3 White Sox players who must prove they can be core players in September

It would be a massive sign of improvement for the Chicago White Sox to avoid three straight 100-loss seasons with a strong finish to 2025.

While that is starting to look unlikely, wins and losses are not the thing that matters this season. 2025 is about developing a core group of young players that the team can eventually be competitive with.

So far, many of the rookies are producing and have put together net positive seasons.

Colson Montgomery's 14 home runs are making him the face of White Sox baseball. Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero are quickly becoming one of the best catching tandems in the big leagues. Starting pitcher Shane Smith made the AL All-Star team with a dominant April and May and has posted an ERA under 3.00 this month, showing his first two great months were no fluke.

Those four players all have the potential to be perennial All-Stars in the big leagues.

Then there's a group of players in the next tier. Grant Taylor has the stuff to be a shutdown reliever. Chase Meidroth is showing he can be a solid regular with his scrappy style of play. Mike Vasil has the production to back him being a solid long-reliever.

Young veterans like Miguel Vargas, Lenyn Sosa, and Brooks Baldwin have also shown they are capable of providing high-floor production at the plate while Davis Martin is a quality middle rotation arm.

The calendar will be flipping to September soon. That means every player on the White Sox roster will get one more month to prove themselves before the front office is forced to make difficult offseason choices.

For a couple of young players, September will be their one last shot to prove they are worthy of sticking around as part of this White Sox "core."

Tim Elko

Tim Elko is getting another crack to prove he can hit Major League pitching. With Miguel Vargas going on the 10-day IL with a sprained left hand, Elko has been recalled to take his place on the 26-man roster.

This might be Elko's last shot to show the front office he is a viable big-leaguer.

Management was resistant in calling up Elko earlier in the season, despite him crushing the ball at Triple-A. The front office probably saw what many of us, like me, did not want to see--he would strike out too much. Elko had 173 strikeouts in 2024 for the Charlotte Knights.

Us "Elko Truthers" wanted to see if he could his power would translate to The Show from the minor leagues. Elko had been a home run machine, with 75 career dingers in the minors.

Elko did hit four (4) home runs when he was eventually promoted for his MLB debut in May, but he also struggled to make contact. Elko is batting .136 with a .156 BABIP and a 42.3% strikeout rate in 71 big league plate appearances this season.

Over his last seven games with the Sox, he is 0-for-20 with 16 strikeouts.

The next month of baseball will be Elko's final shot to prove that he can be a formidable power threat in the big leagues, and that he can actually avoid an extremely high K-rate. If he fails, it's possible that he will not get another shot to crack the 26-man roster.

Curtis Mead

With Vargas on the 10-day IL, Curtis Mead should get more playing time at third base. With that will come an increased number of at-bats as the season winds down.

The White Sox acquired Mead, a former top 100 prospect, from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Adrian Houser deal at the trade deadline.

Mead struggled to live up to the hype with the Rays. He posted a .239 average with a .620 OPS in 2.5 seasons with Tampa. That being said, he never get much of a runway to prove himself since he played in just 111 games.

The White Sox need to see if Mead can be an above-average starter, much like Vargas proved to be this season. Mead might not ever reach his superstar potential, but if he can be a solid everyday guy, that would go a long way toward turning things around on the South Side.

Mead must prove he can not only hit consistently, but also that he can drive the ball. There hasn't been much pop in his bat since he joined the White Sox.

Jordan Leasure

The White Sox keep giving Jordan Leasure opportunities to be a high-leverage reliever. It makes sense given he is one of the few young arms in the bullpen with plus velocity on his fastball.

Per FanGraphs, Leasure's fastball is averaging 96.2 this season. It is not elite velocity, but it's definitely enough to miss bats. He has 66 strikeouts in 50.2 innings this season.

Leasure simply has to command his pitchers better. His WHIP for the season is at 1.38. While he often shows flashes of being a really solid bullpen option, Leasure is prone to a blowup outing.

With a 4.26 ERA right now, Leasure must get more consistent to prove he can be trusted with a late lead over the final portion of the schedule. Otherwise, the front office might have to look at other options.