There were some who thought Colson Montgomery, the No. 5 White Sox prospect and No. 95 overall, according to MLB Pipeline, could be the Opening Day shortstop on the team’s 2025 Major League roster.
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That scenario didn’t play out, with a back malady sidelining him for 10 days during Spring Training. Then, some worried if Montgomery would ever even get to the Majors after his average dropped to .149 for Triple-A Charlotte near the end of April, leading to a reset for the 23-year-old left-handed hitter with director of hitting Ryan Fuller in Arizona.
But now the guesswork has been removed and the toughest test begins. Montgomery was called up to join the White Sox for Friday’s series opener in Colorado, making him the ninth rookie on the team’s active roster. To make room on the roster, infielder Vinny Capra was designated for assignment.
“Colson has been doing a great job,” said White Sox manager Will Venable before his team’s 6-2 loss to the Dodgers. “Our focus is getting the Dodgers out.”
Their focus didn’t pay winning dividends Thursday, as the White Sox dropped to 28-59 and 31 games under .500 for the first time this season after the Dodgers’ three-game sweep. Montgomery had a torrid stretch this past weekend in Toledo, finishing 10-for-18 with a pair of two-home-run games, two doubles, 10 runs scored and seven RBIs, leading to him being named International League Player of the Week. He has a .218/.298/.435 slash line overall with the Knights, along with 11 homers, 10 doubles, 30 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
Checking in at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, there are some who feel shortstop might not be the long-term fit for Montgomery. That opinion is not shared by a confident Montgomery, and again, the proof will be on the field.
“I’ve seen enough of him where I firmly believe he can play shortstop,” said White Sox first-base coach Justin Jirschele, who managed Montgomery at Charlotte in 2024, during a recent interview. “He’s going to be one of the better athletes on the field. He’s a big, strong human being. He moves extremely well. I do think he can stay there.
“He’s a really good teammate. He brings energy. He has an infectious smile about him. He just creates a vibe where he makes people better. He makes his teammates better. When he’s around them, guys gravitate toward him. Everything that his aura brings to a clubhouse, it’s infectious.”
How the White Sox line up with Montgomery will be discussed more once he arrives. Chase Meidroth, who started his 56th game at shortstop for the White Sox Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, could move to second with Lenyn Sosa and veteran Josh Rojas moving around the infield. Miguel Vargas, mired in a current 1-for-33 slump, has the ability to handle both third and first, with Venable frequently talking about versatility being a key throughout his roster.
If called upon, Montgomery has and could move to third base for a game or two. This top-notch high school baseball and basketball player in Indiana, where basketball is more a way of life than an athletic endeavor, is built for the main stage.
Some believe Montgomery could take off at the big league level after dealing with true on-field struggles for the first time in his career. His chance begins at Coors Field.
“He was always a superstar and he still is a superstar in my eyes and in our eyes,” Jirschele said. “Just going through those failures and watching him grow as a person, as a human being, as a competitor, and understanding like, ‘Ok, what do I need to do to turn the page on this and get better from it and learn from it?’ It’s the right way going about it.”
“Even in the clubhouse, even in the early work, even during batting practice, some of the body language stuff that we can get from guys that they’re telling you some things about where their head’s at, how they’re feeling, those kinds of things,” White Sox director of player development Paul Janish said. “Colson is in a good place. He expects success right now, which is exciting.”
Top White Sox prospects are arriving in full force, allowing the White Sox to see what they have at this stage of the rebuild.
“All of us young guys, we learn from each other,” said center fielder Brooks Baldwin, who homered Thursday. “We learn from the older guys, kind of pick their brains and talk about it amongst ourselves -- what’s working for you, what’s working for me. Just kind of grow together, not only as an individual but as a group.”