The 2026 minor league baseball season has officially come to an end, and now is a good time to take a look back at which White Sox prospects stood out and which disappointed. Earlier this week, we took a look at one prospect from each level of the minor leagues that stood out with their strong performance in 2026. Now, it’s time to look at the flip side. Here is one White Sox prospect from each minor league affiliate that struggled this season and could be lowering their own stock.
Triple-A Charlotte: RHP Tanner McDougal
Just one year ago, we were talking about righty Tanner McDougal as possibly the biggest riser in the White Sox farm system after a stellar 2025 season. In 28 games between Winston-Salem and Birmingham, McDougal posted a 3.26 ERA and struck out 136 hitters in a career-high 113.1 innings. After flashing his electric pitch mix in spring training, McDougal began the 2026 season with Triple-A Charlotte in hopes of becoming a member of the White Sox rotation by the end of the year. Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan. McDougal was limited to just 49.2 innings after a flexor strain wiped out a good chunk of his season, and he was moved to a bullpen role to keep strain off his arm when he returned. He made one big league appearance out of the bullpen, allowing three runs and walking three in just a third of an inning. McDougal figures to get another crack at starting next season, but if he can’t prove he can stay on the field and be effective at the highest level, he may end up with a ceiling in the bullpen instead of the electric starter the White Sox hoped he could be.
Tanner McDougal came out firing in his Triple-A @KnightsBaseball debut 🔥
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 29, 2026
The @WhiteSox No. 6 prospect struck out eight across four strong frames and hit 99+ mph 14 times, maxing out at 100.2: pic.twitter.com/GyeMY5SRUH
Double-A Birmingham: INF Jeral Perez
There was a time not too long ago where it felt like Jeral Perez could be the best player the White Sox acquired in the 2024 deal that sent Erick Fedde to the Cardinals. Miguel Vargas was struggling at the plate, and Perez looked like a promising young hitter in the minor leagues. As a 20-year-old, Perez slugged 22 home runs at the High-A level in 2025, and the White Sox felt they saw enough to move him up to Double-A for his age-21 season this year. Unfortunately, the promotion presented a challenge that was too tough for Perez to handle. In 60 games with Birmingham, he hit just .180 with a .563 OPS before being demoted back to High-A. For what it’s worth, his numbers in High-A were tracking even better than his 2025 season. He’ll likely get another shot at Double-A in 2027, but Perez’s stock is rapidly dropping. If he can’t prove he can hit upper-level pitching soon, he may not have a place in the White Sox’ future plans.
High-A Winston-Salem: LHP Christian Oppor
Much like McDougal, Christian Oppor burst onto the scene for the White Sox in 2025, posting a 3.08 ERA in 22 starts between Low-A and High-A. His 2026 season began in Birmingham and was pretty much a complete disaster from the jump. Oppor posted a 9.49 ERA in eight outings with the Barons, walking 36 hitters in 24.2 innings. His control issues led to his assignment to Arizona to work on his mechanics, and he was assigned to Winston-Salem when he returned. Unfortunately, the control issues only got worse. Oppor pitched just 2.2 innings over seven appearances and walked an eye-popping 19 hitters in that span. It’s hard to even know where to go from here if you’re the White Sox, but Oppor is going to need some serious adjustments this offseason. He’s always had the stuff to be an effective pitcher in the pros, but he’ll need to find his command quickly.
Low-A Kannapolis: SS Billy Carlson
I’ll admit, it was tough to find someone who clearly fits into this category for Kannapolis. Most of the players on this roster are 2026 draft picks or players without a ton of prospect pedigree. Since he was limited to only 60 games due to multiple injuries and has yet to hit his first big league home run, I’ll put Billy Carlson in this category for a rookie season that was a bit disappointing. The 19-year-old posted a respectable .252 average and .380 on-base percentage over that span, but was limited to 14 doubles and two triples. As Carlson gets older and stronger, the White Sox hope he’ll develop some more power, but his swing has always been a work in progress. White Sox fans can most likely expect Carlos to rejoin Kannapolis to start the 2027 season, but a strong start could earn him a promotion to High-A in short order.
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