Kyle Teel is making his MLB debut for the South Siders
After splitting a four-game series against the mighty Tigers (41-23), the White Sox (20-43) are hosting the Royals (33-30) for a three-game series. The White Sox faced the Royals in Kansas City last month, and that series did not go well. The Royals won all four games while outscoring the White Sox by a score of 19-4.
This evening, Davis Martin will start on the mound for the South Siders. Martin, 28, has a 3.67 ERA and a 4.46 FIP, resulting in 0.7 fWAR through 68 2⁄3 innings. The White Sox have enjoyed some stability from Martin, who has six quality starts. Martin would have seven if we include his outing on April 27, when he pitched six scoreless innings after Brandon Eisert opened the game.
Martin has done a great job of limiting walks, as he has only walked 6.0% of opposing hitters (82nd percentile in MLB). By contrast, Martin has gotten far fewer strikeouts than most expected (14.4%, fourth percentile in MLB). Martin has allowed a lot of sharp contact (16th percentile for hard-hit %), but a lot of that sharp contact has gone into the ground (74th percentile ground ball rate).
Starter Seth Lugo, 35, will pitch for the Royals. Lugo has a 3.45 ERA and a 4.86 FIP in 60 innings, resulting in 0.2 fWAR. Last year was a big one for Lugo, who posted a 3.00 ERA and a 3.25 FIP in 206 2⁄3 innings, rendering him a 4.7-fWAR pitcher. Lugo faced the White Sox on May 6, when he only allowed two runs (one earned) in 6 2⁄3 innings. The Royals prevailed, 4-3, and Lugo picked up the victory.
Here are tonight’s starting lineups:
How we line up for Mexican Heritage Night at the ballpark: pic.twitter.com/tk4280SR3w
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 6, 2025
Friday night lights. pic.twitter.com/fquMHLWzrN
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) June 6, 2025
Earlier, the White Sox made the following announcement:
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 6, 2025
Best of luck to Kyle Teel, who has been swinging a hot bat for the Charlotte Knights. Teel is the No. 26 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and he is No. 3 among catchers. It will be interesting to see how he performs against MLB pitching.
The first pitch is scheduled to happen at 6:40 pm Central. CHSN will televise the game, and WMVP 1000 AM will have the radio coverage.