White Sox send Montgomery back to Triple A Charlotte

The White Sox sent shortstop Colson Montgomery to Triple A Charlotte on Monday, which suggests he'll open the season in the minor leagues rather than the South Side.

Montgomery, 23, was the White Sox’s first-round pick in 2021, currently rated by MLB Pipeline as the team's No. 4 prospect and No. 39 overall. During the offseason, he said his goal was to be the Sox's starting shortstop on Opening Day.

“Most importantly, we want the front end of the year to be one that (he) goes out there and is really productive, lock in what he's working on,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters in Arizona. “He had a hiccup in camp with health that made spring training maybe a little less smooth than he would have liked. However, I know he's working really hard.”

Due to back spasms, Montgomery has had only 9 at-bats in spring training, with the lone hit a home run off Cubs' left-hander Caleb Thielbar. Montgomery returned to action on Sunday after missing roughly two weeks.

Another issue is he didn't exactly master Triple A last season, hitting .214 with 18 home runs, 63 RBI and a high strikeout rate at Charlotte.

“He's a very mature kid and he handled it like a pro,” Getz said. “We explained to him how important he is to this organization and the future of the White Sox. Through that, you make decisions like this in the best interest of Colson and certainly the Chicago White Sox.”

With Montgomery in the minors, the most likely scenario for Opening Day would be Josh Rojas, a six-year MLB veteran, at shortstop with Lenyn Sosa at second base. Both are hitting over .300 this spring.

The Sox also sent pitchers Nick Nastrini and Owen White, plus first baseman Tim Elko to Charlotte. The Sox lost to the Padres 7-5 on Monday as starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon was tagged with 4 runs in 3 innings.