Chicago White Sox Rumors: Lucas Giolito not pitching against Atlanta Braves

The Chicago White Sox open their second-half schedule on the road against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

Typically, the start of the second half of the season allows for a Major League Baseball team to reshuffle their starting rotation.

While the White Sox did shuffle their rotation, the focus is on who will not be pitching for the team against the Braves this weekend. Starting pitcher and potential trade candidate, Lucas Giolito, is not pitching this weekend.

Michael Kopech will make his return from shoulder inflammation on Friday night while Lance Lynn gets the start on Saturday and Dylan Cease closes the series for the team on Sunday.

The Chicago White Sox skipping Lucas Giolito in their weekend series against the Atlanta Braves is telling.

Giolito was the starter for the White Sox last Sunday as the team played the St. Louis Cardinals in the final game of the first half. To that end, when asked before the game on Friday, it seems likely that White Sox manager Pedro Grifol will say the decision to not pitch Giolito this weekend is tied to the team wanting to give the starting pitcher some extra rest.

Realistically, the decision to skip Giolito in the weekend series against the Braves will allow White Sox general manager Rick Hahn to work out a trade before the starting pitcher is forced to take the mound one last time for a team that will undoubtedly be trading him before August 1.

Among all the players the White Sox will be looking to deal over the course of the next three weeks, Giolito has the most value.

The clock is already ticking for Hahn and it would be in his best interest to move Giolito now. Giolito is arguably the best starting pitcher on the trade market currently but that could change in the coming weeks depending on what the Chicago Cubs decide to do with Marcus Stroman, the San Diego Padres with Blake Snell, and the Los Angeles Angels with Shohei Ohtani.