A grand slam's worth of notes on the Chicago White Sox as the beginning of the 2016 season nears, courtesy of Rotoworld:

Brett Lawrie will open the season as the White Sox's starting second baseman, the Daily Herald reports. There's not much drama to this news, as Lawrie was expected to fill the role when the club traded for him earlier in the offseason. Still, the designation became official Tuesday as the club optioned Carlos Sanchez to Triple-A. He had a solid spring (.880 OPS), and hopefully the move to a hitter-friendly home park will revive Lawrie's once-promising career.

Jimmy Rollins will serve as the White Sox's Opening Day shortstop, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Manager Robin Ventura said the lineup he used Tuesday will be the one he uses next Monday in Oakland. Rollins started at short and hit second in Tuesday's lineup. Rollins earned the spot with a youthful spring (four home runs, .362 OBP), but one might expect utility man Tyler Saladino to spell him frequently in the field. Rollins is not yet on the 40-man roster, but he should be shortly.

Saladino will begin the season in a utility role, the Daily Herald reports. Saladino did all he could this spring to win the team's starting shortstop gig (four home runs), but the team ultimately decided to go with Jimmy Rollins' experience at the position. The decision also allows the club to use Saladino in an uber-utility role. Expect to see him play nearly every infield position at some point this season.