4 most important prospects who will make their White Sox debut in 2026

The 2025 White Sox saw the arrival of many of the team’s top prospects. Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Grant Taylor, and Chase Meidroth all ranked among the team’s top 15 prospects before the season and made their Major League debuts during the season. Other players like Shane Smith and Mike Vasil weren’t ranked as highly, but emerged as impact players during their rookie season. As the calendar shifts to 2026, the White Sox will look for another crop of young players to reach the big leagues and help the team take another step forward. Here are a few of the most important players that are expected to reach the majors in 2026.

3. IF Sam Antonacci 

Antonacci, the White Sox fifth round selection in the 2024 draft, burst onto the scene in a big way in 2025. He’s posted an OPS over .800 at every level the past two seasons and reached Double-A as a 22 year-old in 2025. He continued his torrid pace in the Arizona Fall League in October. Power isn’t his strong suit- he hit just five home runs in 2025- but Antonacci features elite on-base ability and hits for contact to all fields. He’s primarily played second base in the minor leagues, and that’s his likely long-term position, but he has experience at other infield spots. With Chase Meidroth penciled in as the likely starter at second in Chicago, Antonacci will probably begin the season in Triple-A, but his presence puts some pressure on Meidroth to improve on his .649 OPS from a year ago. If there’s no improvement, Antonacci could be given a chance to take over the second base job at some point in 2026. Worst case scenario, he’s a utility option and extra depth in case of an injury. Expect to see him in Chicago at some point this season. 

2. OF Braden Montgomery 

The White Sox liked Braden Montgomery coming out of college in 2024, but a broken leg in the College World Series caused his stock to fall. Still, Chicago liked him enough to trade for him in the offseason, and he joined the White Sox in the deal that sent Garrett Crochet to Boston. Montgomery rose quickly, reaching Double-A in 2025 and demonstrating an advanced approach at the plate. He flashed solid contact and power ability from both sides of the dish and took reps in both center and right field. Montgomery missed part of the AFL season due to a broken foot, but returned in a big way. He’s likely to begin the season in Double-A Birmingham, where he posted a .780 OPS in 34 games to close the season. Montgomery will need to reign in the strikeouts a bit and the White Sox would like to see him tap into his power more, but he’s currently the top ranked White Sox prospect and the team has many reasons to be optimistic about his future. A thin White Sox outfield group will certainly get a boost midseason when Montgomery makes his big league debut. 

1. LHP Noah Schultz and LHP Hagen Smith 

I’m putting Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith in the same category because I believe they’re at similar places in their development and they’re of equal importance. Both pitchers have the arsenal to be a top starting pitcher in baseball, and both had 2025 seasons they wish had gone differently. For Schultz, a good portion of the struggles can be attributed to a lingering knee injury that ended his season prematurely. He lost a bit of velocity on his pitches and his control tanked while he struggled with the injury, but he’s hoping to enter 2026 fully healthy and regain his 2024 form. For Smith, a mechanical hiccup led to a far-too-high walk rate. He looked his best during the Arizona Fall League, so the White Sox are optimistic that a full offseason of work will help clean things up. Both pitchers are likely to begin the season in the upper levels of the minor leagues with a big league arrival in sight. The White Sox have some solid arms in their rotation, but none have the upside of Schultz and Smith, so their emergence as frontline starters may be the most critical development for the success of the rebuild.