One of the top prospects in baseball is headed to Chicago as Braden Montgomery arrives at the perfect time for a White Sox team preparing for its toughest stretch of the season.
The wait is over. Prior to this week's series against the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago White Sox are selecting the contract of top outfield prospect Braden Montgomery and will make him active for his MLB debut.
Montgomery was the No. 1 prospect in the White Sox organization at the start of 2026 and has since been surpassed by Caleb Bonemer despite his status as the No. 21 prospect in all of baseball.
In 56 total minor league games this season between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, Montgomery is batting .314 with a .970 OPS. He has 13 doubles, 10 home runs, and 41 RBIs while swinging it well from both sides of the plate and showcasing why he was a first-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2024 (12th overall) and a headliner in the return package for Garrett Crochet.
That trade sent four players to Chicago, all of whom have since made their MLB debuts and contributed to the big league team. And while Chase Meidroth and Kyle Teel figure to be part of the long-term core in Chicago, Montgomery is the player from that deal with the most upside.
And he couldn't arrive in Chicago at a better time.
The White Sox are currently sitting 1.5 games back in the AL Central with a 34-31 record. But the June schedule is going to present Chicago with its most difficult challenge yet. They'll face the Braves, Dodgers, and Yankees, three of the best teams in the sport, for nine consecutive games. So while the offense hasn't been the most prominent issue for the Sox recently, the energy and spark that someone like Montgomery might be able to provide is paramount.
The White Sox need to figure out what this team is and what it might need by the end of July when the trade deadline rolls around. The vision has always been for Montgomery to help the 2026 White Sox down the stretch, so why not now when he's playing with a lot of confidence and seeing the ball well in the minor leagues?
Over his last 10 games, Montgomery is batting .474 (18-for-38) with 12 RBIs and a 1.291 OPS.
We're reaching the point where Montgomery has nothing more to prove in Charlotte. That doesn't mean he's a finished product, but he's hit at every level for the entirety of his professional career.
The main question I have now is how the White Sox will use him at the big league level. Montgomery is batting .337 with a 1.040 OPS from the left side of the plate against right-handed pitching this year. He's batting just .220 with a .681 OPS as a right-handed hitter against left-handed pitching.
Do the White Sox use him as a platoon bat and give him an off day against lefties? If so, we may not see him in the starting lineup on Wednesday or Thursday against the Braves as Chris Sale and Martin Perez take the mound.
Right-hander Grant Holmes will start for the Braves on Tuesday, and Montgomery can be expected to be in the starting lineup for his debut, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CST at Rate Field.
