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. 

5 White Sox players off to decent-to-good starts

Even after beating the Athletics two games out of three over the weekend in Sacramento, the White Sox are 8-14.

I don't think the organization is pleased with this start, although it shouldn't be surprising given the subpar nature of the roster. There are, however, some glimmers of hope.

In a rare moment of positivity, I present five Sox players who are off to decent-to-good starts in 2026:

1. Davis Martin. The right-hander has 37.5% of the Sox wins, having gone 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in his first four starts. Even in his one loss, Martin tossed seven innings of two-run ball -- he just didn't get any run support in that game. In his most recent start, Martin again went seven innings, allowing only one run in a 9-2 win Friday over the Athletics. He leads the team in innings pitched (25), strikeouts (19) and bWAR (1.1).

2. Munetaka Murakami. The comparisons to Kyle Schwarber have started. Perhaps that's a little premature, as the rookie from Japan only has 22 games under his belt. But much like Schwarber, Murakami has been a productive three-true-outcome hitter to this point. He homered in all three games of the series against the Athletics, increasing his team-best total to eight. Murakami is batting only .208, but he leads the Sox in walks (20), RBIs (16), on-base percentage (.376) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.542). Sure, he's struck out 31 times in 93 plate appearances, but his .918 OPS and 161 OPS+ are exactly what the Sox were hoping to see. 

3. Noah Schultz. The rookie posted three dominant starts at Triple-A Charlotte to force his way into the majors. The left-hander's first MLB start was shaky -- more specifically, his first inning was shaky as he gave up three runs in an 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay. But Schultz has allowed only two runs in the 8.1 innings since, and he picked up his first career victory Sunday, when he limited the Athletics to just one hit over five innings in a 7-4 win. Schultz is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA since joining the Sox, with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 9.1 innings pitched. 

4. Everson Pereira. The 25-year-old outfielder is the one reclamation project on this roster who has shown us something in the early going. Pereira has dealt with injuries this season, including an ankle problem that kept him on the shelf for the first two weeks of April. But since rejoining the lineup on April 14, Pereira has gone 7 for 21 with three doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. He has struck out 12 times in only 37 plate appearances, so there's plenty of swing-and-miss in his game. But the contact has been loud, as evidenced by his .297/.366/.649 slash line. It's a small sample, but that slugging percentage leads the team.  

5. Colson Montgomery. Despite the weird-looking offensive profile, Montgomery leads Sox position players in bWAR at 0.7. Some of that has to do with his defense at shortstop, where he has not yet committed an error this season. Give Montgomery credit for his glove. Throughout his pro career, he's faced questions about whether he can stick at shortstop. He may not win a Gold Glove anytime soon, but his defense has been more than serviceable. His slash line is at .200/.318/.453, with five homers, four doubles and 13 RBIs. He still strikes out a lot, 28 times in 88 plate appearances. But if Montgomery continues to post a 120 OPS+ with above-average defense at short, can we really complain? I would say no.

Up next for the Sox: three games at Arizona, starting Tuesday night at 8:40 Central. 

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.