Has Kansas City replaced Oakland as the White Sox house of horrors?

For years and years, the White Sox seemingly couldn't win a game in Oakland to save their lives. Now that the Athletics have moved to Sacramento, the Oakland Coliseum is no longer a place for teams to visit.

But it seems to me that Kansas City has replaced Oakland as the house of horrors for the Sox. During the Pedro Grifol era (2023-24), the Sox went 2-11 at Kauffman Stadium -- including 0-7 in 2024.

During those seven games, the White Sox scored eight runs. Total. Averaging just over one run per game generally gets you beat. Then on Monday night, the Sox got shut out, 3-0, in their first game of 2025 in Kansas City.

The continuation of a trend.

Believe it or not, the Sox scored three runs on Tuesday night. Their cup runneth over! And they took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. But then this sequence of events happened:

1. Relief pitcher Cam Booser walked pinch-hitter Mark Canha on five pitches.
2. Drew Waters hit a routine infield fly. Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth missed the ball, and it clanged off his face into right field. Canha held at first, understandably believing the ball would be caught. Sox right fielder Michael A. Taylor had a chance to force Canha at second, but his throw airmailed Sox shortstop Jacob Amaya, and everyone was safe. You read that right: The ball hit Meidroth right in the face.
3. Freddy Fermin attempted to give the Sox an out with a sacrifice bunt. But Booser was slow to cover the bunt up the third-base line. By the time he retrieved the ball, the Sox had no play anywhere. Bases loaded, no outs.
4. Kyle Isbel popped up to third baseman Josh Rojas. The ball did not hit him in the face. He caught it. Even if he hadn't, the infield fly rule was called. One out.
5. With the infield at double-play depth, Jonathan India grounded one back up the middle. Amaya ranged to his left and dove to glove the ball. From the seat of his pants, he made a toss to second to try to get the force, but it was errant. Everyone was safe. Tying run scores. Bases still loaded.
6. Kansas City's all-world shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. hit a deep fly ball to center field. Luis Robert Jr. let it drop for a walk-off single. Even if he had made the catch, it would have been a game-winning sacrifice fly.

4-3 Royals. The Sox are 10-26. There are 126 games left to play. 

White Sox drop 3 out of 4 in Boston

It isn't even May, but the White Sox have already suffered through an eight-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak this season.

But at least they won't go 0-81 on the road this season, right? The Sox are now 1-9 away from home after dropping three out of four to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. 

Here's a look back at the wraparound series from Easter weekend:

Friday, April 18

Red Sox 10, White Sox 3: What was your favorite memory of the Martin Perez era? It probably wasn't this game, as Perez gave up four runs in the first three innings before departing after 52 pitches with a left forearm injury.

Perez (1-1) has since been placed on the 60-day injured list, so we won't be seeing him in a Sox uniform again soon, if ever.

Boston's Trevor Story went 3 for 4 with two 3-run homers in this game, including one in the first inning off Perez and another off Tyler Gilbert in the seventh inning.

The Sox were limited to six hits, with Andrew Benintendi's third home run of the season being one of the few offensive highlights. Edgar Quero doubled during ninth inning garbage time for his first major league hit. 

Saturday, April 19

Red Sox 4, White Sox 3 (10 innings): The Sox were in rough shape after six innings in this one, trailing 3-0 against Boston ace Garrett Crochet, who fanned seven and allowed only four hits.

But the Red Sox went to the bullpen in the seventh inning, and Chicago capitalized with a three-run rally to tie the game. Chase Meidroth singled to make it 3-1, and Luis Robert Jr.'s second homer of the season -- a two-run shot -- evened the score.

But as I always say when the Sox tie a game late on the road, "Ehh, they'll just get walked off anyway." They did, indeed, get walked off. Triston Casas singled off Mike Vasil (0-1) with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th to win the game for Boston. 

It was a three-hit game for Meidroth and a two-hit game for Quero, but those are the last hits we'll be seeing from Meidroth for at least a couple of weeks. He's now on the 10-day injured list with right thumb inflammation.

Sunday, April 20

White Sox 8, Red Sox 4: The Sox were 0-79 in 2024 when trailing after six innings. But this game ensures they will not put together a similar dubious record in that department this season. Chicago scored three in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to erase a 4-2 deficit and snap a six-game losing streak.

Quero delivered the biggest hit, a two-run single that capped the three-run inning in the seventh and put the Sox ahead to stay. Former Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks took the mound in relief for Boston in the eighth, but Andrew Vaughn hit his third home run of the season -- a two-run blast -- to extend the Chicago lead. Matt Thaiss also had a two-run homer for the Sox, and he added an RBI in the ninth on a bases-loaded HBP.

