He’s got to build some volume, build his legs up, get at-bats. But we anticipate if everything goes well, that he’ll be ready for Opening Day," Venable said on Wednesday.

Brooks Baldwin: Unclear.

Baldwin hasn't appeared in a game since March 6, and Venable said he's been dealing with elbow soreness. It interrupted a decent start to his spring (6-for-21, 1 HR, 1 2B), and while he should theoretically be able to miss a week of a longer Cactus League schedule without losing his spot, Baldwin has options remaining when so many other position players don't, so he's more susceptible to unfortunate timing than others.

That all being said, let's use this information to project a possible 26-man roster that heads to Milwaukee from Camelback Ranch one fortnight from now.

Starting pitchers (5)

• Shane Smith
• Davis Martin
• Anthony Kay
• Erick Fedde
• Sean Burke

Will Venable telegraphed the top of his rotation from the jump, but he finally made it official by naming Shane Smith the Opening Day starter. Now it's a matter of solidifying the fifth spot. Jonathan Cannon is outpitching Burke at the moment, but Burke got last year's Opening Day nod despite allowing 24 baserunners and 10 runs over 12 spring innings last year, and he's been throwing strikes this time around, so you might have to look for something like lagging velocity as a reason why the Sox would choose differently this time.

Relief pitchers (8)

• Seranthony Domínguez
• Grant Taylor
• Jordan Leasure
• Sean Newcomb
• Jordan Hicks
• Mike Vasil
• Brandon Eisert
• Tyler Gilbert

Among the medium-leverage relievers and lower, Eisert and Vasil are the ones who have options remaining, so that's where the ground might give if the White Sox wanted to reward somebody like Chris Murphy, although he also has one left. However it shakes out, it's hard to see the White Sox reserving a spot for a Rule 5 pick, although as expected, Jedixson Paez has been more reliable with his strike-throwing than Alexander Alberto if the White Sox had to pick one. Paez is wearing a 12.46 ERA for the spring, but that's because he gave up all six of his runs over the course of four outs against Cleveland on March 5. The other two outings were tidy.

Ryan Borucki is the early standout among non-roster types, having thrown four scoreless innings while striking out six, but with Newcomb, Eisert, Gilbert and Murphy all on the 40-man roster, there isn't a rush to add a lefty at the moment.

Catchers (2)

• Edgar Quero
• Korey Lee

There's nothing to explain here. There's a first-stringer worth the reps, and the third catcher on the 40-man is now the second. Refreshing.

Infielders (6)

• Munetaka Murakami
• Chase Meidroth
• Colson Montgomery
• Miguel Vargas
• Lenyn Sosa
• Curtis Mead

Mead returns from the World Baseball Classic having made the most of his time with Team Australia, going 5-for-14 with a homer, but given that the Sox are having a hard time figuring out how to deploy Sosa on this roster, I'm not entirely sure what they can do with two out-of-options righties who are mostly limited to first and third over the long haul. But if Baldwin needs to be slow-rolled due to his elbow, and Teel's injury opens up more plate appearances for DH candidates, there is a way to carry both at the onset.

Outfielders (5)

• Andrew Benintendi
• Luisangel Acuña
• Austin Hays
• Jarred Kelenic
• Everson Pereira

Kelenic is on a minor league contract, so he could theoretically start the season in Charlotte if the White Sox needed the spot, but he's recently shown signs of life that validated the front office's start-of-spring enthusiasm, namely a couple of no-doubt homers. He also can help cover center as the left-handed component of a center field time-share with Acuña, who is still just a righty.

Pereira also offers flexibility across the outfield, so if he's able to return to regular action and give viewers an idea of why Venable raved about his live batting practice sessions early in camp, the Sox might not want to expose him to waivers until major league pitching exposes him. This arrangement leaves Baldwin in Charlotte (or the IL), and Derek Hill attempting to clear waivers, which is the task for which his split contract appears to be designed.