Mired in 2nd-half slump, Colson Montgomery showing signs of turning corner for Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox were held to one hit in a 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. And the offense didn’t get much going through five innings Friday against the New York Mets.
Things changed — and quickly — in the sixth inning as the Sox displayed their ability for instant offense. And designated hitter Colson Montgomery was in the mix.
Munetaka Murakami reached on a one-out walk. Then came the fireworks.
Miguel Vargas homered to left field on a 3-1 sweeper against Mets starter Sean Manaea. Randal Grichuk made it back-to-back home runs with a 400-foot blast to center field on a 1-1 fastball.
Montgomery was up next.
After watching the two home runs, he said he didn’t alter his approach.
“It’s the same thing — I’m not really thinking ‘try to hit a home run’ or anything like that,” Montgomery said after Friday’s game. “You feel pressure to, because they go back to back. The fans are getting electric. It’s one of those situations where you can definitely get out of your plan and your approach.
“I just stuck with myself and tried to calm myself down. It was getting electric out there so I’m calming myself down.”
Montgomery hit an 0-1 sinker over the right-field wall for his 27th home run of the season.
“The first swing (of the at-bat), I thought was a really good swing and it was a tough pitch,” Montgomery said. “I felt like if he threw it anywhere similar I wasn’t going to miss it.
“I felt like I had pretty good at-bats the whole night, good swings.”
The Sox finished with four home runs in the 6-4 victory. Catcher Jake Rogers ended the game by hitting a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth.
Friday marked the second time the Sox hit three home runs in a row during a game this season. Murakami, Vargas and Montgomery did it April 21 against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Overall, the Sox were second in the American League in home runs (171) and slugging percentage (.409) coming into Saturday.
“It’s kind of been our motto, I guess you could say, we are up there trying to slug, we’re up there trying to put the ball in play and trying to hit the ball hard,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery went 1-for-3 with a key walk in the ninth inning Friday. While he is hitting .209 since the All-Star break, Montgomery has been trending in a good direction as of late — going 8-for-21 (.381) with the home run and four RBIs in his last six games entering Saturday.
“I know that he had a pretty solid stretch there where he wasn’t feeling at his best and doing some of the things we’re used to seeing him do, but I feel like he has turned the corner the last week or so, we’ve seen him take some really good swings,” manager Will Venable said before Saturday’s game. “He’s been hitting the ball hard, making good swing decisions. So nice to see him continue to play well.”
Montgomery wants to contribute any way he can.
“It’s one of those things where a series or a game can kind of get you going,” Montgomery said. “I think the Cubs, that whole series, it was like playoff baseball, rivalry, if you will. So it’s like you are up there and trying to do whatever you can to win.
“That’s what helped me and then led me into (Friday). Seeing the ball well. Everyone else is feeling good, I feel like we’re just going to keep going.”
Top prospects shut down
The Sox announced that 2026 No. 1 pick Roch Cholowsky, who had been dealing with right wrist soreness, will not return for the rest of the season. The season is also over for 2025 first-round pick Billy Carlson, who is recovering from a skin infection on his left leg.
Cholowsky went 6-for-36 (.167) with one home run, 10 RBIs, seven walks and three stolen bases in nine games for High A Winston-Salem. The shortstop last played Aug. 15.
Carlson, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft, hit .256 with 13 doubles and 20 RBIs in 57 games for Class A Kannapolis. The shortstop’s last game was Aug. 9.
Cholowsky is rated as the top prospect in the Sox system, according to MLB.com. MLB.com ranks Carlson as the No. 3 prospect. The seasons for Winston-Salem and Kannapolis wrap up Sept. 6.