The Charlotte Knights open their season against the Durham Bulls on Friday night, and the Opening (K)Night lineup feels pretty indicative of which members of the initial roster will get the inside track at given positions.
- Sam Antonacci, LF
- William Bergolla Jr., SS
- Tanner Murray, 2B
- Oliver Dunn, 3B
- LaMonte Wade Jr., 1B
- Jarred Kelenic, RF
- Drew Romo, C
- Dustin Harris, DH
- Dru Baker, CF
Yes, that's Antonacci in left to open the season. In a conference call with Chicago media earlier on Friday, farm director Paul Janish said Antonacci will play on the grass early and often.
"With Sam specifically, we feel very comfortable with him in the infield both at second, third and even shortstop in a pinch. He will be, just to be upfront, going to play some outfield in Charlotte to start the year in an effort to get him comfortable with it," Janish said.
"There’s a chance that he gets asked to do that at the Major League level. If that’s the case, we want to have him prepared to do it if and when the time comes. We’ll be intentional early in the season with Sam playing a few days per week in the outfield. What the time frame is and how many days a week and for how long that lasts, it’s a little bit to be determined. But we want to make sure we get him exposed to it."
Meanwhile, Hagen Smith gets the ball to start the season, although the bullpen will jump in earlier than usual for a first game. The Sox started Smith slowly in the spring, and Janish said he'll be limited to three innings for the first few outings.
He'll kick off the first turn for what should be a talented rotation, assuming Truist Field doesn't sap the life force from it. Meanwhile, a number of hitters could stand to benefit from the cozier dimensions after settling for slapping and dashing with the Barons last season.
Coaching staff
- Manager: Chad Pinder
- Pitching coach: Scott Aldred
- Hitting coach: Cam Seitzer
- Bench coach: Pat Listach
- Catching/development coach: Ángel Rosario
Pinder is brand new to Charlotte, having coached his first year with the White Sox at Kannapolis last season. Aldred and Rosario return to the Knights staff after serving under Sergio Santos the previous year, while Seitzer and Listach are back after spending the 2025 season in Winston-Salem.
Starting pitchers
- Jonathan Cannon
- Duncan Davitt
- Tanner McDougal
- Noah Schultz
- Hagen Smith
You don't see many Triple-A rotations -- at least the ones Charlotte has rolled out, anyway -- where every pitcher's performance has big league ramifications, but the Knights are 5-for-5 here. Cannon is the presumptive No. 6 starter to open the season, and if the line for extra starters forms behind him, then Davitt would be toward the front of it. McDougal, Schultz and Smith are the franchise's next hopes for a top-flight starter.
Relief pitchers
- Adisyn Coffey
- Tyler Davis
- Brandon Eisert
- Zach Franklin
- Wikelman González
- Tyson Miller
- Ben Peoples
- Chase Plymell
- Garrett Schoenle (IL)
- Tyler Schweitzer
- Lucas Sims
Would you rather be a starter in Birmingham or a reliever in Charlotte? I suppose Schweitzer is in position to relay the answer to Shane Murphy and Riley Gowens, whose absence here indicates they'll be starting another season in Double-A. Sims re-signed with the White Sox in a minor league deal after being released from major league camp at the end of a successful spring. Eisert lost the game of bullpen musical chairs (with Friday’s waiver claim of Bryan Hudson providing another left-handed hurdle) while González returns from a back injury, and everybody else is angling to get their way on the 40-man roster.
Catchers
- Josh Breaux
- Drew Romo
- Michael Turner (IL)
The White Sox have three catchers on the 40-man roster, so they won't have to worry about fielding a major league catcher from their minor league ranks until Kyle Teel's return at the earliest. Romo, who was outrighted from the 40-man roster right before spring training, has 19 games in the majors, while the 28-year-old Breaux is a career .220/.295/.379 hitter over 105 games at Triple-A. Turner starts the year on the IL after being limited to 35 games last year.
Infielders
- Sam Antonacci
- Darren Baker
- William Bergolla Jr.
- Mario Camilletti
- Oliver Dunn
- Jacob Gonzalez
- Tanner Murray
This whole infield combined for 41 homers last year, with Murray hitting 18 of them for Triple-A Durham. Antonacci and Bergolla were cited as beneficiaries of the White Sox's emphasis on bat speed training this spring. Antonacci flashed it with a pair of homers and a .789 Cactus League slugging percentage, while Bergolla hopes that Charlotte will meet him halfway for his first homer as a member of the White Sox organization. Gonzalez adds a fourth prospect who could see time in Chicago at some point, but he lacks a selling point at the moment after hitting .204/.310/.293 over 46 games with the Knights last season.
Dunn showed well as a non-roster invitee, hitting .296/.387/.741 over 15 Cactus League games. He played all four infield positions last year, though primarily third base. The 5-foot-7-inch Camilletti walked eight times in 13 games for Charlotte after a late-season call-up, as he continues to get priority among little OBP kings over Rikuu Nishida. 2026 will be Baker's fourth season at Triple-A, after hitting .272/.343/.334 over 318 games with Rochester.
Outfielders
- Dru Baker
- Dustin Harris
- Jarred Kelenic
- LaMonte Wade Jr.
Aside from Antonacci in left early, Kelenic also seems likely to get everyday reps in order to see if he's worth keeping in mind for Chicago. Baker's a true center fielder and Harris played more there than anywhere else, and since the infield lacks a true first baseman, Wade might be an unofficial infielder in a similar way to how Antonacci wasn't listed in this section.
