Inbox: Will White Sox stick to five-man rotation?

CHICAGO -- Baseball will be back Friday, with the White Sox reporting to Guaranteed Rate Field for Summer Camp. So let’s open the Inbox before action restarts.

Will the Sox continue with a five-man rotation during the shortened regular season or move to a four-man?
-- Regina, Saskatchewan

With the return of Michael Kopech and Carlos Rodón, the White Sox can get very creative with their talent-rich rotation alignment. That could include usage of an opener, combining starters in a particular game or even employing as much as a seven-man rotation at some point. And this doesn’t even include Dane Dunning and Jimmy Lambert, who also are without restrictions in their rehabs from Tommy John surgery.

• Hahn on expectations, plans for Rodón, Kopech

Keeping players healthy, beyond the essential rules set in place to avoid the coronavirus, is going to be crucial in this 60-game sprint. As I’ve written previously, there will be a significant adjustment for pitchers going from Spring Training in March to playing catch at home for nearly four months to working out at Summer Camp. But the White Sox are set up well in the starting pitching department and have a rather deep bullpen behind them.

In a short season, I feel like optimization is going to be more important. Do you think manager Rick Renteria is going to be more open to things like an opener this year?
-- Joshua, Chicago

Absolutely, optimization and even a little bravado along the way. Renteria and the White Sox staff know everything is in play to try to win in this 66-day timeframe, and they clearly have their sights set on winning.

My question is will Lucas Giolito or Reynaldo Lopez start Game 1 of the World Series?
-- Bob, Bryan, Texas

Here’s someone who has the ultimate confidence for this 2020 season. I’m just surprised Bob left out Kopech or Dallas Keuchel as options for Game 1.

With the short season, do you think signing Yasiel Puig makes sense? I have concern about signing him, but for 60 games, where a slow start can end your season, the insurance might be worth it.
-- Peter, Princeton Junction, N.J.

I would not expect any major additions to the present 44-man player pool at the start of Summer Camp, aside from completing the 60-man pool with the remaining individuals who will be working at a satellite camp beginning in mid-July. Puig was not a consideration when Spring Training opened in February, and he won’t be now. The White Sox really like the upside presented by right fielder Nomar Mazara, and despite his .633 career OPS against southpaws, they believe in the left-handed hitter’s ability to be successful against righties and lefties.

Was very impressed with Codi Heuer during the abbreviated spring. Will he be on the 60-man? How does the team view him?
-- @ChrisMHill via Twitter

This question came in before the player pool was released, and Heuer indeed was part of that group. I would not be surprised if he contributes at some point this season. Don’t sleep on Ian Hamilton as well, as he’s healthy and might even break camp as part of the 30-man roster.

Does Nick Madrigal/Kopech start with the team Opening Day?
-- @Kuffel_blake via Twitter

Kopech will start with the team. Look for Madrigal to join shortly thereafter.

Are the White Sox still looking to extend their young core players, or has the pandemic put them in such an extreme short-term budget crunch that they can’t make those kinds of investments? I’m thinking about Kopech, Dylan Cease, Lopez, Madrigal -- and at some point Andrew Vaughn/Jonathan Stiever/etc.
-- JRR Owens, San Francisco

This core of young players has developed together, and some of them have lost together at the big league level. Now, players such as Luis Robert, Yoán Moncada, Tim Anderson and Eloy Jiménez are contractually locked down together for what the White Sox hope is a long run of on-field success. I know they tried previously to do the same with Cease, so I’m sure they will continue identifying core members and looking to get them taken care of at the right point.