Debuts, two: Nick Nastrini, Jonathan Cannon get their chance with White Sox

Nick Nastrini one game, Jonathan Cannon the next.

Let’s see what you’ve got.

There’s a search party going on, a hunt for reasons to watch the White Sox, who at 2-14 are off to their worst start ever.

Luis Robert Jr. is hurt, and so is Yoan Moncada, not a rare occurrence with either one. The lineup is filled with 30-somethings such as outfielders Robbie Grossman and Kevin Pillar, who were signed to minor league deals late in spring training; Paul DeJong, signed to an inexpensive $1.75 million one-year deal in the offseason; and catcher Martin Maldonado, who is batting .065 in 10 games.

The pitching staff is filled with starters such as Michael Soroka (6.98 ERA in four starts), Chris Flexen (8.78 in three) and Erick Fedde (4.30 in three), all trying to prove they belong as credible rotation pieces.

There is skepticism about what the farm system can offer – a much different outlook than the previous rebuild’s vibe that reverberated when Robert and Moncada were faces of a promising near future. Perhaps Nastrini, acquired with reliever Jordan Leasure (six scoreless appearances) from the Dodgers in the trade for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly last season, and Cannon, drafted in the third round out of Georgia by the Sox in 2022, can create something to feel good about.

Something – like Cannon following Nastrini with a good start Wednesday – would be more than welcome around a ballbark that has been filled with gloom and doom these first three weeks of the season.

For Nastrini, one good spring training while being projected as the fifth starter to be, and a good five-inning major league debut against the Royals Monday does not ensure 25-30 starts for the next several seasons, but it’s a building block. Nastrini pitched five innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts, looking composed and ready for more assignments.

So that’s a start.

“I think it went pretty good,” said Nastrini, who described his debut as “an out of body experience.”

On Nastrini’s heels comes Cannon, whose scheduled debut Tuesday was postponed till Wednesday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader. Nastrini and Cannon will be the thire pair of Sox pitchers to make their debuts in back-to-back games, following Charlie Biggs and Fabian Kowalik in 1932 – the worst team in franchise history – and Roy Patterson and John Skopeck in 1901.

Rated as the No. 9 prospect in the organization by Baseball America, Cannon, 23, allowed three runs over 9 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts in two start at Charlotte. Regarded as a strike thrower, Cannon owns a 4.17 over three minor-league seasons.

Nastrini is penciled in to start Sunday in Philadelphia. Manager Pedro Grifol was not forthcoming about how much run in the rotation both of them get. He said it was under discussion.

“We obviously think highly of those guys, enough to where we gave them back to back debuts here,” Grifol said. “Nastrini showed us yesterday that he’s got the mindset and presence and character to pitch at this level. And we’ll see what Jonathan does and evaluate it.”

Veterans Brad Keller and Mike Clevingers are ramping up in Charlotte and Arizona, respectively, and will likely be with the club in the coming weeks, offering stability and depth.

Those two could be dealt away by the July 31 trade deadline. They are clearly not the future.

Nastrini, Cannon, Leasure could be. Maybe, just maybe, they will worth watching.