That made a winner out of lefty Brandon Eisert (1-0) who got five outs in the middle of the game in relief of starter Sean Burke.

Monday, April 21

Red Sox 4, White Sox 2: The one day of winning was fun while it lasted, as Chicago's bats went silent again in the series finale.

Boston starter Walker Buehler struck out nine over seven innings of one-run ball. The Sox were limited to five hits and went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Benintendi's fourth homer of the season in the eighth inning -- off Boston lefty Aroldis Chapman -- was one of the few good at-bats of the game for Chicago. Benintendi had two of the team's five hits.

Sox starter Jonathan Cannon (0-3) struggled early, giving four runs in the first three innings. To his credit, at least he pitched six innings, saving the bullpen for the next series. 

The Sox are now 5-17 and will head to Minnesota for a three-game series that starts Tuesday night.

Triple-A Charlotte: Is there anyone else for the White Sox to call up?

Chase Meidroth got called up from Triple-A Charlotte last Thursday, and his first three games as a member of the White Sox went well.

In 10 plate appearances against the Boston Red Sox, Meidroth went 3 for 7 with three singles, three walks and three runs scored. He played both second base and shortstop, and while I think he's better served at second base, Meidroth played mistake-free defense at both positions over the weekend.

It was a positive first impression, and that leads to this question: Is there anyone else in Charlotte who can help the White Sox now? Here are some notable names and how they are faring:

Edgar Quero, C: Quero has perhaps the most impressive stats of any of the Knights regulars. He's batting .326/.448/.418. That's 15 for 46 with 14 strikeouts and 11 walks. The only downside is Quero has only one double, one homer and four RBIs. Thirteen of his 15 hits are singles. There hasn't been much slugging in his game, but he's been getting on base. One thing we can't tell from the statistics is how Quero is doing defensively, and that's always a thing with catchers. It's the most important defensive position on the field, and it's more than offense that dictates when a catcher gets his chance.

Kyle Teel, C: Speaking of catchers, Teel is perhaps the most promising position player prospect in Chicago's system. He was the key player acquired in the deal where the White Sox sent ace lefty Garrett Crochet to Boston over the offseason. Teel's first three games of 2025 could not have gone any better. He started 6 for 12 with two homers and nine RBIs. But since then, he's fallen on hard times. He's in the midst of a 4-for-40 skid. He hasn't had a home run or an RBI since those first three games. His current slash line? .192/.323/.385. It's nothing to worry about this early in the season, but Teel is not a candidate for Chicago at this time because he's struggling. I believe in calling guys up when they are swinging the bat well.

Tim Elko, 1B: If there's one guy who probably should get a shot now, it's the 26-year-old Elko, who has hit at every level and has little to prove in the minor leagues. He's batting .365/.435/.448 with a homer, two doubles and seven RBIs through 12 games. Elko hasn't displayed much home run power yet this season, but we know it's in there. He had 28 homers in 2023 and 18 last season. The Sox are in need of a power bat in their lineup. They recently endured an 0-6 road trip during which they did not hit a single home run. The concern with Elko is always his high strikeout rate. He has 16 Ks in 46 plate appearances this season. But we are reaching a point where the Sox should find out whether Elko has anything to offer. 

Colson Montgomery, SS: Remember when Montgomery was considered Plan A at shortstop for the Sox this season? That idea went down in flames when Montgomery had a back injury and an unproductive spring training. The woes have continued through this opening stretch of the regular season. Montgomery is just 6 for 49, and he's already struck out a whopping 26 times. His batting line is .122/.204/.245. Apparently, Montgomery was 2 for 4 with his second home run of the season on Sunday, so I guess that's something. However, there's no indication that we'll see Montgomery anytime soon. In fact, he's struggled so mightily that I wonder why the front office was so bullish on him coming into the year.

Corey Julks, OF: The Sox are decimated by outfield injuries, with Mike Tauchman, Andrew Benintendi and Austin Slater on the IL. So, I was looking to see if there was anyone playing well in Charlotte who can stand at a corner outfield spot. The only guy I see is the erstwhile Julks, who appeared in 66 games with the Sox last season and batted only .214. But hey, he's batting .370/.452/.519 in 10 games with the Knights this year! Yes, he's a classic Quad-A player, but I wanted to put five guys on this list, so there you have it.

White Sox take 2 of 3 from Red Sox

The Boston broadcasting booth might have given the White Sox some bulletin board material before the start of this weekend's three-game series at Rate Field.

