Gamethread: White Sox at Diamondbacks

Time: 3:05 p.m. CST

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Radio: None

Webcast: None

• The Chicago White Sox seem comfortable keeping Yoan Moncada leading off, as manager Rick Renteria named him the team’s leadoff hitter yesterday. His average is still low (.209), but he leads both the Grapefruit and Cactus League in runs scored.

“I love to run and hit,” Moncada said. “Leading off is a perfect fit for my game. I can help the team hitting in that spot. I asked Rickey to be in the leadoff or second spot in the lineup. For me, it’s the best way to exploit my game. It works very well for me.”

Moncada will take his walks, and that can be valuable with run-producers Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia soon to follow.

• Carson Fulmer gets yet another shot at starting today. There’s no sugarcoating it — Fulmer has been brutal this spring. He boasts an 18.90 ERA (!) and a 4.20 WHIP. Fulmer has not shown the overpowering stuff he had at Vanderbilt, and can’t control many of his pitches. If he has another bad outing, Rick Hahn and Renteria have a few decisions to make, foremost: Will he make the major league roster, and will he be in the starting rotation? I could see them giving Fulmer a chance at relieving, because Alec Hansen, Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech aren’t too far away.
• Looming right behind Fulmer in the race to the No. 5 starter slot is Hector Santiago, who is scheduled to relieve Fulmer today. On paper, Santiago is the clear choice to make the rotation, but the White Sox have made it clear they will give Fulmer every chance to claim a back-end rotation spot this year.
• Avisail is hitting second for the White Sox today. He has shown few signs of letting up from his impressive .330 season last year. Discussions of where García fits with the team’s future has not seemed to have affected him this spring.
• The White Sox released Michael Ynoa today. The tall righthander never really panned out the way the team would have liked, after coming over in the Jeff Samardzija trade in 2014. He pitched only 1 ⅓ innings this spring, giving up five earned runs and three walks. He pitched in 45 games for the White Sox in the past two seasons, with a career 4.42 ERA and 0.2 WAR.
• Albert Suarez starts for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He did not start a game last year, but made 18 appearances. In 31 ⅔ innings, he gave up 18 earned runs — a 5.12 ERA.

Lineups: