Royals vs White Sox: Is this baseball's biggest surprise?
After years of miserable seasons, the Chicago White Sox sit in first place in the AL Central—and Friday's royals white sox opener at Rate Field is the latest chapter in baseball's strangest 2026 story. Kansas City (34-48) visits a 41-38 White Sox club that has already won five of seven in the season series, including a May sweep at home.
Yahoo Sports' Max Rieper argues the gap is wide enough to wonder whether the last-place Royals should follow Chicago's full rebuild model. The White Sox lineup is almost entirely players yet to reach their 27th birthday, yet they score 4.61 runs per game (11th in MLB) while allowing 4.65 (19th)—a profile that looks nothing like their recent 100-loss era.
Key Takeaways
- Chicago leads the AL Central at 41-38; Kansas City is 34-48 and stuck in last place.
- The White Sox are 5-2 against the Royals this year and enter Friday as -135 home favorites per Covers.com.
- Stephen Kolek is on paternity leave; Kansas City may call up Mitch Spence or use a bullpen game against former Royals prospect David Sandlin.
- Chicago ranks second in MLB home runs despite Munetaka Murakami's hamstring absence; Colson Montgomery shares the team lead with 20.
- Sox Machine notes the Sox are trying to pad a division lead while Davis Martin and Anthony Kay are lined up for the weekend.
How did the White Sox become baseball's biggest surprise?
The turnaround is rooted in a young core arriving ahead of schedule. Colson Montgomery is tied for sixth in baseball with 20 home runs. Chase Meidroth, Sam Antonacci, Miguel Vargas, and Kyle Teel give Chicago a lineup with few holes, while Davis Martin is tied with Paul Skenes for eighth in starting-pitcher fWAR at 2.6.
The bizarre twist for Kansas City fans: several White Sox standouts could have been Royals. Kansas City passed on Kyle Teel for Blake Mitchell, Colson Montgomery for Frank Mozzicato, and took A.J. Causey two picks before Antonacci in the fifth round. Former Royal Randal Grichuk is now hitting .300 with nine homers in 36 games for Chicago.
What should Royals fans expect on Friday night?
First pitch is 7:40 p.m. ET on CHSN and Royals.TV. With Kolek scratched, Kansas City's bullpen may need to carry heavy innings—and Covers.com notes Royals relievers rank dead last in FIP and sit 28th in June at 5.35. Chicago's offense ranks 10th in runs and second in homers, a dangerous matchup for a taxed pen.
Sandlin, traded from Kansas City to Boston for John Schreiber in 2024, opens for the Sox. He allowed just one run in six innings in his MLB debut but has struggled since, including 11 runs over 7.1 innings in June per Covers. The Royals offense has hit .272 against righties this month, keeping the 8.5-run total in play.
Why does this royals white sox series matter beyond the standings?
Chicago dropped six of its last nine before beating Cleveland this week to reclaim a share of first place, per Yahoo Sports. Bizarre World has tracked stranger sports plot twists, but a White Sox division lead after three straight 100-loss seasons ranks among the year's most improbable.
On Sox Machine, James Fegan reported the Sox are listing Martin and Kay as probable weekend starters while Murakami remains weeks from returning. With Maikel García, Vinnie Pasquantino, Kyle Isbel, and Jonathan India sidelined—and Bobby Witt Jr. nursing a knee—Kansas City arrives wounded. Chicago's young, exciting roster looks built to pad its lead this weekend.