Happy Thanksgiving from The Baseball Kid!

 

White Sox exercise Luis Robert's $20 million option

Luis Robert Jr. will be back in center field for the White Sox in 2026. 

Probably. If he doesn't get injured or traded first. 

Sox general manager Chris Getz had been insistent since the middle of summer that the team would exercise Robert Jr.'s $20 million contract option for next season, and on Tuesday, the club did exactly that.

It looks like a massive overpay. The 28-year-old batted just .228/.297/.364 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs in 2025. Robert Jr. stole a career-high 33 bases, but two stints on the injured list once again limited him to 110 games.

He did not play after Aug. 26 after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain. 

Despite all that, the argument for keeping Robert Jr. is simple: The Sox don't have anyone else to play center field. Michael A. Taylor retired at the end of the season, so that leaves Brooks Baldwin as the only other guy on the roster who can stand at that position. Does that sound like a good plan to you? Me neither.

What about free agency, you ask? Cedric Mullins and Harrison Bader are probably the two best available guys who can play center field. Trent Grisham is out there, too, but after his 34-homer season with the New York Yankees, let's assume he's going to have offers from teams better than the Sox.

If you're going to overpay a guy, I guess you overpay the guy you already have in house. Robert Jr.'s upside is still higher than those aforementioned three players, even if his 38-homer season in 2023 feels longer ago than two years.

Robert Jr. has been with the Sox for six years, and 2023 remains the only season in which he has hit more than 14 homers. It's also the only season in which he has played more than 110 games. Yes, the two things are related.

A word of caution: I think the ship has sailed on the idea that Robert Jr. can be a premium trade piece. Getz held onto him at the trade deadline this past summer because he didn't like the offers he received, and I think you're going to see something similar this July -- even if Robert Jr. is healthy and effective.

The list of injuries this player has suffered through the years is so long now that he simply can't be trusted, and a healthy first half of 2026 isn't going to be enough to erase that thought from the minds of rival GMs.

If you think the Sox are going to deal Robert Jr. for two or three high-level prospects at midseason, get that thought out of your head right now. It's not realistic.

The hope is he'll be healthy and perform well for a full season with the Sox, and perhaps, finally help pull the team out of the basement in the American League Central.

Perez declines mutual option

In other news, left-handed pitcher Martin Perez declined a $10 million mutual option for 2026 and instead will receive a $1.5 million buyout.

Perez went 1-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) in 2025. There was nothing particularly wrong with his performance, but Perez missed significant time with a left elbow strain and left shoulder inflammation. He was on the injured list at season's end.

At age 34, and with two injuries to his pitching arm in the same season, Perez can no longer be trusted to take the mound. It's best that the Sox move forward without him. 

White Sox finish season at 60-102

The long slog of MLB's regular season is over, and the White Sox have finished 2025 with a 60-102 record after Sunday's 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals.

The 60 wins represent a 19-win improvement from 2024. In baseball, such a year-over-year increase would normally be cause for thunderous applause. But when you're coming off a season in which you were the worst team in the 125-year history of modern baseball, perhaps that increase is only a modest step forward. The bar was set so low.

The Sox started September by winning eight of the first 10 games during the month. At that point, their record was 57-90, and fans were actively rooting for the team to avoid 100 losses. Alas, the Sox concluded the season with a dreadful final two weeks, dropping 12 of their last 15 games.

That sentenced them to their third consecutive 100-loss season. The franchise has lost 100 or more games in its 125-year existence only seven times. Four of those seven seasons have occurred since 2018. It's a huge indictment on everyone who has been in a decision-making role with the franchise over the past 10 to 15 years.

Although, let's be honest: If the Sox had finished 63-99, would that have been meaningfully better than going 60-102? I don't think so.

Either way, the Sox have the best odds of getting the No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. May the lottery luck be with them, because the franchise could use a break.

The narrative around the team is surprisingly positive, with the cheerleaders on the TV broadcast and some in the podcast arena touting performances from rookie players -- including Colson Montgomery, Shane Smith, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, Edgar Quero and Mike Vasil.

Indeed, each of these players showed well enough to stick in the majors after they were called up. Nobody fell flat on their faces. Nobody got sent back to the minor leagues from that group. If you've followed the Sox through the years, you know that's something.

The question is, can they do it again in 2026 when there are more expectations placed upon them?

Many people have wondered whether the improved won-loss record and the emergence of this rookie class means 2025 was a success for the Sox.

I have two thoughts on that: First, a 100-loss season is never a success. Never. It's a catastrophe. Second, that said, the losing serves a purpose if young players learn from it, grow and get better in the years ahead.

Ask me again in two years whether 2025 was a success. If all these young guys actually form the core of a contending team down the road, then yes, this could be a year that you look back on as a building block. But if all these guys regress, and this leads to nothing in particular, then we're just circling the drain over and over again. 

