Brewers will match up with a familiar face in Opening Day tilt against White Sox

For the first time since 2021, the Milwaukee Brewers will start the season in their occasionally domed home ballpark of American Family Field, guaranteeing that the Brew Crew will play a baseball game, rain or shine, on March 26. For the second consecutive season, the Brewers have drawn an American League opponent on Opening Day -- something that is far more common after MLB's installment of the balanced schedule that pits every team against one another at least once during the 162-game season. After a daunting matchup with the New York Yankees last year, the Brewers will kick-off their 2026 campaign with a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox.

Though the White Sox are going through one of, if not the worst stretch in the history of their franchise, with 324 losses over the last three seasons to prove it, their 2026 squad has some intriguing up-and-coming players who could turn Chicago from a cakewalk on the schedule to a headache. One of those players who is kick-starting the next era of White Sox baseball is starting pitcher Shane Smith, who was recently named Chicago's Opening Day starter.

The name Shane Smith should ring a bell for Brewers fans. The now 25-year-old right-hander was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Brewers back in 2021, and spent the next three seasons in Milwaukee's farm system. Last offseason, the Brewers elected not to add Smith to their 40-man roster, which would have protected him from the Rule 5 Draft where he was selected by the White Sox with the first overall pick. The move puzzled Brewers fans at the time, but it became even more perplexing when Smith was named to the 2025 All-Star Game.

Now, a season after the Brewers lost Smith in the Rule 5 Draft, he's opposing them on Opening Day.

Brewers set to face former farmhand Shane Smith in Opening Day matchup with White Sox

The White Sox have a couple of interesting options in their starting rotation this year, but the Opening Day job was Smith's to lose this spring, after the righty posted a 3.81 ERA in his rookie season last year. Though Smith has been a bit shaky in his first two Cactus League starts this year, it wasn't enough to sway second-year manager Will Venable's belief that the 2025 All-Star should be his team's Opening Day starter.

In addition to confirming that the Brewers will square off with their former prospect on Opening Day, the news from Chicago's camp yesterday afternoon also confirms that Milwaukee will face a right-handed pitcher in their first game of the 2026 campaign, which could sway Pat Murphy's Opening Day lineup. Though many of the Brewers' lineup regulars are likely to start against both right- and left-handed pitchers, several positions appear destined for a platoon in 2026, leaving Murphy's decision up to the handedness of the opposing pitcher.

Both third and first base figure to be positions where Murphy will rely on some sort of platoon during the 2026 season. First base, which could certainly function as more of a "soft platoon" if Andrew Vaughn is the same player he was during the second half of the 2025 campaign, is likely to be split between the aforementioned Vaughn and left-handed slugger Jake Bauers. While Vaughn's second half of 2025 gets talked about a lot, don't overlook the hot streak that Bauers put together at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, at third base, the Brewers appear likely to go with a combination of newcomers to start the 2026 season. Free agent signing Luis Rengifo, who is a switch-hitter, is more effective against left-handed pitching, and the left-handed David Hamilton, who the Brewers acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin deal, is unsurprisingly more effective against righties. As a result, Milwaukee's Opening Day lineup could look something like this:

Possible Brewers' Opening Day lineup vs. RHP Shane Smith:

1. Jackson Chourio LF
2. Brice Turang 2B
3. William Conteras C
4. Christian Yelich DH
5. Jake Bauers 1B
6. Sal Frelick RF
7. David Hamilton 3B
8. Garrett Mitchell CF
9. Joey Oritz SS

The two most contentious parts of this lineup are Bauers in the five spot and Hamilton batting seventh, but both moves would be justifiable from Murphy. First, Bauers posted a 119 wRC+ against righties last season, while Vaughn posted an 81 wRC+. Even if you take away Vaughn's time with the White Sox last year, he posted a 111 wRC+ against right-handers, suggesting that Bauers should still get the nod over him against Smith on Opening Day. Hamilton, on the other hand, was an 84 wRC+ hitter against righties during his brutal 2025 season at the plate, but it still outpaced the 74 wRC+ that Rengifo posted against right-handers last year. Both are expected to improve at the plate this year, but there's certainly a reason to start Hamilton over Rengifo on Opening Day.

In regard to their spots in the lineup, sandwiching both Bauers and Hamilton between two lefties allows Murphy to break up that string of left-handed hitters later in the game if Chicago brings in a southpaw from their 'pen. Say Vaughn pinch hits for Bauers or Rengifo for Hamilton, now Venable can't have one of his left-handed relievers, like Chris Murphy or Tyler Gilbert, face three-straight left-handed batters late in the game.

Managers don't always adhere to the platoons on Opening Day, and given the fact all of the White Sox' best relievers are right-handed, it would behoove Murphy to have a few left-handed options on the bench. However, for the best chance of chasing Opening Day starter Shane Smith, who was far less effective against left-handed hitters last year, out of the game early, a lefty-heavy lineup from Murphy would certainly be justifiable.