White Sox prospect Colson Montgomery had quite a week with Triple-A Charlotte. In his past four games, he's gone 10 for 18 with four home runs, two doubles and seven RBIs.
For his efforts, Montgomery was named International League Player of the Week. That's great. It's good to see the 23-year-old shortstop, who was selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, showing his power potential.
The hot streak has caused some fans to argue that Montgomery should be promoted to the big leagues right now. Heck, even MLB.com's Scott Merkin raised the possibility in a recent article.
The Sox should resist the temptation.
You see, right now this is nothing more than just a hot streak. It's a good four games, but it's not necessarily a sign that Montgomery has mastered the level.
Let's not forget that Montgomery's season slash line is .217/.294/.425, despite playing his home games in a notorious hitters' park. Yes, he's got 11 homers, 10 doubles and two triples among his 49 hits. That's good. That's what's getting his slugging percentage up over .400.
But he's also got 83 strikeouts against only 20 walks in 226 plate appearances. That's bad, especially for a player who is in his second season at the Triple-A level. Remember, Montgomery had a disappointing 2024, when he batted just .214/.329/.381. What he's doing this season isn't that much different than what he did a year ago.
Montgomery's supporters will point out he's been good recently. And by recently, they'll mean the past four days. Flashback to June 25, also known as last Wednesday, and Montgomery was mired in a 3-for-27 slump that featured 12 strikeouts. Just five days ago, nobody would have been clamoring to see him in Chicago.
So, don't clamor for him now, either. We need to see more than just one good week. We need to see consistent play from Montgomery over a month or six weeks before even considering a promotion.
It is true that the Sox have some weak bats in their infield. Josh Rojas and Vinny Capra are inspiring exactly no one with their poor play. White Sox Twitter has a temper tantrum each and every time manager Will Venable puts Capra in the lineup.
"Montgomery has to be better than these guys," the argument goes.
However, here's what everyone needs to understand: A problem in Chicago is not a great reason to promote a prospect to the big leagues, especially one like Montgomery, in whom the Sox have invested a lot of time and resources. You promote a prospect when he is ready, when he has mastered the minor league level to a point where he has nothing left to prove.
Montgomery has not mastered Triple-A. His week represented progress, but there is still work to be done. Keep him in Charlotte.