Crowded infield seen as positive by Getz as White Sox look ahead to 2027

CHICAGO – The White Sox have an infield issue many of the 29 other Major League Baseball teams would love to share.

They feature an abundance of talent, both at the big league and Minor League levels, which eventually will have to be resolved as the team continues moving forward from this breakout 2026 playoff season. In the present, it’s a good problem to have.

“It was a priority for us to seek players that play on the dirt, premium positions primarily, and over time we’ve been able to accumulate high-level talent,” said White Sox general manager Chris Getz during his end-of-season Zoom. “There are different ways to put together a roster. Whether you are platooning players, moving around the diamond, the outfield is an area in which we can make greater strides for improvement.

“Does that mean some of the infielders go to the outfield? Perhaps. You have a 26-man roster, even a 40-man roster, but injuries happen or if there’s underperformance, you can fall off the cliff. The replacement-level players aren’t there to get you through that time period.

“In this case, we have a lot of different options. So, to say that it’s a surplus? Yeah, perhaps it is,” Getz added. “There are different things you can do with a surplus, but primarily, let’s continue to develop these guys and deploy them in positions to put together the best lineup we can on a regular basis.”

Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Munetaka Murakami anchored from third to first on the 2026 White Sox. Vargas plays third and first, Montgomery plays shortstop and third, and Meidroth plays shortstop and second base, emerging as one of the American League’s Gold Glove finalists at second from this past season, showing off that versatility spoken of by Getz.

Don’t forget Sam Antonacci, who is a second baseman by trade but played 121 games and 918 2/3 innings in left field as a rookie. Then there’s the Minor League level, where Roch Cholowsky, Chicago's top prospect shortstop resides.

Cholowsky was the top pick overall in the ‘26 Draft and had 46 plate appearances for High-A Winston-Salem before his season was shut down by right wrist tendinitis. He’s progressing well and will likely be cleared to fully swing in early November, per the White Sox.

“He’s in a great spot. He’s just a little frustrated with not being able to play toward the end understandably,” White Sox director of player development Paul Janish told MLB.com. “I’m really excited to see how next year goes for him.

“One of the differences between us potentially and the college level in general is how much work we do on a daily basis outside of the game. Getting his body used to being able to do that and also play every day.”

Caleb Bonemer, Chicago's No. 2 prospect and No. 27 overall, launched 37 home runs to go with 29 doubles and 17 stolen bases while playing primarily at third base and shortstop for Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. He added outfield to his repertoire in late August and continues playing there during the Arizona Fall League.

Billy Carlson (No. 3 prospect) is one of the best defensive prospects at shortstop overall in the Minors. And William Bergolla Jr. (No. 9 prospect), whose right fibular stress fracture ended his season prematurely, might be the most polished infielder of the crew. That list doesn’t even include Cole Prosek (No. 4 prospect) and Landon Thome (No. 5 prospect) from the ‘26 Draft class.

“We have players such as Bonemer and Bergolla and Roch that are still developing in the Minor Leagues and aren’t quite ready to play at the Major League level,” Getz said. “We know the day is coming and probably sooner rather than later. If anything, I feel really good about the depth we’ve created.”

Trading from this plethora of talent to add starting pitching or in the outfield is a possibility, but then again, some of these infielders might end up in the outfield. It also seems a little early in the individual development process, with Montgomery showing off his power (31 home runs) against his single-season Major League- record 227 strikeouts through a first full year example.

As the growth continues, the trick is not getting too attached to prospects and missing a chance for team benefit.

“There's the personal, emotional piece of this, and I've talked about maintaining this identity of the clubhouse and what has made this group special,” Getz said. “Players evolve, things evolve, incentives evolve.

“We've got a really strong group to be able to recognize when change needs to happen. If we feel like there's opportunities out there to upgrade our team, we're going to go out there and do that. In the meantime, we're in pursuit of improving the players we have here … Having too many infielders is a strength of ours.”