Over the past couple seasons, White Sox fans have found more intrigue with the team’s farm system than with the Major League club. This is natural for a rebuilding team, and the White Sox are hoping to begin turning the tides in short order. Several of the White Sox highly touted young players made their big league debut during the 2025 season, and more are expected throughout 2026. Two White Sox prospects, both of whom came to Chicago in the Garrett Crochet deal with the Red Sox last offseason, have been off to strong early starts and are making a case for promotions.
Braden Montgomery and Wikelman Gonzalez are off to excellent starts
Outfielder Braden Montgomery, the White Sox top prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and their second-ranked prospect according to Fansided’s Top 100 list, has been off to a red-hot start with Double-A Birmingham. In 15 games, the 23 year-old is hitting .358 with four home runs and a 1.211 OPS. He’s also posted five doubles, two triples, and 12 walks. His strong production this week earned him the Southern League player of the week honors.
Southern League Player of the Week type of stuff 😤 pic.twitter.com/UuYWk5QlSI
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 20, 2026
Montgomery rose to claim the White Sox top prospect spot after a 2025 season that saw him post an OPS of .804 between three levels of the minor leagues. He continued his strong production into the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .366 in 12 games.
Montgomery was primarily known as a power over contact hitter coming out of college, but he’s demonstrated an ability to hit for contact as well. He does swing and miss quite a bit, so his strikeout numbers may always be elevated, but his advanced plate discipline should help balance that out. If Montgomery’s production at Birmingham continues, he should find himself at the Triple-A level before too long, and he’ll be just one step away from his big league debut. Charlotte is known for being a friendly environment for hitters, so Montgomery spending time there would primarily be getting him at bats against big league quality pitching. I’d expect Montgomery’s major league debut at some point in 2026 if things keep trending in the right direction.
Right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez, who also came from Boston in the Crochet deal, made his major league debut in the White Sox bullpen in 2025. Originally a starter, the White Sox moved him to the bullpen amid ongoing control issues, and his production improved. Gonzalez debuted in June and spent the remainder of the 2025 season floating between Charlotte and Chicago. Overall, he posted a 2.66 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 20.1 big league innings. Assigned to the Knights to begin this season, Gonzalez had a 0.87 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 10.1 innings entering Tuesday's game.
With the White Sox bullpen taxed and struggling and Gonzalez already on the 40-man roster, it seems like only a matter of time before he joins the big league club. He’s still just 24 years-old and has plus stuff. It feel like the White Sox should be prioritizing his innings over veterans like Lucas Sims and Osvaldo Bido, who likely won’t be a part of the next competitive White Sox team. I’d expect to see Gonzalez on the south side before the summer.
With Noah Schultz and Sam Antonacci already in tow, the White Sox have continued the trend of exciting young talent reaching the big league level. Several more debuts should be on the docket for 2026 as the White Sox look to establish a core and build a perennial contender.
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