Sean Burke Earns Opening Day Nod as White Sox Bet on Young Right-Hander

The White Sox have announced that right-hander Sean Burke will take the ball for the Opening Day start against the Angels on March 27th. 

Heading into camp, it was uncertain whether Burke would even secure a spot in the rotation. However, after posting a 4.15 ERA over three Cactus League starts spanning 8 ⅔ innings, the 25-year-old not only locked in his rotation spot but also earned the Opening Day nod.

It marks the second straight year the White Sox have tapped an unlikely candidate to be their Opening Day starter. Last season, they handed the ball to Garrett Crochet for his first career big-league start—a decision that paid off, as the hard-throwing lefty turned the opportunity into an All-Star season.

It’s been a long road for Burke, who is just two years removed from being considered a top-five prospect in the White Sox farm system. After being a high school baseball and baseball star growing up in Massachusetts, Burke had to put his baseball career on hold after undergoing Tommy John surgery during his senior year in 2018. He redshirted during his first two seasons with the Maryland Terrapins, before emerging as the Terps best starter during his final two seasons in school.

His career 2.97 ERA and 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings in college caught the White Sox eye in the third round of the 2021 MLB draft. In 2022 he led all White Sox minor leaguers in strikeouts and limited right-handed hitters to a .220 batting average. However the following season he was limited to just nine starts due to rotator cuff issues, before grinding his way to the big leagues in 2024.

the moment Burke got the news 🥹 pic.twitter.com/4RNugfzYAZ

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 16, 2025

“Everyone has their path,” White Sox manager Will Venable told MLB.com. “I’m certainly happy for Sean and the fact that his has brought him to be our Opening Day starter and really excited for him and the organization.” 

Upon learning the news before his Sunday morning workout from Venable and pitching coach Ethan Katz, a surprised Burke immediately reached out to his parents, sister, and close friends.

Last season, Burke made just four appearances for the White Sox, including three starts. However, he impressed in his 19 innings of work, posting a stellar 1.42 ERA with 22 strikeouts. In 16 Triple-A starts, he struck out 31% of the batters he faced but also issued walks at a concerning 13% rate. While command remains a question mark, Burke has shown that his stuff can play at the MLB level.