Monday, June 30

CHICAGO -- In looking at the White Sox roster after a 3-1 loss to the Giants on Friday, tomorrow or any time in the next month, it’s probably good advice to not commit all the players to memory.

There certainly will be trades between now and the Deadline on July 31.  

Maybe not extreme impact deals like All-Star hurler Garrett Crochet to Boston, where four players helping the White Sox in the present and the future were obtained in return. But general manager Chris Getz will be active. 

A healthy Luis Robert Jr. remains at the center of potential moves. But anyone from outfielder Mike Tauchman, to right-handed reliever Steven Wilson, to today’s starter Adrian Houser could aid a contending team with a return enhancing the White Sox core at the heart of their latest rebuild. 

As for that young core? Well, it’s OK to learn as much as possible about this group, because they are quickly becoming White Sox fixtures.  

“I like the group that we have here,” said Getz during an early-week media session. “There could come a point, at some time, that we need to consider something to repurpose the talent on our roster. At this point, I want these guys to really enjoy being with the Chicago White Sox and getting comfortable at the Major League level here.” 

What players make up this group? The roster features nine rookies in right-handed pitchers Sean Burke, Wikelman González, Shane Smith, Grant Taylor and Mike Vasil, left-hander Brandon Eisert, catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel and infielder Chase Meidroth, leaving the White Sox tied with Miami for the most rookies in Major League Baseball (per STATS). 

Teel, the White Sox No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline (No. 24 overall), joined Meidroth and González (No. 15) as part of that Crochet return, along with outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 4). Montgomery, who has an .829 OPS, 10 homers and 16 doubles between stops at High-A Winston-Salem and Single-A Kannapolis, could be part of the White Sox Major League roster as soon as next season. 

Having Teel, who knocked out three hits Thursday in a victory over Arizona, and fellow backstop Quero on the same active roster presents an interesting but pleasant issue for the White Sox, who need to find at-bats and games for both with them staying at catcher. Korey Lee, who turns 27 on July 25, also is behind the plate at Triple-A Charlotte. 

So, the White Sox don’t need to make a definitive call on who is No. 1 or No. 2 behind the plate between Teel and Quero in their present state. As Getz mentioned, they are allowing them to develop together.  

“We are always looking to do what’s best for this organization in the short term and long term,” assistant general manager Josh Barfield told MLB.com during a recent interview. “There are guys we identified that we feel really good about being part of the future here. We are pretty adamant on those guys being part of this thing going forward.” 

That core includes Noah Schultz (White Sox No. 1, overall No. 13) and Hagen Smith (White Sox No. 3, overall No. 26), who are rated the top two left-handed pitching prospects in the game, per MLB Pipeline. Schultz struggled in his second start for Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, walking four, striking out four and allowing five runs in two innings, but still has a trip to the Majors potentially on the 2025 horizon, while Smith returns to the Barons’ rotation tonight after being out since May 10 for a biomechanics reset and to deal with elbow soreness.

Don’t forget shortstop Colson Montgomery (No. 5), who has struggled mightily this season for Charlotte but hit two homers in a three-hit game Thursday and added two more hits Friday. Taylor and his 100 mph offerings are working in the White Sox bullpen currently and could make for a dominant future closer or eventually move into the starting rotation like Mark Buehrle, Chris Sale and Crochet before him. 

Even the best of rebuilds must supplement via free agency from the outside, a point Getz agreed with in his media session. That time might not come in the upcoming offseason, although the White Sox will have some payroll flexibility. 

Their plan is continued development within this core, including the No. 10 pick and beyond in the upcoming MLB Draft. 

“If we feel like there is a player that can help us right out of the gate when we acquire them, that is still attractive,” Getz said. “It's really about accumulating the talent, building out our prospect capital, because we know once you do that, future decisions can be much more advantageous for a club.” 

Davis Martin figured out one benefit to having gone through 2023 Tommy John surgery and its ensuing recovery period. 

“I joke around and say the only nice thing about having TJ is you know what TJ feels like,” Martin said. “And this wasn't anything near what that was.” 

Martin is on the injured list with a right forearm strain, which sounds ominous for a pitcher. He described the problem as some soft tissue stuff that the team and the reliable hurler felt no need to push through at this point. 

“Give the body some time to recover,” said Martin, who has a 3.79 ERA over 14 games (13 starts). “Get ready to go for the second half and hopefully before the All-Star break, get a couple of starts in and then take off." 

• Clayton Kershaw, in his 18th big league season, should be going for 3,000 career strikeouts against the White Sox either Wednesday or Thursday in Los Angeles. Nothing is set, but he’s three strikeouts away. 

• There have been three or four days this past week with the heat index over 100 in Chicago, and I honestly can say my preference strongly lies with 30-degree days. Of course, 70 to 75 degrees would be ideal year-round. 

• Birthday greetings to Cassie Carlson, Billy Russo and Daryl Van Schouwen, who all celebrate their special days today. All outstanding people.  

"I tell him it does, but it really doesn’t." -- Teel on whether his hand hurts after Taylor pitches to him -- Teel said Taylor has the highest velocity of any pitcher he has ever caught

“Take aside all the losses and stuff like that, the guys in here have been great the last three years.” -- Andrew Benintendi on his White Sox tenure

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