Chase Meidroth was listed in the leadoff spot at second base for the White Sox on Thursday against the Red Sox, giving the rookie a clear role in a lineup trying to answer after a shutout loss the night before.
The assignment comes at a useful moment for Chicago, which entered the game at 59-54 after losing seven of its previous 12 games. The White Sox were shut out 4-0 by the Red Sox on Wednesday, their eighth shutout loss of the season, and they were looking for a cleaner offensive start the next day.
Putting Meidroth at the top of the order suggests the White Sox want his bat and on-base profile to help set the tone early. It also places him in a spot that can put pressure on a pitching staff before the middle of the order comes up, especially against a Red Sox team that had won seven straight games and nine series in a row entering Thursday.
That winning stretch has been driven in part by timely offense and steady production. On Wednesday, Wilyer Abreu reached the 20-homer mark, another sign that Boston is getting contributions throughout the lineup.
For Chicago, the lineup decision is part of a broader effort to find the right mix down the stretch. Luis Castillo, who joined the White Sox at the trade deadline, was making his first start for the team Thursday, while the club continued to sort out roles and see which combinations can create more consistent results.
Meidroth’s placement at second base and in the leadoff spot is not a long-term answer by itself, but it is an immediate one. It gives the White Sox a chance to see whether he can help create better first-inning traffic and bring a little more structure to an offense that needed it after Wednesday’s blanking.
