White was born in Greenville, Mississippi. Though initially disliked by fans because he displaced the popular Cookie Rojas at second base, he went on to set a major-league record jointly with teammate George Brett, by appearing in 1,914 games together. The record stood until 1995, when it was broken by the Detroit Tigers' Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. In 1980, White was the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees, leading the Royals to their first World Series appearance.

A smooth fielder, White was a five-time All-Star. He won the Gold Glove Award eight times, including six consecutive seasons from 1977 to 1982. In 1977 he played 62 consecutive errorless games.

Although in his early years he was a singles hitter who contributed little to the Royals' run column, White improved markedly as an offensive player during his career, hitting 22 home runs two years in a row, in 1985 and 1986. Since the 1985 World Series was played without the designated hitter, White hit cleanup during that series, in place of Hal McRae.

White retired as a player in 1990 after 18 major-league seasons. On May 2, 1995, the Royals retired White's number 20, and the same year he was inducted into the Royals' Hall of Fame.

After the end of White's playing career, he remained with the Royals' organization as a coach and minor-league manager.