Next wave of White Sox prospects on verge of sending rebuild into overdrive

CHICAGO – Picture this dream scenario as a White Sox supporter:

It’s Opening Day 2026 and Braden Montgomery – the team’s No. 1 prospect and No. 35 overall per MLB Pipeline – is in right field for the contest at the Brewers. Left-handers Noah Schultz – Chicago's No. 2 prospect and No. 40 overall – and Hagen Smith – the No. 5 prospect and No. 88 overall – are part of the team’s young but talented starting rotation.

Quite a boost for the ongoing White Sox rebuild, which is looking to move toward a more competitive stage. Montgomery, Schultz and Smith are the next wave of top young contributors within the organization, and while they probably won’t be there on Opening Day, they will contribute this season.

“We’re always open-minded,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “I see Braden getting into the mix for being on the Major League club [in 2026], but I don’t anticipate that happening out of Spring Training.

“I don't want anyone to get ahead of themselves. I want them to just have a dominant offseason, taking care of their bodies, going through a proper throwing program. Once you get to Spring Training and baseball action really picks up, you get a real idea of where these players and pitchers are.”

The switch-hitting Montgomery, 22, made a triumphant professional baseball debut in 2025 across three Minor League stops, with a .270/.360/.444 slash line to go with 12 home runs, 34 doubles, 68 RBIs, 64 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. His impressive numbers continued during 12 games for Glendale in the Arizona Fall League, where he slashed .366/.527/.644 with 11 RBIs, six doubles and three stolen bases.

These statistics have been talked about quite frequently, as Montgomery could become the centerpiece of the four-player return in the Garrett Crochet trade with Boston at the close of the 2024 Winter Meetings. It’s exciting for the White Sox to think about, but there’s no rush to get Montgomery to the highest level.

“There's definitely a set of obligations that have seemed to come with it that I’m still adjusting to, but it’s been enjoyable,” said Montgomery on the pressures of being a rising young star during a September interview. “I just kind of stay rooted in my family, and we kind of just take it on together and make it happen how we need it to happen.”

“Really impressive kid,” said White Sox director of player development Paul Janish of Montgomery during a September interview. “From an ability standpoint, he can do some things other people can't do.

“We'll continue to facilitate the work ethic that he has and try to help him be diligent with what he needs to do, because at the end of the day, there's one league that he wants to play in, and assuming health, I'm pretty comfortable he's going to get there. We’ve just got to make sure it's the right time.”

Schultz, 22, was bothered by patellar tendinitis in his right knee that limited him to 73 innings between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2025, with 76 strikeouts and 45 walks to go with a 4.68 ERA. The knee issue for the 6-foot-10, 240-pound hurler existed for longer than was publicized, but he’s on track for a normal Spring Training.

In fact, Schultz has spent the past month at the Boras Sports Training Institute in Miami. Reports at the Winter Meetings were positive concerning Schultz, who has adjusted his training regimen for the 2026 campaign and beyond.

Smith, 22, produced a 3.57 ERA over 20 regular-season starts with Birmingham, striking out 108 and walking 56 over 75 2/3 innings. He struck out 16 and walked seven while allowing two runs over nine innings during a pair of Birmingham playoff starts, and that effort was followed by 21 strikeouts and six walks in 14 innings for Glendale in the AFL.

Shortstop Colson Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth, catchers Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero and right-handers Shane Smith and Grant Taylor marked the first wave of young players significantly contributing to the White Sox in 2025. This next group is close, with immense ability present for all three of these Top 100 prospects, but there’s work to be done.

“Being in the Minor Leagues with Braden Montgomery and some of the other prospects, we truly do feel like we're in a great spot to make a difference at the big league level,” said White Sox right-hander Tanner McDougal, Chicago’s No. 7 prospect who was added to the 40-man roster this offseason. “They're doing a great job of making it feel homegrown and like a family. I truly do feel like this group of guys is very close, at least on my side of things.”