Fraser Ellard, Bryan Ramos join White Sox as September callups

Major League Baseball rosters expanded to 28 on Monday, with each team being allowed to add one pitcher and one position player for September.

No matter what the White Sox did, it probably wasn't going to be all that inspirational. They chose two players we've seen before: left-handed reliever Fraser Ellard and infielder Bryan Ramos.

The 27-year-old Ellard has been struggling all season. He made the Sox out of spring training, but he didn't do much with the opportunity. He appeared in eight games, going 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA. Then he got hurt. Twice. 

Ellard has since made 23 appearances at Triple-A Charlotte, where he is 2-1 with a 6.84 ERA. 

It's not great, but that didn't stop the Sox from throwing Ellard right into the fire Monday. He was used as the opener in a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins.

Ellard got five outs and would have completed two innings if not for an error on third baseman Curtis Mead. He was charged with an unearned run, as he walked three batters despite not allowing a hit. That said, the Sox were leading 3-0 when he walked off the mound with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning. It could have been worse.

Ramos batted .202/.252/.333 in 32 games with the wretched 2024 Sox, but we hadn't seen him in Chicago this season until Monday.

His season started with an elbow injury, and when he came off the injured list in April, he slumped badly in Triple-A Charlotte. But, he has shown signs of life in the second half, and he's already on the 40-man roster, so perhaps that's why he's getting an opportunity.

Ramos is batting .218/.317/.391 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs in Charlotte this season. Not impressive, right? However, it's only fair to look at what's been happening recently:

• First half: .194/.305/.358
• Second half: .254/.336/.440 

That second half isn't anything great, but hey, it's palatable. Ramos appeared as a pinch runner in the eighth inning Monday, replacing Chase Meidroth, who had twisted an ankle earlier in the game.

Ramos ended up scoring the game-tying run on a double by Brooks Baldwin. Moments later, Mike Tauchman doubled home Baldwin as part of a two-run eighth that turned a 5-4 Sox deficit into a 6-5 win.

Some other highlights from Monday:

• Colson Montgomery hit his 16th homer of the season. He has homered in each of the four games he's played against Minnesota.
• Meidroth hit his fourth homer of the season, a two-run blast off a hanging slider from Minnesota starter Bailey Ober in the second inning.
• Jordan Leasure retired all four batters he faced for his team-leading fifth save. Yes, five saves is enough to lead the Sox bullpen.

The Sox are 50-88, and they have evened the season series with the Twins at 5-5. 

Happy Labor Day from The Baseball Kid

 

'Explosive' Royals punk White Sox bullpen yet again

During the ninth inning of Tuesday's game between the White Sox and the Kansas City Royals at Rate Field, Sox announcer John Schriffen called the Kansas City offense "explosive."

John, my man, I hate to tell you this, but the Royals rank 14th out of 15 American League teams in runs scored this season. They are even below the Sox, who are 13th in the league. Kansas City is on the outside of the playoff picture right now because its offense has been among the worst in baseball.

Sure, the Royals punked the Sox again on Tuesday night, scoring two runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth to erase a four-run deficit and beat the South Siders, 5-4.

But I'm sorry, this is not a good Kansas City offense. It's a bad Chicago bullpen, plain and simple.

The Royals had no answers for Sox journeyman lefty Martin Perez, who allowed no runs on one hit and walked nobody over the first seven innings of this game.

He left the mound with a 4-0 lead and probably thought he had victory in the bag. Alas, Jordan Leasure, Grant Taylor and Tyler Alexander combined to light the game on fire.

Leasure gave up two runs in the eighth. Taylor (0-4) gave up three hits in the ninth to load the bases, and then Alexander surrendered two hits that allowed all the inherited runners to score. 5-4 Royals. Ballgame.

Colson Montgomery homered for the fourth consecutive game for the Sox. I guess that's nice. He now has 14 for the season and has a chance to end up as the team leader. He's three homers behind Lenyn Sosa.

Luis Robert Jr. left the game with a left hamstring strain. He's hasn't been on the injured list since July, so he's about due to be sidelined.

The Sox are 48-84. 

White Sox trounce Royals in series opener

Maybe a different venue is all it takes? Consider these numbers:

• White Sox record vs. Royals at Kansas City: 0-7
• White Sox record vs. Royals at Rate Field: 3-1
• White Sox runs scored vs. Royals in three games Aug. 15-17: 5
• White Sox runs scored vs. Royals in the first four innings Monday: 6

The Sox were ready for Kansas City left-hander Noah Cameron (7-6) on Monday night at Rate Field, scoring three runs in the first inning and three more in the fourth. The early offense led to an easy 7-0 victory.

