Braden Montgomery promoted to Triple-A Charlotte

The White Sox announced on Sunday afternoon that outfielder Braden Montgomery has been promoted to Triple-A Charlotte.

Montgomery, 23, is the No. 73 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America's top 100 list. In 27 games at Double-A Birmingham this season, he batted .313/.429/.606 with six homers, five doubles, three triples and 22 RBIs.

The swing-and-miss in Montgomery's game remains at issue, as he struck out 32 times in 126 plate appearances. However, he did draw 21 walks.

Given the Sox's unstable outfield situation at the big-league level, fans should cross their fingers and hope Montgomery can conquer Triple-A pitching in relatively short order. A call-up to Chicago sometime later in 2026 would be nice to see.

Let's take a look at what the Sox have gotten out of their outfielders so far this season, with all numbers entering Monday's action:

• Sam Antonacci: .255/.361/.431, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 121 OPS+ in 61 plate appearances
• Luisangel Acuna: .169/.235/.182, 0 HR, 3 RBIs, 19 OPS+ in 86 plate appearances
• Everson Pereira: .250/.310/.453, 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, 111 OPS+ in 77 plate appearances
• Andrew Benintendi: .200/.241/.350, 2 HRs, 15 RBIs, 64 OPS+ in 108 plate appearances
• Tristan Peters: .284/.346/.324, 0 HR, 5 RBIs, 89 OPS+ in 83 plate appearances
• Austin Hays: .233/.250/.326, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 60 OPS+ in 44 plate appearances
• Derek Hill: .263/.349/.421, 2 HRs 3 RBIs, 115 OPS+ in 44 plate appearances
• Jarred Kelenic: .167/.286/.167, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 31 OPS+ in 7 plate appearances 

It's not great, is it? Pereira has shown encouraging signs when healthy, but he's on the injured list for the second time already this season. The same is true for Hays, who hit the 10-day injured list Monday with a left calf strain.

It's gotten so bad for the Sox that they signed Randal Grichuk off the scrap heap Monday. The 34-year-old veteran batted .194 in 16 games with the New York Yankees before being designated for assignment in late April. 

He takes Hays' spot on the roster immediately after inking a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. 

So, indeed, the Sox could use a fixture for at least one spot in their outfield. I don't see that guy among this current group. Let's hope Montgomery comes quick. 

Orioles snap modest White Sox winning streak

It's too cold to hit. Boo hoo hoo.

Or maybe the White Sox were just due to lose after their surprising three-game sweep of the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.

The Sox outscored Toronto 14-7 in their three weekend victories, but they were limited to only four hits Monday in a 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field. 

(Sidebar: The Blue Jays lost 14-2 to the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, so perhaps Toronto is in a slump right now.)

One trend that's emerging for the Sox: the use of Grant Taylor as an opener. The right-hander has started three of the four games on the homestand, working a scoreless first inning each time.

In his two starts against Toronto, Taylor needed only nine pitches to get three outs both times. On Monday, he worked around a leadoff double by Baltimore's Taylor Ward.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it? Or maybe give Taylor two innings, if he's efficient in his first inning and the team thinks his future is as a starting pitcher.

Erick Fedde (0-2) pitched well over six innings on Monday, as well, allowing two runs. But that was enough to get him beat on a night when the Sox didn't do much of anything offensively.

Baltimore starter Brandon Young (1-0) was 1-7 with a 6.24 ERA in his previous 12 career starts, but he tossed five shutout innings against the Sox. He allowed only two hits and two walks, while striking out two.

It wasn't until the ninth inning that the Sox threatened. They scored their only run off Baltimore closer Ryan Helsley, who hung over for his third save of the season.

Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas worked back-to-back walks to start the ninth. They advanced to third on a groundout by Colson Montgomery. Pinch-hitter Lenyn Sosa grounded out, scoring Murakami for the lone Sox run of the game.

An infield single by Andrew Benintendi moved Vargas to third, but with two outs and runners at the corners. Helsely struck out Edgar Quero to end the game.

The Sox lost left fielder Austin Hays to a strained hamstring in the fourth inning. It's fair to expect a trip to the injured list and a roster move before Tuesday's game against Baltimore, which has been moved up to 2:10 p.m. because of the unseasonable cold in Chicago. 

Not that it's going to be much warmer in the afternoon.

The Sox are 4-6. 

White Sox sign OF Austin Hays to 1-year contract

It's time to do a little player comparison, based on 2025 statistics:

Player A: .263/.356/.400, 17 2Bs, 9 HRs, 40 RBIs, 112 OPS+, 1.9 WAR, 93 games

Player B: .266/.315/.453, 16 2Bs, 15 HRs, 64 RBIs, 105 OPS+, 0.8 WAR, 103 games

Player A is Mike Tauchman, the veteran corner outfielder the White Sox brought in on a one-year contract last season.

Player B is Austin Hays, the veteran corner outfielder the White Sox just signed to a one-year deal for 2026. 

It's not an exact apples-to-apples comparison. Hays, 30, is five years younger than Tauchman. And Hays has more power than Tauchman, having hit 15 or more home runs in four of the past five seasons. Tauchman's career high in homers is 13, although he has Hays beat in the on-base percentage category. The shape of the production between these two players is a little different.

Also, Tauchman swings lefty. Hays bats right-handed.

But ultimately, the Sox are swapping one outfielder for another here. Hays is coming off a league-average kind of year with the Cincinnati Reds, and his best skill is the ability to hit left-handed pitching.

Here are his splits for last season:

• vs. LHP: .319/.400/.549
• vs. RHP: .249/.286/.422

That said, Hays did hit 13 of his 15 homers last season against righties, and I don't think he's coming to Chicago to be a platoon bat. He's coming here because there's an opportunity to play every day in a Sox outfield that features a lot of question marks.

Luis Robert Jr. has been traded, creating an open competition in center field.. Andrew Benintendi is the incumbent left fielder, but there are question marks about whether his health will allow him to stand in the outfield every day. Right field is vacant after Tauchman was not tendered a contract offer. Brooks Baldwin will be on the roster, but his role is likely utility-oriented. It doesn't seem probable that he would win an starting outfield spot in camp.

The Sox have accumulated several reclamation projects in the outfield. Luisangel Acuna, acquired in the Robert deal, has been mostly an infielder in his career, but he's playing center field in the Venezuelan winter league. Derek Hill, a glove-first veteran, is another candidate to play center. 

Everson Pereira, a former top prospect in the New York Yankees organization, and Tristan Peters, a castoff from the Tampa Bay Rays, are on the 40-man roster entering spring training. Former top prospect Jarred Kelenic, who struggled with both the Seattle Mariners and the Atlanta Braves, is coming to camp as non-roster invitee. 

Amid all this chaos and uncertainty, it seems pretty likely that Hays is going to be standing in a corner outfield spot on a regular basis for the Sox, provided he's healthy. He did miss 59 games last season with calf and hamstring injuries.

But presuming availability, a healthy Hays provides predictability in a sea of unpredictability. That's why the Sox signed him.