White Sox hire Will Venable as manager

CHICAGO – Happy birthday, Will Venable. You are the new manager of the Chicago White Sox.

A source confirmed to MLB.com that Venable, who turned 42 on Tuesday, will become the 44th manager in franchise history. The White Sox did not comment on the report.

Venable knows the Chicago baseball scene and was part of the interview process for the White Sox's final executive position when Pedro Grifol was ultimately hired ahead of the 2023 season. He also served as a special assistant to Cubs president Theo Epstein, as well as first base coach for the North Siders in the 2018 and '19 seasons and as their third base coach in 2020. Venable worked as the Red Sox bench coach during those seasons 2021 and 22 before joining the Rangers as assistant manager to Bruce Bochy for the past two years.

Texas won the 1923 World Series title with Venable in that role. He replaces Grady Sizemore, who went 13-32 during the 2024 season as the team's interim manager after taking over from Grifol on August 8. Grifol compiled a record of 89-190, including 28-190, in more than one season at the helm. 89 record in 2024.

Sizemore was one of the candidates considered for this latest position as part of an extensive search conducted by general manager Chris Getz and his staff. The White Sox are coming off a Season 24 in which they set the Modern Era single-season record (since 1901) with 121 losses and are in the midst of a longer-term rebuild. Getz spoke of wanting someone with a similar vision to help guide this growth process to success, with Venable receiving the nod.