After Chase Meidroth started the bottom of the first with a single, the Sox stacked up three run-scoring doubles by Edgar Quero, Lenyn Sosa and Curtis Mead to take a 3-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, the Sox hit back-to-back homers. Korey Lee's two-run shot made it 5-0. Brooks Baldwin followed with a solo blast.

But perhaps the story of this game was starting pitcher Shane Smith (4-7), who needed only 80 pitches to complete seven innings of shutout ball. Smith struck out three, walked one and allowed just one hit. He threw 54 of his 80 pitches for strikes. 

After a midseason malaise, the rookie right-hander looks rejuvenated since coming off the injured list on Aug. 1. In five starts this month, Smith is 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA. He's got 24 strikeouts against 11 walks across 27.1 innings pitched. He's allowed only 16 hits, which means he's only allowing one batter to reach base per inning over that span. 

That's what you're looking for from a starting pitcher.

Tyler Gilbert pitched two innings of scoreless relief to finish off a combined two-hitter in Monday's game.

The Sox are 48-83. 

Sometimes all you can do is laugh ...

The White Sox scored 23 runs in the first two games of their series against the Atlanta Braves.

On Wednesday, they lost 1-0, reverting to form.

Sometimes all you can do is laugh at the ineptitude. That's 33 games this season where the Sox have scored one run or less. 

Boring and unwatchable. I couldn't make it through the game without changing the channel. 

I keep hearing people say "at least they are better than last year." Sure, they have 45 wins with just over five weeks left in the season, after winning just 41 games in 2024.

Thing is, the 2024 Sox were literally the worst team in MLB history. Everyone, LITERALLY EVERYONE, is better than the 2024 Sox. 

Thus, whatever improvements the 2025 Sox have made don't deserve celebration.

I made it to 42 years old before witnessing the Sox losing 100 games in a season. Now, it's common. The bar has been lowered. 

Stop applauding mundane things. This season is yet another disaster.

Can't anybody in Atlanta pitch?

During their three-game weekend series in Kansas City, the White Sox got swept because they had trouble scoring runs. In fact, they touched home plate only five times total in the series.

Now that the scene has shifted to Atlanta, the Sox bats have suddenly come to life. They've scored 23 runs in the first two games against the Braves.

That's good; that's great.

The problem is, that offensive explosion has only resulted in a 1-1 record. After winning 13-9 on Monday night, the Sox blew a six-run lead Tuesday, losing 11-10 to the Braves.

It wasn't starter Shane Smith's fault. Sure, he was mediocre over six innings pitched, allowing four runs on seven hits. But when Smith recorded the final out of the bottom of the sixth inning, he walked off the mound with a 10-4 lead.

You would think the bullpen could cover the remaining nine outs, but you would be wrong. Sox relief pitching blew this with a remarkable quickness, giving up five runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth.

The Braves didn't even need to bat in the bottom of the ninth after trailing by six in the seventh. Pretty embarrassing for the Sox.

There were some highlights for the position players. Kyle Teel was 2 for 5 with four RBIs, a two-run double and a two-run homer included. Luis Robert Jr. had a two-out, three-run double that capped a five-run outburst in the fifth inning. Miguel Vargas was 2 for 4 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Some moral victories there, but the Sox bullpen appears to be running on fumes. There have just been too many innings to cover, with starting pitchers failing to work past five innings in too many games.

The front office realizes it, and they've been churning the bullpen to try to keep fresh arms available. One night after getting shelled for four runs in one-third of an inning, Owen White was placed on the injured list with a hip impingement, and Elvis Peguero was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

Alas, Peguero -- along with Tyler Gilbert -- was one of the culprits in surrendering the five-run seventh inning. Peguero issued two walks and retired only one of the four batters he faced.

Tyler Alexander (4-11) and Steven Wilson combined to surrender the lead in the eighth, with Alexander earning the loss and Wilson earning the blown save.

The Sox are 45-81. Unfortunately, there are 36 games left to play in this miserable season, which is now a near-lock to end with 100-plus losses. The pitching staff still has another 300-plus innings to cover. It's going to be ugly. 

White Sox option Sean Burke to Triple-A Charlotte

In a somewhat surprising move, the White Sox optioned starting pitcher Sean Burke to Triple-A Charlotte on Monday.

Burke, who was the team's Opening Day starter, has had an up-and-down season, going 4-10 with a 4.28 ERA. The 25-year-old right-hander has appeared in 24 games (20 starts), and he's pitched a team-leading and career-high 117.2 innings.

And Burke has struck out 110 batters across those innings. That's the good part. He has shown some ability to miss bats. However, he might be hitting a bit of a wall during these dog days of August. 

On paper, his last five starts aren't that bad -- a 3.92 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 20.2 innings. But that last number -- the innings -- is the sore spot. Burke is barely averaging four innings per start over this stretch. 

In his previous two outings, he needed 88 pitches to get through 3.1 innings against Cleveland. He needed 85 pitches to get through 3.2 innings Saturday against Kansas City. That's taxing a Sox bullpen that has been struggling.

