Surging White Sox prospect could force his way onto the roster by June 1

The Chicago White Sox are exceeding expectations thus far, as they enter Wednesday's action with a 25-23 record. Chicago is just 2.0 games out of first place in the AL Central, and what's even crazier about how they've performed is that there's still a path for them to improve further. The White Sox have gotten solid contributions from prospects like Noah Schultz and Sam Antonacci this season, and they have another top young talent on the verge of debuting.

Braden Montgomery, one of the key pieces of the deal that sent Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox in the 2024 offseason, is playing so well that he might end up being promoted to the Majors for the first time before the month of May even ends.

Braden Montgomery is establishing himself as an elite prospect

Expectations have always been high for Montgomery, the No. 12 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft by Boston, and all he's done since arriving in the White Sox organization is exceed them. The 23-year-old worked his way up from Low-A to Double-A last season, and after beginning this season at that level, he's already been promoted to Triple-A.

Montgomery had a 1.035 OPS in Double-A before his promotion and he hasn't really skipped a beat at the higher level, slashing .291/.361/.473 with two home runs and seven RBI in 13 Triple-A contests. Now, strikeouts are a bit of a concern, as he's fanned 17 times in 61 plate appearances, but he's a well-rounded switch-hitting outfielder with special power and the ability to play center field. There's a reason MLB Pipeline is so bullish when it comes to evaluating Montgomery, the No. 24 prospect on their top 100 list.

Montgomery is No. 53 overall on FanSided's top 100 list, and has only helped boost his stock since that list was published. A 13-game sample size might be small, but if Montgomery continues to get on base at a high clip and show off his raw power, how much longer can a competitive White Sox team leave him in the Minors? It's not like they don't have a need for him.

White Sox have a clear opening for Braden Montgomery call-up

The White Sox are quietly building a quality position player core with guys like Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas in the thick of it, but all three of those players are infielders. Antonacci has been playing left field every day, but the other outfield spots are held by Tristan Peters and Jarred Kelenic against righties and Randal Grichuk and Luisangel Acuña against lefties. Peters has been pretty good and Grichuk has a long track record of hitting southpaws, but the point is that the White Sox could use a boost in their outfield in the near and long term.

Whether Chicago wants Montgomery playing center field or right field, they have room for him, and they'd form a lineup that can score runs against anybody in the process.

And what's even crazier is that this lineup figures to get even better. Kyle Teel has missed the entire year with injury thus far, but he should be back at some point. Both Everson Pereira and Austin Hays are on the IL as well. The White Sox even have other prospects knocking on the door.

Believe it or not, the South Side has the makings of a team that can, at the very least, hover around the .500 mark — which, in turn, would have them in the AL Wild Card race, if not the AL Central race. Montgomery figures to only help them push for a playoff spot. Given what they have in the outfield and what Montgomery has done in the upper minors, it feels like it's only a matter of time before he receives the call he's been dreaming of.

More Chicago White Sox news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow