The White Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve optioned top shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery to Triple-A Charlotte. He’ll begin the season there. Chicago also optioned righties Nick Nastrini and Owen White to Charlotte. Non-roster first baseman Tim Elko was reassigned to minor league camp as well.
The Montgomery news doesn’t register as a huge surprise, given the way his spring has played out. The 23-year-old is widely ranked among MLB’s 100 best prospects, but he was slowed by back spasms in camp and has only taken nine plate appearances thus far. The former No. 22 overall pick is also coming off a rough 2024 season in Triple-A. Though he hit well for the final five weeks of the season, he finished out the year with an ugly .214/.329/.381 slash (88 wRC+) and a 28.6% strikeout rate. A big spring showing certainly could’ve thrust Montgomery into the mix for a roster spot, but he’ll head back to Charlotte and work toward a big league debut that will very likely happen at some point in 2025.
With Montgomery headed for the minors, the White Sox’ options at shortstop include Jacob Amaya, Lenyn Sosa and Brooks Baldwin. Prospect Chase Meidroth, acquired from the Red Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade, is also still in the mix but is not on the 40-man roster. The 23-year-old Meidroth had a nice year in Triple-A Worcester in 2024 but has struggled in his limited spring work thus far. Amaya has seen the most time at short this spring out of any option for the position.
The White Sox only selected Montgomery to the 40-man roster this past November, doing so in order to protect him in his first offseason of Rule 5 eligibility. As such, this will be just the first of his three option years being burned (assuming he stays in Triple-A for more than 20 days). The Sox could’ve considered bringing Montgomery north in hopes of securing future draft picks under MLB’s prospect promotion incentive (PPI) program, but between his back issue, last year’s rough numbers and a 1-for-9 performance with five strikeouts when he was in the spring lineup, they’ll go another direction.
Nastrini started eight big league games last year but was tagged for an ERA north of 7.00 and walked more batters than he punched out. He whiffed a quarter of his Triple-A opponents but was still hit hard there. He’ll likely stay stretched out as a starter in Charlotte and should get multiple opportunities to establish himself in the majors in 2025.
White is a former top prospect with the Rangers who bounced around the league via waivers this offseason. He split 2024 between the bullpen and rotation for Texas’ top affiliate. White only pitched one official inning in a Cactus League game this spring.
1-9 on the spring but the one was a Home Run. He’ll be up after the service time manipulation window closes
Nope. Definitely not. He’s likely to spend almost all season in AAA. He’s been a disappointment thus far.
Hard to label him a disappointment until he debuts. Slow your roll some
Keith Law says he can’t play shortstop
Can we get Vance Law’s take instead? 🙂
Nor can Keith Law
So Montgomery does suck! Another failed prospect by a failed organization.
Let him play at Charlotte for a few months to see if he’s ready, like 2 or 3 months.
Another empty comment, thank you for your service
Yuck. That means Jacob Amaya every day when the season starts.
You didn’t think the Sox were gonna pony up for a real major league SS did you?
I thought Montgomery was going to be the guy.
Amaya is a solid glove and Rojas, Baldwin cam fill in in a pinch. As others note, no need to hurry.
Of course not. Why rush Montgomery, who was touted as TA’s heir apparent. TA hasn’t played for the Sox since 2022. Instead they’re trying to fill holes with chewing gum and duct tape. Just another example of the Sox’ crack development coaches turning a good prospect into a AAAA mainstay.
He’s so bad he can’t even get a spot on the White Sox?
Superficial comment but not surprising if your screnname is anything like your fan base- can’t even sell out a World series game
It’s superficial to ask a question after hearing from CWS he’ll be getting lots of playing time? My fan base?
SS is too important a defensive position for Montgomery to work up to okay at best. Move him off that, and let’s see if his bat comes along a full year in AAA. Prospect rankings have no substance if it’s not backed up with development first to earn the call up.
Move Colson Montgomery off of SS? He’s a top-50 prospect and has been comped to Corey Seager. Aside from that, the White Sox have zero true SS prospects in their top-30 aside from #25 Javier Mogollon, a 19-year old who is 5’8″, has yet to graduate from Rookie ball and has an optimistic ETA of 2028.
Seager comp is quite lofty other than superficial he’s lefty/tall/thin. Don’t force a ceiling of okay glove SS-it’s on draft/development to come up with a really good glove SS that can at least not be a liability at plate (think Uribe quality only time they won anything). I’m rooting for the guy, however, if he can be that bat first help…..maybe 3B is a better fit.
Wouldn’t mind if Colson ended moving to 3b, kinda a Ripken comp as well being tall. Vargas at 1b and Chase the obp machine at 2b and suddenly the whole lineup improves.
Sox have Jurdrick Profar in their pipeline, unsure where he profiles better at, 2B or SS, but he is going to be in the big leagues.
Montgomery strikes out a lot, he hasn’t put up anything close to Meidroth’s numbers. I’m rooting for Montgomery too, but it’s a big season for him in AAA, he will have to take a step forward to hold on to his top prospect status.
Brooks Baldwin could take this opportunity and run with it too, don’t count him out.
Brooks Baldwin can’t hit. Hard pass.
Some scouts say he could play 3B or DH if necessary if SS doesn’t work out. This also happen to Moncada from 2B to 3B.
Yoyo was the other way around, an elite 3b who played 2b in a pinch but wasted there
Montgomery has been approached with the 3B option, he wasn’t too keen on it, he may warm up to the idea if his K rate doesn’t fall.
Moncada moved off 2nd because the Sox were in desperate need of a 3B not because he couldn’t play or was beat out of a job.
The White Sox moved Yoan Moncada off of 2B because he was deficient there defensively. He was athletic enough to handle the keystone but lacked the ideal baseball IQ for the position. There were also health concerns with Moncada at 2B with his muscular “linebacker” build and more opportunity for muscle/hamstring injuries.
The White Sox deemed 3B as a better fit for Moncada because it is a more reactionary, instinctive position that involves less “mental” acumen than 2B. When healthy, Moncada was considered an above average to elite defender at the hot corner and only average at best at the keystone. In hindsight, it didn’t matter much where Moncada played because he was an injury waiting to happen anyway.
It was also wrong to state that the White Sox were desperate for a second baseman when they moved Moncada from 2B to 3B. They had Yolmer (don’t call me Carlos anymore) Sanchez move over to the keystone where he proceeded to win a Gold Glove award, something Moncada had zero chance of achieving at the keystone. Yoyo was considered an annual GG contender at 3B. Moving Moncada off of 2B was also meant to free up the position for 2018 first round draft pick Nick Madrigal, yet another White Sox who couldn’t avoid the inured list. 🙂
Which was a terrible decision all-around…
A large part of Moncada’s value was the fact that he could put up big power numbers as a middle infielder. Once they moved him to 3B, it opened the door for a whole slew of noodle bats (like Leury Garcia, Cesar Hernandez, Nick Madrigal, and Josh Harrison) to fail at 2B.
A few months down at Triple A and then see what he looks like for a call up later in the season.
Think the one thing Getz is good at is identifying journeyman middle infielders so depth they have there in spades. So no hurry. It’s like Getz must have lifetime membership to the meh MI society.
Across: How many years at the AAA level is it gonna take for Colson “the phenom” to live up to expectations? He, like Colas, were can’t-miss prospects.
Dumpster: Getz has collected a bunch of low level rejects that are interchangeable. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt, that somehow this rebuild “plan” will work, he’s doing it wrong. No rebuild should take as long as this one will, if it even results in some measure of success.
Is Tim Anderson still available?
Uh, yeah and will likely be in Chicago for opening day along w Yoyo
Tim needed a change of scenery and Wash is the guy for him and Moncada.
Wish them both well. Kinda cool that by happenstance they’ll be making their debut to a packed house. Hope they go off, the way the Big Hurt did his first day back with the As. Standing os when Frank came to bat and went yard. He also spent an hour before game time signing everything in sight.
TA was a great player for the Sox, he is starting in LA I believe and has a real line at some playing time, could be a good season for him.
Nobody in their right mind who is a logical CWS fan ever thought he’s making the OD roster. Get some ABs, good habits, and confidence before he gets called up. I would say he probably gets called up around Mothers Day since Jerry is all about the PR love.
Reasonable move in context. He’ll be up pretty soon.
Makes sense since Amaya is out of options and can actually play the position. Have enough depth to allow Colson to find his sea legs
The Sox play their first 25 games in cold weather cities. It’s smart to have all serious prospects open the season in AA or AAA, rather than hit .157 and lose their confidence.
Colson Montgomery is also battling back spasms, which would not respond well to the 40-degree games (often in the rain).
Prediction: Colson Montgomery will be moved to 1B, focus more on hitting and will become more comfortable.
Sure. Then they can move Vaughn to C, a position he was built to play.
Why are you clowns so immature? Vaughn is better suited as a DH anyway.
Clowns, you the one with no neck
Vaughn like that coke machine guy they had at C went to the As, whazz his name?
Colson would lose his value if he started playing 1B
Really? If he became a GG 1B who hit 30 HR and drove in 90+, he would “lose value”?
LOL