It's not a great sign that both Burke and Jonathan Cannon have been optioned to Charlotte in recent days. No doubt the Sox were hoping one (or both) of them would have a breakout season and solidify a rotation spot for 2026. Neither man has done that.

Martin Perez is back off the injured list, and he'll rejoin the rotation when he starts Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Perez and Aaron Civale make up the veteran part of the starting staff. 

Shane Smith has looked much better since recently coming off the injured list, and Davis Martin threw six innings of shutout ball in a no-decision Sunday in Kansas City.

So, four of the rotation spots are still covered, despite the struggles of Burke and Cannon. Apparently, the Sox want to take a look at righty Yoendrys Gomez, who had a strong five-inning start with seven strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 12.

Gomez pitched Monday's game against the Atlanta Braves, as well, and he picked up his second consecutive victory as the Sox beat Atlanta, 13-9.

The Sox were ahead 10-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, so Gomez (3-1) was once again effective through five. Alas, he gave up three runs in the sixth, and that made his final line look mediocre -- four runs on seven hits, with three strikeouts and one walk.

The 13 runs and 19 hits were season highs for the Sox. Brooks Baldwin, Luis Robert Jr., Lenyn Sosa and Kyle Teel all homered for the Sox. 

For Sosa, it was his third homer in the four games on the current road trip. He now leads the team with 17 home runs. Teel and Andrew Benintendi each had four-hit games. 

The Sox are now 45-80. 

White Sox trade Austin Slater to Yankees

The White Sox made their first deal of trade deadline season on Wednesday, sending outfielder Austin Slater to the New York Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitcher Gage Ziehl.

Ziehl, 22, was selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2024 draft out of the University of Miami. He's pitched in 16 games this season, 15 of them starts. Fourteen of those appearances came for Low-A Tampa. Across 82.1 innings, he has a 4.15 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 14 walks. 

The Sox have assigned Ziehl to High-A Winston-Salem.

Slater batted .236/.299/.423 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 51 games with the Sox. As a right-handed batter, he's good at one thing: hitting left-handed pitching.

Against lefties this season, Slater posted a .261/.338/.522 slash line that included all five of his homers. For any Yankees fans who are stumbling across this blog, you are not getting a complete player or an everyday player. But you are getting an outfielder who can fill a very specific role.

Platoon Slater against lefties, and he will contribute.

Who knows about Ziehl? He's in his first year in pro ball, and I won't pretend to know what his future is. Most of these type of acquisitions don't work out, but you never know.

White Sox 9, Phillies 3

The Sox used a seven-run seventh inning to beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon. The South Siders took two out of three in the series, and they are now 8-4 since the All-Star break.

Four players age 25 or younger hit home runs for the Sox in this win. Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery each hit solo homers. Miguel Vargas and Edgar Quero each hit 3-run homers in the decisive seventh inning.

If you had to draw it up, you would want the young guys to be at the forefront of whatever success this team has the rest of the way.

The Sox are 40-69. 

On vacation until July 28 ...

 Blogging will resume when I return from vacation.

 

Mark Buehrle statue unveiling: Some photos from July 11

It might be the only baseball game I attend all season. The White Sox honored 2005 World Series hero Mark Buehrle with a statue on the right field concourse before the July 11 game against the Cleveland Guardians, won 5-4 by the Sox in 11 innings.

Here are some photos, all snapped by my girlfriend Jen Bubis:

Buehrle mimics the statue for the cameras.

 

Buehrle delivers his speech Friday night.

 

The scoreboard highlights some of Buehrle's career accomplishments.

 

Buehrle with his wife during the ceremony.

 

 

Several former teammates were there to support Buehrle, including World Series MVP Jermaine Dye.

 

And relief pitcher Neal Cotts, who hasn't changed in 20 years.

 

Pitcher Freddy Garcia (center) and utility player Pablo Ozuna with the dreads

                                    

 

Buehrle's longtime teammate in the starting rotation, Jon Garland

 

All the way from Japan, second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (with photo bomb from reliever Luis Vizcaino, with earring)

 

 

 

Relief pitcher Cliff Politte

We will never forget our closer, Bobby Jenks. RIP.

 

 

Jenks is memorialized at the World Series monument.

 

A closer look at the Jenks memorial.

 

 

Former players stand with Buehrle after the statue unveiling.

Bobby Jenks, World Series champion closer, dies at 44

My uncle and I were in attendance at U.S. Cellular Field when Bobby Jenks made his major league debut. It was July 6, 2005, against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Ninth inning, White Sox leading 7-2.

Jenks walked the first batter he faced on four pitches.

However, his fastball was lighting up the stadium radar gun at 98-99 mph. I remember telling my uncle, "If this guy can put that pitch in the strike zone, he's going to be fine."

