Coming into the 2026 season, I’d be lying if I said Jacob Gonzalez was still on my radar. The White Sox first-round pick in 2023 was unremarkable over his first two and a half professional seasons, and I’d largely written him off. But it’s been a different story for Gonzalez so far this season, and he may soon find his excellent production rewarded.
Gonzalez’s first two full seasons saw nearly identical stat lines. He finished 2024 hitting .238 with eight home runs and a .650 OPS, spending the entire season between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. In his 2025 season between Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, he posted a .232 average and .652 OPS with another eight home runs. With the White Sox infield picture crowded and several other highly touted infield prospects on the way, it seemed like Gonzalez could be in his last stand in the White Sox organization.
So far in 2026, however, he’s taken full advantage of it. In 44 games in Triple-A, Gonzalez is slashing .304/.416/.637 with a 1.053 OPS. He’s slugged 15 home runs, nearly doubling his career high in less than a third of the games and currently leading the International League. He’s been on a particular heater since the start of May, hitting .323 with seven homers in the last 20 days. Gonzalez’s strong week was good enough to earn him the International League player of the week honors for the week of May 11-17, and it should be good enough to earn him a call-up to Chicago before too long. The problem is, the White Sox don’t really have a spot for Gonzalez to play.
He’s a star ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/dZhKq7Qy2J
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) May 20, 2026
Gonzalez's production has earned him a look, but the White Sox don't have a spot
A large part of the White Sox breakout season has been the strong performance of infielders Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami, and Colson Montgomery. Chase Meidroth has shown growth this season as well, and the White Sox would still like to prioritize his at bats. This leaves Gonzalez without a place to play if he were to be promoted. The White Sox could easily move on from Luisangel Acuna, but they wouldn’t want to call up a player like Gonzalez to sit him on the bench. Perhaps deciding to cut their losses and move on from Andrew Benintendi could be the right call, but with a significant amount still owed on Benintendi’s deal, it’s hard to see Jerry Reinsdorf being willing to eat the money.
The White Sox have attempted to increase Gonzalez’s versatility this season by playing him at all four infield positions, but he’s never played outfield, which is where the team has the clearest path to at bats. It could simply be a matter of waiting for an injury to add Gonzalez to the roster. Chris Getz could also consider selling high on Gonzalez’s strong start and dealing him to add another position of need. It feels wrong to trade away a former first round pick during his breakout season, but if the White Sox need another position more, it’s a valid option.
Regardless, something has to give with Gonzalez soon. There’s no point in leaving him to rot in the minor leagues when he clearly looks ready to have a shot in the majors. These things have a way of working themselves out, and I expect something to change soon.
Having too many players that deserve at bats and not enough spots is a great problem to have, and it’s certainly not something the White Sox have had often over the past few seasons. This isn’t the same old White Sox, and the standard for sticking on the team is higher. Hopefully the White Sox will find a way to give Jacob Gonzalez a good look soon, because the 23 year-old has certainly earned it.
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