BASEBALL IS BACK BABY!!!
Okay, maybe it’s just Spring Training and today’s games will likely feature mostly backups, depth players and prospects, but baseball is baseball damn it. We got a game today against the Chicago White Sox to kick off our spring schedule, the first of 32 exhibition contests including a few split-squad contests (plus a Prospects Breakout Game). Things are about to ramp up quickly and before we know it it’ll be Opening Day in Toronto with our A’s on the first base line listening to the national anthems.
The first game begins just after noon and will see righty Jack Perkins beginning the game for the Athletics. It’s going to be a quick outing for Perkins, who is surely looking to prove that he’s more than a swingman. There’s value in that role but Perk wants to start and his path in that regard begins with a strong outing this afternoon.
After Perkins’ inning of work we can expect Wei-En Lin and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang to come after. The left-handed Lin is one of the better prospects in the A’s system and could be an option this summer so impressing the coaches today could speed up that promotion a bit. Zhuang is another starter prospect that has shown some promise and could also be an option sooner than later,
The A’s starting lineup for their first game of 2026:
The only sure-fire everyday starter in today’s lineup is center fielder Denzel Clarke, who will bat leadoff this afternoon. We all know about his elite defense in center field, now we need to see some production with his bat. Infielders Max Muncy and Darell Hernaiz are both in today’s lineup as they fight over the right to third base. Muncy seemingly has the edge because he’s getting the nod at the hot corner but Hernaiz could end up being the option because he’s capable of handling shortstop if the worst happened to Jacob Wilson. The battle for the hot corner begins!
Elsewhere in the starting lineup we see speedy/powerful outfielder Junior Perez getting the start in center field this afternoon, alongside fellow top prospect Henry Bolte in right field and Colby Thomas in left. The outfield situation is quickly getting crowded so these starts will be big for Perez to remind the coaching staff not to forget about him. He was, after all, added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Time to start showing how smart the front office is.
Here’s how the White Sox will line up for today’s start to Cactus League games:
Here we go everyone. The first of almost 200 games this season. Who else is ready for some baseball?!