Regardless of when they decided to eventually let him go, it became clear last season that Pedro Grifol was not going to be the manager of the Chicago White Sox when spring training kicked off in 2025.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Austin Slater was scratched from Monday’s lineup due to a strained left oblique. And infielder Lenyn Sosa is off to a strong start.

Having five players — left-hander Noah Schultz (10), shortstop Colson Montgomery (39), left-hander Hagen Smith (40), catcher Kyle Teel (52) and outfielder Braden Montgomery (66) — ranked among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects will help, but Venable knows how these things can go.