Three batters later, Jenks had two strikeouts and three outs, and the Sox had a stress-free victory. Little did we know how significant the addition of Jenks to the roster would be.

A little more than three months later, the then-24-year-old right-hander was on the mound in a much more stressful situation.

It was the ninth inning of Game 4 of the World Series. The Sox were leading the Houston Astros 1-0, looking for a sweep and their first championship since 1917. Tying run on second base, two outs. 

Jenks got the out he needed for the Sox, getting Orlando Palmeiro to bounce out to shortstop Juan Uribe. The Sox were champions! It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

On Saturday at my mom's house, my uncle and I were discussing our memories of Jenks' big-league debut, which happened 20 years ago today. Our family gathered this weekend to mark the Fourth of July and my 49th birthday, which is Monday. During our celebration, we got the bad news that Jenks died Friday at age 44, after a battle with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer.

This is a sad time for everyone who is part of the White Sox community. There is only one Sox pitcher to record the last out of the World Series in the past 108 years. That player is Jenks, and that moment will live forever, even though the man who created it is now gone.

Jenks also closed out the division-clinching game in 2005 against the Detroit Tigers, and the clinching game of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. He appeared in all four games of the 2005 World Series, earning two saves.

By 2011, Jenks was out of baseball -- a back injury ending his time in the majors. It was not a long career, but it was a successful one. Here are some of his other accolades:

• 173 saves, second-most in Sox history
• consecutive 40-save seasons (2006-07)
• consecutive All-Star selections (2006-07)
• five saves and a 2.00 ERA in seven postseason appearances
• retired a team-record 41 batters in 2007 (a record later broken by teammate Mark Buehrle)
• had the fifth-most saves in baseball from 2006 to 2010

Jenks was a pitcher ahead of his time. In today's baseball, nearly every team in the league has a stable of relief pitchers who rush the ball up to home plate at 95 mph or more. But in 2005, there were only a handful of guys in the league like that. It got your attention when someone was hitting 98 to 102 mph with consistency. 

Jenks' fastball had both high-end velocity and a late cut that made him very difficult to square up. He also had a 12-to-6 breaking ball that he could throw for strikes with consistency. That's a good recipe for a strong closer in any era, but especially in that era, where 98 mph on the gun was uncommon.

Unfortunately, Jenks' death comes a week before the Sox are set to honor the 20th anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship. Events are scheduled throughout next week's home series against the Cleveland Guardians (July 10-13). All Sox fans had hoped Jenks would be well enough to attend those ceremonies. Sadly, that is not the case.

Fortunately, Jenks was in Chicago for SoxFest in 2015, and my girlfriend was able to get his autograph in her 2005 scrapbook (see picture). That signature has always been valuable, but it's a little more cherished right now.

Here's how I would sum up Bobby Jenks: If I had to pick one White Sox relief pitcher from my nearly 50 years of fandom to get three outs in the ninth inning, Jenks is the guy I'd want on the mound.

With all due respect to Bobby Thigpen, Roberto Hernandez and Liam Hendriks, Jenks is the best closer I've had the privilege of rooting for on the South Side of Chicago.

RIP, Bobby Jenks.

Happy Fourth of July from The Baseball Kid!

 

We are blessed to live in the greatest country in the world. Enjoy the celebration, everyone!

Colson Montgomery: No, it's not time to call him up

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. 

Garrett Crochet trade return: Too soon to celebrate it?

The White Sox reached the halfway point of the season Wednesday with a 7-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Their record stands at 26-55, which means they are on pace for 52 wins this season. That would be an 11-game improvement over last year's 41-121 disaster.

You might say an 11-game improvement feels a little better when you go from, say, 83 wins to 94, as opposed to 41 wins to 52. Even if that's what ends up happening here, you won't catch me celebrating it.

Speaking of celebrating, I've seen some fans on Twitter celebrating the offseason trade of Garrett Crochet, now that three of the four players the Sox acquired from the Boston Red Sox are in the major leagues.

Crochet, of course, is pitching exceptionally well in Boston. That comes as no surprise. He's 7-4 with a 2.06 ERA in 17 starts, and he leads American League pitchers in strikeouts (135), innings pitched (109.1) and bWAR (3.8).

The Red Sox are a mediocre team, but hey, it isn't Crochet's fault. He's an All-Star, and everyone knows it. The question is, did Chicago do well with the players it acquired in its signature offseason move? Let's evaluate:

Kyle Teel, C: Teel put up an .886 OPS in 50 games in Triple-A Charlotte and made his MLB debut on June 6 against the Royals. In 14 games since he joined Chicago, he's batting .282/.408/.359. He's yet to hit a home run, and he didn't have an extra-base hit until this past week. That's the bad news.

