Anthony Kay Gets Left in the Dark

We’ve seen the White Sox deploy the increasingly popular “opener” strategy several times this season by using a reliever to handle the first inning or so before turning things over to the regularly scheduled starter. It can be used to manipulate matchups or to help a starter avoid facing the top of the order early.

There’s an argument for it, and some pitchers do seem to benefit from having an opener. But one pitcher who clearly isn’t fond of the strategy is 31-year-old left-hander Anthony Kay, who signed with the White Sox this past offseason after reviving his career in Japan.

Kay has made four appearances this season, and in two of them, the White Sox used an opener. It’s worth noting that he was significantly better in the two outings where he started traditionally. On April 9 in Kansas City, he threw 5.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and earned the win.

Despite knowing Kay’s preference to start—and seeing the success he’s had in that role—the White Sox once again opted to use an opener against Tampa Bay on Thursday. Not only that, but they left Jordan Leasure in beyond the first inning, allowing him to start the second before bringing Kay into the game with a runner already on base.

And the cherry on top? The White Sox didn’t inform Kay of that wrinkle in the plan until 10 minutes before first pitch.

“They told me probably like 10 minutes before the game that that was going to be the case, that I was going to get the sixth hitter in the lineup,” Kay told James Fegan of SoxMachine after the game. “It’s not really ideal. You kind of just have to adjust and figure it out. My job is to get outs, regardless of the situation.”

Credit to Kay for going a little easy there and not being totally transparent with his true feelings. But it's not hard to imagine the frustration he must be feeling internally.

That’s an inexcusable blunder—not just from Will Venable, but from pitching coach Zach Bove, GM Chris Getz, and quite frankly, everyone involved in White Sox game day operations.

Starting pitchers are creatures of habit. They rely on routine and communication. The White Sox failed to provide that for Anthony Kay, and they didn’t get his best in return.

Bigger Picture Concerns

Beyond the on-field consequences, the bigger concern is the reputation this kind of dysfunction creates. Players need to trust their coaches to have their best interests in mind. They want to feel heard. They want to believe their team is putting them in the best position to succeed.

But when a team continually ignores data, makes decisions despite player pushback, and then fails to communicate those plans to the players responsible for executing them, the result is predictable...losses pile up, and relationships erode.

19 games into the 2026 season, one of my biggest takeaways has been growing doubt about this coaching staff. Watching so many White Sox hitters take a step back early in the year doesn’t inspire much confidence in Derek Shomon or the organization’s player development.

And between bullpen management that feels like throwing darts blindfolded, lineups that contradict readily available data, and a consistent failure to communicate, it’s fair to question whether Will Venable is truly cut out to be a winning big-league manager.

This losing streak at the hands of the Rays might be the most condemnatory yet.