Chicago White Sox Send Top-100 Prospect Down to Triple-A, Ending Quest For Starting Job

Colson Montgomery was thought to be in the conversation for the White Sox starting shortstop role, but that won't happen after he was sent to Triple-A on Tuesday.

Chicago White Sox infielder Colson Montgomery against the Cleveland Guardians during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale in 2023. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox announced on Tuesday that they have sent top prospect Colson Montgomery down to Triple-A Charlotte, thus ending his quest to be the team's starting shortstop.

Montgomery, a first-round pick of the White Sox in 2021, is currently ranked as the No. 39 prospect in the sport (via MLB Pipeline). Just 23 years old, he's coming off a down 2024 season, so seeing him develop will be one of the key storylines for the entire organization in 2025.

He hit only .214 last season with 18 homers. He's just 1-for-9 this spring with a homer, but he missed more than a week of action with back issues. The White Sox could go with Jacob Amaya, Josh Rojas, or fellow prospect Chase Meidroth as the starting shortstop while they wait for Montgomery to develop further.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

Because he's a physical lefty-hitting shortstop, Montgomery has drawn constant comparisons to Corey Seager, and he showed similar power and hitting ability at the lower levels of the Minors. But Montgomery's approach has changed in the past two years, when he has become much more focused on launching balls in the air to his pull side, and his swing decisions regressed last season as his chase rate jumped to 30 percent from 17 percent in 2023. He still has 30-homer pop and draws his share of walks, but he's a career .253 hitter through his first four years as a pro.

The White Sox are coming off a historically poor season in which they finished 41-121, owning the most losses in Modern Era history.

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