But the good news is he's 5 for 14 with three doubles in his past five games, raising his OPS from .615 to .767. When the sample size is small, a player can go from below average to a 120 OPS+ pretty quickly, and that's what Teel has done this week.

The 23-year-old, left-handed hitter has looked competent defensively, and his framing has been better than fellow young catcher Edgar Quero, which has allowed him to get the majority of the starts behind the plate.

One interesting story to follow the second half: How do the Sox dole out the playing time for these two young catchers? I see a lot of fans upset when whichever guy isn't catching doesn't start at DH. Me personally, I'm not a fan of using the second catcher as a DH -- especially when neither catcher is an elite hitter.  

Teel has the kind of athleticism that suggests he could move to the outfield or first base seamlessly. The problem with that is he's a better catcher than Quero right now, and that makes me reluctant to call for that. Of course, Quero is only 22 years old himself, and he most certainly can improve. 

It could be that Quero becomes the everyday catcher long term, and Teel makes a position change. Or maybe Teel is the catcher, and Quero becomes trade fodder. The competition between the two and the team's handling of it should be fascinating to follow. Having two potential solutions at the position is a good problem to have. You rarely state that about the Sox.

Braden Montgomery, OF: This is the first season in pro ball for the 22-year-old, who is currently at High-A Winston Salem.

Montgomery started the season in Low-A Kannapolis, and he tore the Carolina League apart in 18 games to earn a quick promotion, hitting .304/.393/.493 with 19 RBIs. His numbers at Winston have been good. Not spectacular, but good. 

He's batting .271/.345/.475 with with seven homers, 12 doubles, two triples and 30 RBIs in 48 games. Montgomery is probably the highest-upside hitter in the organization, but it's too early to say whether he will one day become a stalwart in Chicago. 

Right now, the plan is probably to finish the year in High-A. Maybe there's another promotion to Double-A Birmingham coming later this year if his numbers go from good to dominant.

Chase Meidroth, SS/2B: I don't think we expected Meidroth to be the everyday shortstop in Chicago this season, but that's how it has worked out. When the season started, we heard a lot of Colson Montgomery hype, but with Montgomery still flailing at Triple-A, Meidroth has made the most of his opportunity.

After posting a 1.050 OPS in nine game at Triple-A Charlotte to start the season, Meidroth got a quick call-up to Chicago, and he's been a surprisingly good defensive shortstop. Scouts have said his long-term future is at second base, and maybe they are right. That said, I don't feel nervous when the opposition hits the ball to Meidroth at short. He's handled most everything that he's supposed to handle.

At the plate, he got off to a good start, but he's cooled significantly as of late. He's currently batting .264/.347/.317. His OPS+ is 90, which means he's 10% below league average at the position.

Over his past 12 games, Meidroth has slumped to a .163/.222/.163 slash line in 54 plate appearances. It's ugly, but it's also not a huge sample. An overall on-base percentage near .350 with good defense will play, if Meidroth can right the ship and maintain that over the course of a whole season.

I've seen some fans touting Meidroth as a member of the future core of the next good Sox team. Let's pump the brakes on that. The 23-year-old has earned the right to continue to play every day. That is fact. However, we still need to see whether his offense will hold up over the long haul.

Wikelman Gonzalez, RHP: The 23-year-old began the season by making four starts at Double-A Birmingham, but then he was converted to a reliever and promoted to Triple-A Charlotte, where he had a 2.75 ERA across 12 appearances and 16.1 innings.

That was good enough to earn a promotion to Chicago. Gonzalez made his MLB debut on June 20 against Toronto. He's made two appearances thus far, both lasting two innings. He allowed one run in both. He struck out five in four innings. That's good. He's walked four in four innings. That's bad.

But the stuff looks pretty good when Gonzalez throws it in the zone. Once again, it's too early to say whether this guy is a future bullpen stalwart, but he's shown enough so far to get some more opportunity.

Right now, it's just too early to do any victory lap about the Crochet trade. Every player the Sox acquired in this deal has had encouraging moments. It's a good sign that none of the three who have been called to the majors have fallen flat on their face. 

We've seen so much incompetence as a fan base that sometimes when we see competence in rookies, we get a little out over our skis and anoint them as the next big thing a little too soon. My final verdict: Be hopeful for these guys, but understand there is still a long way to go before they can be called established players. 

White Sox trade Andrew Vaughn, acquire Aaron Civale

The White Sox on Friday made a surprise trade, sending first baseman Andrew Vaughn to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for pitcher Aaron Civale.

The thing that's surprising about the deal is that the Sox got anything of value for Vaughn. The 27-year-old was selected third overall in the 2019 MLB Draft, but he never lived up to that pedigree with the Sox. 

In five seasons with the team, Vaughn finished with a .248/.303/.407 slash line. His OPS+ was 97, which means he was 3% below average with the bat during his time on the South Side of Chicago. That makes it tough to roster someone like Vaughn, who is a poor fielder and a slow runner.