During a Thursday game between the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, play-by-play man Dave O'Brien stated, "The White Sox invent ways to lose games." Color commentator Will Middlebrooks added, "The trip to Chicago could be coming at a perfect time." 

Now we all get to laugh and point at Boston because the White Sox surprised most observers by taking two out of three games. Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, April 11

White Sox 11, Red Sox 1: We're used to Chicago prospects coming up and looking terrible in their major league debuts, so it was refreshing to see Chase Meidroth make a positive first impression.

The rookie middle infielder went 1 for 1 with a single, three walks and two runs scored. It's pretty cool to make four plate appearances in your first game and come out with a 1.000 on-base percentage. Meidroth became the first White Sox player to walk three times in his MLB debut since Ray Morehart on Aug. 9, 1924. 

They should give free admission to anyone who saw Morehart play, but I digress.

Boston committed five errors in this game, leading to six unearned runs for the White Sox. Michael A. Taylor went 3 for 5 with three runs scored, and Lenyn Sosa had two hits and two RBIs to lead the South Siders' offense.

The 12-hit attack made life easy for starting pitcher Davis Martin (1-1), who worked six-plus innings and allowed just one run to pick up the victory. The right-hander struck out six and walked one.

Saturday, April 12

White Sox 3, Red Sox 2: Boston starting pitcher Richard Fitts was sailing along with a 2-0 lead through five innings, but the White Sox caught a break when Fitts departed in the sixth after experiencing pain in his pitching shoulder.

Reliever Zack Kelly walked Miguel Vargas, and one out later, Luis Robert Jr. connected for his first home run of the season to tie the score at 2.

It remained even until the bottom of the ninth, when Robert Jr. worked a leadoff walk against Boston closer Aroldis Chapman. Robert Jr. eventually stole second and scored the winning run on a pinch-hit single by Brooks Baldwin.

Four Sox relievers combined to work 4.1 innings of scoreless ball. Most of the credit goes to Mike Vasil, who pitched two innings, and Jordan Leasure who got five outs across the eighth and ninth innings. Tyler Gilbert (1-0) was awarded the victory after he recorded the final out in the top of the ninth.

Sunday, April 13

Red Sox 3, White Sox 1: Former Chicago lefty Garrett Crochet got his revenge, taking a no-hitter and a 2-0 lead into the eighth inning in the series finale.

In an interesting twist, Meidroth singled with one out in the eighth to break up the no-no. Most fans will recall that Meidroth was one of four players the White Sox acquired from Boston in the Crochet trade this past winter.

Meidroth eventually scored when Matt Thaiss singled off reliever Garrett Whitlock to slash the Boston lead to 2-1. In fact, the White Sox had runners on second and third with only one out, but they could not tie or take the lead. Pinch hitter Joshua Palacios struck out, and Vargas flew out to left to end the threat.

Trevor Story homered in the top of the ninth to restore the Red Sox lead to two runs, and Chapman got three outs in the bottom of the inning to pick up the save. Crochet struck out 11 and allowed only one hit and one walk in 7.1 innings pitched.

It was a tough-luck loss for Shane Smith (0-1), who allowed two runs over six strong innings. Smith's ERA is a respectable 2.04 through his first three MLB starts. Unfortunately, run support has mostly eluded him to this point in the season.

The White Sox are now 4-11. They'll take Monday off before hosting a three-game series against the Sacramento Athletics. I'm not sure we're supposed to call the A's that, but hey, they play their home games in Sacramento, so there's that.

White Sox option Colson Montgomery to Triple-A

Full disclosure: I've been bearish on the idea of Colson Montgomery as the White Sox Opening Day shortstop this year.

I understand Sox fans are tired of watching short-term stopgaps at almost every position on the diamond. I understand Sox fans want a glimpse of the future. I understand Sox fans are starving for hope of any sort. 

But the reality is Montgomery isn't ready for the task right now.

Team management agrees. On Tuesday, the Sox announced they are optioning the No. 39 prospect in baseball to Triple-A Charlotte. I see a lot of folks on social media expressing disappointment over this decision, but it's the right call.

If we're being honest, Montgomery hasn't proven he can hit at Triple-A yet. The ballpark in Charlotte is paradise for hitters, but the 23-year-old struggled in 130 games at that level in 2024, batting .214/.329/.381 with 18 homers, 63 RBIs and 164 strikeouts in 572 plate appearances. Only a strong finish brought Montgomery's OPS up to .710.

