The future keeps arriving on the South Side. Prior to Tuesday night’s series opener, before the Braves roll in, the White Sox officially selected the contract of Braden Montgomery from Triple-A Charlotte. One of the most hyped call-ups of this whole rebuild is now, at last, real.
Montgomery, No. 2 in Chicago’s system and No. 21 in all of baseball (MLB Pipeline), has been banging on the door since Opening Day.
He started the year in Birmingham, and it took about five minutes for the 23-year-old switch-hitter
to torch the Southern League. Player of the Month in April, up to Charlotte by May 5. The brakes? He never found them.
The numbers across the season: .314/.422/.548, 10 bombs, 41 RBIs, 52 runs, 39 walks in 56 games between Birmingham and Charlotte. And in his last 10 with the Knights, he basically turned into Barry Bonds: .474/.580/.711, on base like it was a birthright.
At that point, there wasn’t much left to prove.
This call-up is another notch for the blockbuster Garrett Crochet trade between Chicago and Boston in December 2024. Montgomery was one of four bodies in that deal — Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, Wikelman González, the others. All four have reached the majors (although González started the season in Charlotte and is currently on the IL), and the trade isn’t even two years old.
For Montgomery, the journey to the majors has been anything but ordinary.
The former No. 12 overall pick entered the 2024 draft as one of the most talented players in college baseball after starring at Texas A&M. His combination of switch-hitting pop, incredible athleticism, and an arm that could knock over a mailbox from the outfield. A broken ankle suffered during the Aggies’ postseason run briefly slowed his ascent, but it did little to diminish the excitement surrounding his long-term potential.
Since turning pro, the hype train has only picked up speed.
Scouts drool over the power, but that’s just the start. The arm is a cannon — 70-grade, no exaggeration — and he can handle center or right. Most see him sticking in right, but the ability to play center is a nice bonus for a team still sorting through its future core.
The best part is that Montgomery isn’t just a slugger. He works counts, draws walks, and owns the strike zone. That patience, plus the pop, is why scouts see him as a real middle-of-the-order threat.
Now the White Sox and their fans will find out how quickly those tools translate in the big leagues.
Montgomery’s call-up came as part of a roster shuffle, with Joe Rock up from Charlotte, Rikuu Nishida and David Sandlin back to Triple-A, and Austin Hays to the 60-day IL.
But let’s be real: Tuesday is all about Montgomery.
For a team still building towards the next competitive window, these call-ups are the measuring stick. Some are just bodies. Some are hope.
Montgomery feels like something more.
The Sox think they landed a cornerstone in the Crochet deal. Starting tonight against Atlanta, fans get their first look at whether he can turn all that promise into something real.
The Braden Montgomery era? It’s here. Get excited.
