Braden Montgomery homers have arrived at Triple-A
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Braden Montgomery can cross the highest level of the Minor Leagues off his home run bingo card.
MLB.com's No. 24 overall prospect went to the opposite field from the left side in his eighth Triple-A game in Charlotte’s 9-8 loss to Norfolk on Wednesday at Truist Field.
In the bottom of the third inning against right-hander Albert Suárez (Orioles), switch-hitting Montgomery swatted a fastball over the left-field fence that left the bat at 99.4 mph and went 372 feet. It was the 2024 first-rounder's lone hit of the contest.
Montgomery started the season hot at Double-A. He posted an eye-popping 1.035 OPS and a slash line of .313/.429/.606 with six home runs, 22 RBIs and 20 runs over 27 games for Birmingham.
Montgomery's 60-grade power has been increasingly evident as he inches closer to 20 career homers in 156 total games and continues to ascend the system at a brisk pace. That's despite the fact that the White Sox No. 2 prospect didn't play after being taken 12th overall in the ‘24 Draft due to an ankle injury suffered while playing for Texas A&M. It's taken him just over a year to reach the Minors' highest level.
Montgomery never took the field for the team that drafted him -- the Red Sox -- after Chicago acquired him in December 2024 in the trade that sent Garrett Crochet to Boston.
Kyle Teel, who also came over in that deal, joined Montgomery in Charlotte this week on a rehab assignment. The White Sox catcher singled, walked and scored a run on Wednesday after homering the night before in his first outing of the year.