MESA, Ariz. — Will Venable was asked to provide input for the Texas Rangers lineup from time to time when he was the team’s associate manager in 2023 and 2024.
Venable got the chance to fill out the lineup for the first time as the Chicago White Sox manager ahead of Saturday’s Cactus League opener against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park.
“Because of that experience (with Texas), it was also important to include (bench coach) Walker (McKinven) and our hitting department and just collaborating on that and adjusting as we see fit,” Venable said Saturday morning. “The lineup construction isn’t perfect and there’s some things that go into it for camp that we won’t have in the season.
“But (it was) fun and a good opportunity for us to get our thoughts together and put something out there.”
Saturday served as another spring marker for the first-year skipper.
“Kind of the big topic (Saturday) talking with the guys, now it’s a little bit of a heat check — see where you’re at and get to measure our work and where we’re at against another team,” Venable said. “And it’s going to expose a whole other layer of work we need to figure out.
“We’re excited about that process and we’ll have a bunch of stuff today that we’ll reflect on and factor in for our game plan moving forward.”
Colson Montgomery had a two-run home run and Tim Elko hit a solo blast for the Sox in a 7-3 loss.
“First day for everybody, me too,” Venable said after the game. “The staff did a great job of the substitutions there and some of the stuff we did situationally.”
Photos: An inside look at 2025 Chicago White Sox spring training
Venable momentarily took in the latest step before Saturday’s game.
“The national anthem is the moment to do that and check in with the moment and the scene,” he said. “It was great being out there. Really happy with the way we competed today. Excited to make our adjustments and move on to the next one.”
During the early portion of the Cactus League schedule, Venable and the staff will be watching how players are adjusting and getting their timing.
“We know that guys are going to be at different spots and there’s going to be a getting-up-to-speed process that looks different for everybody,” Venable said. “But (watching) those adjustments from at-bat to at-bat, defensive stuff. Obviously on the pitching side, guys being convicted of their stuff and being in the zone is probably No. 1.”
That first opportunity came against an organization that is familiar to Venable. He spent three seasons on the Cubs staff as a first-base coach (2018-19) and third-base coach (2020). Stints with the Boston Red Sox (bench coach in 2021-22) and Rangers followed. He became the Sox manager in late October.
“Every time I’m around him, I’m more impressed,” general manager Chris Getz said Tuesday. “I enjoy getting to the field each day and spending time with him and working on things. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Getz praised Venable’s approach.
“He’s just so clearheaded,” Getz said. “He thinks ahead. He’s very collaborative and he’s creative. Some of the conversations we’ve had about how to deploy lineups, defensive versatility and position ourselves well to win ball games. He’s got a mind for it that is certainly welcomed.
“He and Walker, I think, are going to be a great team together from a manager-bench coach standpoint. But Will, which is not a surprise to me, he’s got tremendous communication skills and that is seen with how he speaks with players and how attentive they are. And that certainly bodes well for managing staff as well.”
Those communication skills will continue to be on display as the Sox add games to the work schedule.
“We all have an expectation of what these first few games are going to look like,” Venable said. “Mostly you’re going to see a game on, game off, couple of bats, maybe four innings of defense (for the regulars). It doesn’t always end up perfect, but that’s the game plan going in and we’ll adjust as we get deeper into camp.”
Injury update
Reliever Prelander Berroa left Saturday’s game with right elbow discomfort. He allowed two runs on three hits in one-third of an inning and exited after facing five batters.
He was scheduled for more evaluations Saturday evening.
Berroa had a 3.32 ERA in 17 relief outings for the Sox in 2024.
Sox announce prearbitration contracts
The Sox agreed to terms with all 30 of the prearbitration-eligible players on their 40-man roster, the team announced Saturday. The group included pitcher Jared Shuster ($772,350), catcher Korey Lee ($771,000) and third baseman Miguel Vargas ($770,400).
