GLENDALE, Ariz. — The White Sox were putting what could be their Opening Day lineup on the field today. That is, untile center fielder and leadoff man Adam Eaton left Camelback Ranch after morning workouts with a stomach virus. Instead, here’s how they’ll line up against the Seattle Mariners and Hisashi Iwakuma at Camelback Ranch (3:05 CST), with J.B. Shuck taking Eaton’s place in center:
Micah Johnson 2B
Melky Cabrera LF
Jose Abreu 1B
Adam LaRoche DH
Avisail Garcia RF
Alexei Ramirez SS
Conor Gillaspie 3B
Tyler Flowers C
J.B. Shuck CF
Eaton was slated to lead off with Johnson batting ninth before the change.
Right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who has not been announced as the Opening Day starter but is the likely choice, will pitch.
The Sox have 17 days left in Arizona. Opening Day is in 20 days, so it’s getting closer to where players will be in the lineup on consecutive days.
“After the day off [Thursday], a week and a half out you start getting a little closer and you’ll see more of that until you make cuts and sift out the guys that are going to be here and need some at-bats,” manager Robin Ventura said. “Those guys need to see it, too.”
The Sox are expected to send a number of players out to minor league camp soon, possibly as soon as Wednesday. Thursday is the only off day of the spring.