In fact, Vaughn accumulated -0.4 bWAR in his Sox career, including an ugly -1.6 bWAR in the 2025 season. Vaughn bottomed out this year, batting .189/.218/.314 with five homers and 19 RBIs in 48 games.

That performance earned Vaughn a trip to Triple-A Charlotte. Now with the Brewers organization, he'll be playing for Triple-A Nashville.

Civale, a 30-year-old veteran right-hander with 123 career starts under his belt, asked out of Milwaukee after a demotion to the bullpen.

He missed the start of the season with a hamstring strain, and then went 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA across five starts with the Brewers.

Civale made his Sox debut on Sunday and pitched OK, giving up two runs in five innings. He was the losing pitcher as the Sox took a 2-1 loss against the Texas Rangers.

This is a good trade for the Sox because Civale will bring value to the team by covering innings at the major league level. Vaughn brings no value of any sort.

It's no secret the Sox have a thin starting rotation. Veteran Martin Perez is on the shelf with a forearm injury. Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush and Mason Adams are all out for the season after undergoing elbow surgery.

That has left the Sox to rely on a lot of inexperienced pitchers in their rotation. Shane Smith has been their best starter, but at 68.1 innings pitched, he only 26 innings short of a career high. It's only June 16.

Sean Burke is in a similar situation. His career high in innings is 108. He's at 70.2. 

What about Davis Martin? He once threw 144 innings at Single-A Kannapolis, but that was in 2019. Martin had Tommy John surgery in 2023. He's thrown 80.2 innings this season.

That's where Civale comes in. He threw 161 innings last year. With Perez being absent, Civale and Adrian Houser are the guys who can munch innings when any of the aforementioned three starters need to skip a start. It will happen.

Unfortunately, the Sox have lost five in a row after Sunday's loss. They are now 7-31 on the road after getting swept in Texas. They are 23-49 this season. 

White Sox call up RHP Grant Taylor

The White Sox on Tuesday called up one of their best pitching prospects, right-handed relief pitcher Grant Taylor.

Taylor, 23, was chosen in the second round of the 2023 draft. He was widely considered a first-round talent out of LSU, but he slipped to the Sox in the second round because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery during his draft year.

This is the right-hander's first full healthy season in professional baseball, and in 15 games in Double-A Birmingham, Taylor was 0-1 with a 1.01 ERA. He struck out 37 and walked 11 in 26.2 innings.

The first six of those 15 outings were starts. Someone controversially, the Sox recently moved him to the Birmingham bullpen. The prospect guys in the media and blogosphere objected, arguing that Taylor should continue his development as a starter.

No matter how you feel about that, Taylor was overpowering in nine Double-A relief appearances. He did not allow a run, while striking out 18. Only four batters reached bases against him -- three singles and one walk.

The Sox wasted no time throwing Taylor into a game. He worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh inning in Tuesday's 4-2 victory the Houston Astros. Taylor got his outs on 12 pitches, six of which were over 100 mph. He is still looking for his first strikeout after inducing a flyout to center and two grounders to the shortstop.

The Sox got a big game from Luis Robert Jr., who went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and his sixth home run of the season. Edgar Quero had perhaps the biggest hit, a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded that staked the Sox to an early 3-0 lead in the third inning.

Shane Smith (3-3) perhaps didn't have his best stuff, as he allowed seven hits and two walks across six innings pitched. But he surrendered only one run and benefited from three double plays turned behind him. He struck out four and has now won his past two starts. 

Brandon Eisert worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save of the season. The Sox are 23-44. 

White Sox take 2 of 3 from Royals

Coming into this weekend's series at Rate Field, the White Sox had lost 10 in a row and 18 out of 19 against the Kansas City Royals. 

Doesn't it seem like the Sox have a lot of these terrible losing streaks left over from the Pedro Grifol era? 

The good news is the Sox put an end to that foolishness by taking two out of three from the Royals over the weekend. The South Siders completed a 4-3 homestand against the first-place Detroit Tigers and Kansas City.

Frankly, I was expecting a 2-5 record this week, so I have no complaints, despite a Sox loss on Sunday. Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, June 6

White Sox 7, Royals 2: The Sox used a five-run bottom of the eighth inning to break open a 2-2 tie. Luis Robert Jr.'s two-run bloop single with the bases loaded put the Sox ahead to stay at 4-2.

Kansas City then gifted the Sox three more runs with a wild pitch and two errors. Robert Jr. finished the game 2 for 3 with three RBIs, although both hits were soft singles. The Sox broadcast booth tried to convince fans that Robert Jr. is "back" after that performance. Alas, he was 0 for 8 with four strikeouts in the final two games of the series.

Davis Martin got a no-decision, but pitched well. He gave up two runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked nobody. Catcher Kyle Teel went 1 for 2 with two walks and a run scored in his MLB debut.

