Blue Jays vs White Sox - Starting Lineup - Opening Game Preview

The Toronto Blue Jays will try to bounce back from a series loss to the Colorado Rockies on Friday, as they face the Chicago White Sox in their home opener this afternoon.

The game was originally set for Thursday, but was postponed due to sever weather.

Veteran right-hander Dylan Cease will make his second start of the season against White Sox righty Grant Taylor .

First pitch is at 2:10 PM ET on Sportsnet and the Chicago Sports Network, with the radio call available on Sportsnet 590 The FAN.

Dylan Cease has been doing a lot of tinkering with his repertoire since he's joined the Blue Jays.

The right-hander has been essentially a two-pitch pitcher during his big-league career, throwing his two-seam fastball and slider over 40 percent of the time last season with the Padres, but in his last outing, neither pitch reached that mark while his knuckle curve, two-seamer, changeup and sweeper all sat with usage rates between 7.8 percent and 10.0 percent.

The changeup was especially impressive, as he's firmed it up a bit to give it more velocity and arm-side run but less vertical drop.

The result was eight whiffs on eight changeups that averaged 83.7 mph, as batters sold out to try and meet his usual high-90s heat.

With batters having more to think about than ever before when facing Cease, he struck out 12 batters in 5.1 innings, setting a franchise record for Ks in a Blue Jays debut in the process.

The White Sox will send Grant Taylor to the mound for his first start this season.

Taylor will take the ball first as the White Sox begin their first homestand of the season before handing things off to Sean Burke, who will handle the bulk of the innings.

The 23-year-old Taylor has tossed one inning in each of his first two appearances this season but is expected to eventually stretch out to cover multiple frames, as his goal is to reach 100 innings in 2026 before moving into the rotation in 2027.

The former top prospect returned from Tommy John surgery in 2025 and has shown improved velocity, but is still looking to harness his command in both early regular-season appearances.

The 26-year-old Burke fared quite well in 2025 when used as a bulk reliever, posting a 2.97 ERA and 38:10 K:BB over 30.1 innings covering six outings.

Burke yielded four runs (three earned) with a 5:1 K:BB over four frames in a traditional start in his last outing versus the Brewers.

Blue Jays: Cody Ponce: (right-knee) 15-Day IL, Mason Fluharty: day-to-day (knee), Anthony Santander: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Shane Bieber: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jose Berrios: 15-Day IL (elbow), Yimi Garcia: 15-Day IL (elbow), Trey Yesavage: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Bowden Francis: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Rockies: Blaine Crim: 10-Day IL (oblique), Tyler Freeman: 10-Day IL (back), McCade Brown: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Mickey Moniak: 10-Day IL (finger), Zac Veen: 10-Day IL (knee), Pierson Ohl: 60-Day IL (elbow), RJ Petit: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kris Bryant: 60-Day IL (back), Jeff Criswell: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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