Yes, he did hit well in a small sample size in 11 games in the Arizona Fall League -- .311/.511/.656 with three homers, 10 walks and only six strikeouts in 45 plate appearances. Alas, the AFL is a hitters' league, and it's generally void of top pitching prospects. A halfway decent hitting prospect *should* dominate in that league.

I would have been skeptical of Montgomery even if he was having a good run in the Cactus League right now. Instead, he missed about 10 days with back spasms, and after homering in the spring training opener against the Cubs, he hasn't had a hit since. He's 1 for 9 with five strikeouts.

Given the timing of the injury, it's best that he start in Charlotte. Hopefully, he performs well in Triple-A for a couple of months, and then he can come to Chicago healthy and in top form later in the season.

Where does that leave the Sox for a shortstop in the short run? It's ugly. The candidates include Chase Meidroth, who is better suited for second base; Jacob Amaya, a good fielder who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat; and Brooks Baldwin, who looks like a future utility player.

The Sox front office made a mistake by not bringing in a serviceable veteran who can handle the position. They put all their eggs in the basket of Montgomery being ready, and that is simply not the case.

But, at least they are not doubling down on this. They are acknowledging that Montgomery needs more time in the minors. It's the correct move for the player and the team.

White Sox trade Garrett Crochet to Boston for 4 prospects

Stop me if you've heard this one before: The White Sox traded an ace left-handed starter to the Boston Red Sox for four prospects.

We all remember when Chris Sale was traded on Dec. 6, 2016, to kick off the last rebuild. That didn't work out so well, so we're all left to hope this latest move works a little better.

The Sox sent Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox on Wednesday, in exchange for Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez.

You won't get any excitement about prospects from me. Until I see some guys become productive players in Chicago, I'm going to cast a cynical eye toward this move. I've been burned before. That said, here's what we know about the four players acquired:

Teel: The left-handed-hitting catcher is a consensus top 30 prospect in baseball, and he was ranked the No. 4 prospect in the Boston system. A first-round selection in the 2023 draft, the 22-year-old started last season at Double-A Portland, where he batted .299/.390/.462 with 11 homers and 60 RBIs in 84 games. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Worcester, where the numbers were more modest in a smaller sample: .255/.374/.343 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 28 games.

Teel is an athletic player with a strong arm, and he's described as a good enough receiver that he should be able to stay behind the plate, although he has played some games at corner outfield positions. Note the high on-base percentage at both levels last season. Teel isn't projected to have big power, but we know the Sox have a need for batters who can get on base.

Montgomery: A first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2024 draft, the 21-year-old outfielder has yet to make his professional debut because of a gruesome ankle injury suffered in the College World Series in June. He was the fifth-ranked prospect in the Boston system.

A switch-hitter, Montgomery is a power prospect who projects as a corner outfielder -- most likely right field, as he possesses enough arm strength to play there. He batted .322/.454/.733 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs for Texas A&M University last spring. Most of his power comes from the left side of the plate, so if you want to dream, we know left-handed power plays well at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The question, of course, is how Montgomery recovers from the ankle injury. He's expected to be ready for spring training. We'll see. Again, note the on-base percentage.

Meidroth: The 23-year-old infielder is likely the closest to major league ready of any player the Sox acquired in this deal. Meidroth spent 2024 at Triple-A Worcester, where he batted .293/.407/.401 with seven homers, 57 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He was the No. 11 player in the Boston system.

Again, note the on-base percentage. Meidroth drew 105 walks during the 2024 season, and he struck out in only 12.7% of his plate appearances. Expect a lot contact, but probably not a lot of hard contact. Meidroth has played second base, shortstop and third base, with his most likely long-term home being second base.

Hey, the Sox have a gaping hole at second base! Getting traded to Chicago might be this kid's lucky day.

Gonzalez: The right-handed pitcher was the No. 14 prospect in the Boston system. Gonzalez, 22, has a fastball that tops out at 98 mph, but to quote Lou Brown, somebody better teach this kid some control before he kills somebody. He walked 46 guys in 83.2 innings at Double-A Portland in 2024. 

Gonzalez went 4-3 with a 4.73 ERA in 24 games, 19 of them starts. The book on him is he throws fastball, slider, change. The slider is a relatively new pitch, and if he can harness it, maybe he sticks as a starter. If not, he's destined for the bullpen.

And he's Venezuelan, which means Ozzie Guillen will love him!

There you have it. That's the best I can do to put a positive spin on the trade. As they always say, it will be years before we can fully judge it. We can fully judge the Sale trade now. It stunk. Hope this one is better.