Saturday, June 7

White Sox 4, Royals 1: A pair of home runs made the difference for the Sox. Tim Elko's fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the second inning, put the Sox ahead 2-1. Chase Meidroth's second home run of the year made it 3-1 in the third.

There the score stayed until the bottom of the eighth. Singles by Miguel Vargas and Teel and a sacrifice fly by Edgar Quero produced the fourth Sox run.

Adrian Houser (2-1) tossed six innings of one-run ball to get the win. He struck out six and walked one. Relievers Cam Booser, Steven Wilson and Dan Altavilla each worked a scoreless inning, with Altavilla earning his first save with the Sox. 

Sunday, June 8

Royals 7, White Sox 5: Kansas City's offense broke out with 16 hits, and the Sox were fortunate to limit the damage by turning five double plays.

Nevertheless, the Royals broke up a 2-2 tie with two runs in the seventh inning and three more in the ninth. The Sox trailed 7-2 heading into their last at-bat, but they came up with three runs and had the bases loaded with two outs. Alas, Elko struck out swinging against Kansas City closer Carlos Estevez to end the game.

Vargas totaled three RBIs for the Sox. He hit his team-leading ninth homer, a two-run shot in the first, and drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth. The South Siders were limited to four hits and struck out 11 times.

The Sox are 22-44. 

Shane Smith leads White Sox to rare home win vs. Tigers

It had been almost two years to the day since the White Sox last defeated the Detroit Tigers in Chicago.

Coming into Tuesday's game at Rate Field, the Tigers had won the past 11 games they had played on the South Side. The last win for Chicago? It came on June 4, 2023, when Jake Burger hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 6-2 victory. 

Any Sox fan can be forgiven for not feeling optimistic about this four-game series against Detroit, especially after the first-place Tigers beat the snot out of the Sox in the opening game Monday.

However, in a pleasant surprise, the Sox bounced back with an 8-1 victory Tuesday night. 

The Chicago offense kicked into gear late in the game, scoring seven runs from the sixth inning on. Credit starting pitcher Shane Smith (2-3) with keeping the Tigers off the scoreboard until the bats woke up.

Smith tossed 5.1 scoreless innings to earn his second big league win. He allowed just three hits, all singles, while striking out six and walking two. His season ERA falls to a rotation-best 2.45.

Michael A. Taylor worked a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Sox a 1-0 lead, and that's where the score stood when Smith finished his outing.

The Sox broke it open in the sixth, when Taylor hit his third home run of the season, a 3-run shot with two outs that increased the Sox lead to 4-0.

After Detroit got one in the seventh, the Sox added two more in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, two-run double by Austin Slater that made it 6-1.

Chicago scored six of its eight runs with two outs, which was nice to see. 

RBI singles by Mike Tauchman and Chase Meidroth increased the Sox lead to 8-1 in the eighth. That set the stage for a stress-free top of the ninth, as Chicago reliever Dan Altavilla retired the Tigers in order.

The Sox improve to 19-42. Hey, they are only 20.5 games back of the Tigers now! 

Luis Robert Jr.: Does he care?

I'm seeing a narrative emerge on social media about White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

The thinking goes, the Sox stink. Therefore, Robert no longer cares about the organization. He doesn't want to be here, and he's mailing in the season. He's just hoping to get traded, and that's the reason for his poor performance.

There's no getting around it: Robert has been absolutely terrible in 2025. He went 0 for 3 with a strikeout in Monday's 13-1 loss to the first-place Detroit Tigers. His batting average is down to .177. His OPS is down to .552. 

We're in June now, so this isn't a "slow start." This isn't because of "cold weather." This is a tire fire, a prolonged slump that is dragging an already-bad Sox team to even lower depths.

However, this whole "Robert doesn't care" business is a load of bull, and I'll tell you why. Let's take a look at the details of Robert's contract.

After this season, there are two club options remaining on his deal. Each is worth $20 million, one for 2026 and one for 2027. If the option is not exercised, Robert can be bought out for $2 million.

Let's think about this from Robert's perspective: Do you want $40 million over the next two seasons, or do you want $2 million after the 2025 season ends?

You want the $40 million, right? You want to play well enough so that those options get exercised, no?

Well, guess what? Robert isn't going to get that money unless he's turns his season around dramatically over the course of the next four months. If he continues to fail, he's not getting his $20 million next year, or in 2027. He's getting $2 million.

His poor performance this season is literally costing him millions. He could be leaving $38 million on the table. 

Do you really think he's mailing it in when he has 38 million reasons to play well? If you believe players are motivated by money (and I most certainly do), then the answer to that question is "no." 

Robert hasn't thrown in the towel on the White Sox. He just flat out sucks at the plate this season. No more, no less. Sometimes, it isn't more complicated than that.