White Sox's Noah Schultz: Facing Padres next week

Schultz will make his Cactus League debut Feb. 26 against the Padres, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox were very careful with Schultz's workload in 2024, but he's been throwing live bullpen sessions earlier this season and will be challenged with taking on a bigger workload in 2025. Last year, Schultz never pitched beyond four innings, all the way through the Southern League postseason. However, this year those restraints are being taken off and he's moving into a true five-man rotation. With that in mind, Schultz focused on strength and conditioning this past offseason. He didn't add to his repertoire, instead focusing on throwing his cutter and four-seam fastball more to keep hitters guessing -- Schultz's slider is his best pitch. There's a chance Schultz creates a significant buzz this spring, which could set the stage for a big-league debut this summer.