Pregame notes: Prepare your mind for Ryan Noda Time

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- If this Pope Leo XIV character can earn infinite South Side cache for just being a White Sox fan, how about new first baseman Ryan Noda?

"It means everything," Noda said of joining the White Sox after being claimed off waivers. "I grew up north of Chicago. Me and my dad and my brother are huge White Sox fans growing up. Paul Konerko is my favorite player. To wear Chicago around my chest means the world."

With Chris Getz recently making it quite clear how much he values having a left-handed first baseman, Noda is expected to platoon with Miguel Vargas there (Vargas will still play everyday, he just flips to third against lefties) and will try to party like it's 2023 again. Noda had a 122 wRC+ in nearly 500 plate appearances with the A's in 2023. As a whole, the White Sox are largely not trying to party like it's 2023.

For the second time this year, Tim Elko was optioned in response. He only got 31 plate appearances in his second stint, but struck out in 14 of them.

"There's a fine line between being aggressive and getting the head out and being predetermined," Will Venable said. "I think that he's just trying to find that. When he's facing really good stuff, they started attacking with the fastball a little bit more and maybe he started cheating a little bit or being a little predetermined on whether he wanted to take a pitch or swing. It's just a matter of comfort for him and continuing to believe in his skill set and his swing."

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Aaron Civale is in the building and in uniform. He's also in a major league rotation, so does he feel like he got what he wanted out of requesting a trade?

"Yeah," Civale said. "It’s not nobody in the [Brewers'] clubhouse, nobody on the coaching staff, just a situation … I feel like I have a lot left to give the game as a starting pitcher and I think that’s how I prepare for the game. That’s how I prepare in the offseason both physically and mentally and hopefully I can continue to do that and give to this organization what I’ve always given."

Civale is going to try to adjust to a new organization midseason for the second time in as many seasons. And once more, he's going to be doing it alongside bench coach Walker McKinven, who spoke highly of how Civale handled the process with the Brewers in 2024.

"Did the transition with me last year from Tampa to Milwaukee," Civale said. "Organizations have different philosophies and different viewpoints. It’s nice to have a familiar face being in both so he knows how Milwaukee thinks, and now he knows how this organization thinks, so rely on him for some thoughts and we’ll continue to grow nad learn that relationship."

Starting on Saturday would have kept Civale on regular rest, but Venable felt sticking to the plan for a Mike Vasil-led bullpen game would allow their new starter more time to game plan. Moreover, he noted that the team wanted to once again give Shane Smith two extra days of rest.

Tyler Gilbert was optioned to make room for Civale on the active roster, after just getting activated off the IL and pitching two innings Friday night. He will surely be back soon, but being an optionable reliever doesn't always seem like fun.

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Will Venable went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his one game against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom, back in 2015.

"Hopefully our guys have better luck than I did," Venable said. "Jacob could just throw fastballs to me and handle me with ease and throw them right down the middle and be fine. That's a tough pill to swallow as a competitor but that's why he is who he is."

Meanwhile at his current job, the Sox will soon be up to 51 players used on the season. With that level of turnover, and the challenges were certainly palpable watching teammates try to comfort Elko postgame Friday, how difficult is it to maintain cohesion?

"We have our process and a lot of it is getting to know the guys, getting to know their skillsets, making sure they know what we can do to support them and just starting to build those relationships," Venable said. "As many new people as we have had, we've kind of maintained the same kind of feel of the player group and I think that's a credit to the guys that we have. It's a credit to the kind of guys that we're bringing in. That part of it has been consistent and pretty seamless."

First pitch: White Sox at Rangers

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