The Chicago White Sox dipped into their farm system this week, calling up infielder/outfielder Rikuu Nishida on Monday and pitcher David Sandlin on Tuesday.
Nishida made an instant impression, throwing out runners from right field during his first two games. Sandlin was on the mound Wednesday at Rate Field, facing the Minnesota Twins in his major-league debut.
“It’s cool to see from top to bottom, the process is working,” manager Will Venable said Wednesday.
The development continues throughout the minors. Director of player development Paul Janish recently discussed the progress of some prospects as May nears an end.
At Triple-A Charlotte, 2023 first-round pick Jacob Gonzalez has a .294/.406/.594 slash line with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs in 49 games. The 23-year-old shortstop was named the International League Player of the Week on May 18 after hitting .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, four home runs and 12 RBIs from May 11-17.
The 15 home runs are already a professional career high for Gonzalez, whose previous high was eight in 2024 between Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham and in 2025 between Birmingham and Charlotte.
“You talk about development timelines maybe not being linear and the same for everybody — Jacob is playing as good as he can play,” Janish said Saturday in San Francisco. “Offensively, he’s in a great spot. And as long of a stretch of him being just really, really good as we’ve had with him.
“He’s mentally in a great spot. He’s doing everything he can and definitely has himself in the conversation. If an opportunity presents at the major-league level, I think he’s going to be part of those discussions for sure.”
Outfielder Braden Montgomery received a promotion to Charlotte in early May. He earned Southern League Player of the Month honors for April while in Double A.
Montgomery, 23, is hitting .279 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 46 games between Birmingham (27 games) and Charlotte (19 games).
“Braden answered every challenge we’ve given him at this point, going back to last year,” Janish said. “Starting in Birmingham, he did exactly what he was supposed to do, and I feel very comfortable saying that it doesn’t surprise. He’s a competitive guy and has high aspirations. He’s played really well in Charlotte and I fully expect him to keep doing that.
“I know a lot of people will look at the offensive numbers, which are good. But he’s played as good of defense as we’ve seen from him in the year and half we’ve had him in the organization (after acquiring him in the December 2024 trade that sent Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox). Some more aggressiveness on the bases as well. He’s in a great spot, and assuming health, hopefully he continues to do what he’s doing.”
Montgomery is the No. 2 prospect in the Sox system, according to MLB.com. The site ranks infielder Caleb Bonemer at the top of its list. He has 15 home runs in 45 games for Winston-Salem. One homer for the 20-year-old shortstop came on May 5 against 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole, who was on a rehab assignment from the New York Yankees.
“He’s a tough kid and plays hard and all he wants to do is get better,” Janish said of Bonemer. “Even though his numbers are really good offensively, what I would tell you is he’s not satisfied with where he’s at. The only thing that kid wants to do is get better.
“He continues to work — and we are talking about offensive stuff — but the defensive stuff, he just keeps getting better as the season goes. That’s really encouraging because defense is the sort of thing you really have to work to be good at.”
The Sox selected Bonemer in the second round in 2024. Their first-round pick in that draft, pitcher Hagen Smith, has a 4.54 ERA in 10 starts with Charlotte. The 22-year-old left-hander has 47 strikeouts and 27 walks in 33 2/3 innings.
“I know talking to Hagen himself, he will tell you he’s frustrated with his consistency,” Janish said. “The production has actually been fine. It’s not like he’s pitching poorly, necessarily. It’s just the expectations are high with him, and he has it just like we do. I really think with him it’s just an issue of getting more reps.
“He hasn’t had any really bad days. He just has had bad innings. He would be the first one to admit that. We are just working through that and keeping him going in the right direction. The more times he’s physically on the mound in games, it’s going to benefit him.”
