At the quarter mark of the 2026 season, the White Sox are easily in the best shape they have been in the standings in four years.
There was nowhere to go but up after three consecutive seasons with 100 or more losses. You can measure the Sox’ improvement by the numbers, not just the vibe.
Forty games into the 162-game schedule, the Sox are 19-21. It’s their best 40-game start since 2022, when they were 20-20 on May 21 after taking the first game of a doubleheader against the Yankees.
That .500 record foreshadowed an 81-81 season that started a rapid disintegration of a team that was supposed to do big things.
Here’s where the Sox stand after 40 games and where they stood in each of the last three painful seasons:
• 2026: 19-21, 171 runs scored, 185 runs allowed. Final record: ?
• 2025: 11-29, 135 runs scored, 172 runs allowed. Final record: 60-102.
• 2024: 12-28, 119 runs scored, 202 runs allowed. Final record 41-121, setting a modern-era record for losses.
• 2023: 13-27, 169 runs scored, 241 runs allowed. Final record: 61-101.
‘‘If you look at it on a daily basis, on a nightly basis, we feel like we have a chance to win,’’ general manager Chris Getz said at the start of the Sox’ homestand. ‘‘In the past, it was more [that] you almost needed to be perfect.
‘‘Now the lineup is deeper. You know the rotation is deeper. We’ve got some weapons in the bullpen that will allow us to navigate and finish off games. And the defense is improved.’’
A marquee slugger in Munetaka Murakami has made a difference. Big-presence batters who flirt with the major-league home-run lead not only generate deep drives and headlines, they also change the dynamics of a lineup.
