Chicago's power carried the White Sox offense throughout the first half, but the home runs have suddenly disappeared since the All-Star break.
Power bats have carried the Chicago White Sox offense for the majority of the 2026 season.
Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami, and Miguel Vargas have formed a formidable trio in the middle of the lineup. It’s a group of hitters that can change games with one swing, and in the first half of the season, they made some White Sox history.
Montgomery, Murakami, and Vargas became the first trio of White Sox players to have 20+ home runs at the All-Star break since Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, and Jim Thome accomplished the feat in 2006.
Chicago has also received meaningful contributions in the power department from Randal Grichuk (9), and Andrew Benintendi (10). The White Sox have also seen a surprising amount of pop from players like Tristan Peters (6), Sam Antonacci (7), and Chase Meidroth (7).
Home runs have simply been a calling card of this team.
But as we rumble toward the MLB trade deadline and the home stretch of the regular season, with the White Sox trying to win the AL Central for the first time since 2021, they need to rediscover the power that has been missing in action since the All-Star break.
The White Sox have hit just two home runs as a team since returning from the Midsummer Classic.
One came from Sam Antonacci in Toronto during Chicago’s first game back. The other came from Colson Montgomery last Sunday in the rubber match of that series against the Blue Jays.
Since then, the White Sox have played an entire series against the Texas Rangers and opened a homestand against the Houston Astros without hitting a single home run.
In the month of July, Montgomery, Murakami, and Vargas have combined for just five home runs. Murakami has not left the ballpark since returning from the injured list and participating in the MLB Home Run Derby.
Don’t get it twisted. Chicago has still played well and done its part since the All-Star break. A 4-2 road trip is just about everything you could ask for. And before a disastrous sixth inning, the White Sox appeared positioned to beat Houston on Friday night as well.
It certainly wasn’t the offense that was the issue.
The White Sox are averaging just under five runs per game since the All-Star break. That will play, but when you don’t hit home runs, you’re at the mercy of coming through with the big hit when runners are in scoring position.
On Wednesday night in Texas, Chase Meidroth and Andrew Benintendi each came through with RBI singles with runners in scoring position. Two of Chicago’s run-scoring hits came with two outs and ultimately propelled the White Sox to a 4-2 win.
But then you have games like the one the White Sox played in Toronto on Saturday. Chicago had multiple runners in scoring position, and its leadoff hitter reached base in the majority of innings. But the game ended with a shutout and a 1-0 defeat because the bats were unable to string together multiple hits and put a rally together.
The average number of runs scored may not look bad. But Chicago opened its series against the Blue Jays by scoring 12 runs, only to follow it up by getting shut out. To open the Rangers series, the White Sox scored 10 runs and then were once again shut out the following day.
That’s a lot of volatility.
As we wait for the White Sox to make a trade and acquire some pitching before the deadline, it has never been more essential for Chicago’s offense to perform consistently. As the rest of this weekend series against the Houston Astros plays out, and as the White Sox begin a difficult stretch of the schedule leading into the trade deadline, it will be pivotal for the team to rediscover the home run power that got them here.
