Well, we’ve finally reached the final month of the MLB regular season.
After six months, 88 losses (and counting), a handful of tear-jerker call-up videos, and many surprises along the way, the 2025 White Sox campaign will be all said and done in just a few short weeks.
With active rosters expanding to 28 players to kick off the month, plus a few injuries to some key pieces, we’re seeing a mix of different guys getting more chances, many of which are grasping onto opportunities that may directly impact their future with the club.
Among those players, here’s a look at five different players and where they might be going forward in this organization if they can put a bow on their respective seasons.
Brooks Baldwin
Of the position players featured on this list, Baldwin probably has the best chance to receive quality playing time in 2026. Emphasis on probably.
We’ve seen the switch-hitter play nearly everywhere on the diamond this year, including:
- 2B: 10 games
- 3B: 15 games
- SS: 10 games
- LF: 33 games
- CF: 18 games
- RF: 15 games
The question with Baldwin isn’t necessarily when he’ll be playing, but a matter of where he’s best fit for. The defensive metrics haven’t been too kind, as he posts a negative defensive runs saved (DRS) at five of the six positions he regularly plays, minus right field (+1 DRS).
Outs above average (OAA) also agrees, as Baldwin posts a negative value for four of his six positions, except for center field (+0 OAA) and right field (+0 OAA).
We’ve been seeing Baldwin get the majority of his recent August appearances in the outfield, shuffling around between all three positions. Even though he’s getting some reps at third base here and there, the infield is rather crowded at the moment.
With a guy like Mike Tauchman headed for free agency after the season, Baldwin could be a guy that slides into the ever-revolving carousel of White Sox right fielders (before the call-up of touted outfield prospect Braden Montgomery). Beyond the metrics, though, we’ve seen some fun sliding highlights that really show off his athleticism.
Considering that Will Venable is penciling Baldwin into the lineup on a nearly daily basis since the middle of July, it’s clear the organization values him highly– defensive metrics aside. The question remains on whether the White Sox want to keep him as a steady outfield presence, or utilize him as the superutility “swiss army knife” that has kept his gameday bag filled with gloves galore.
Joining the trend of many young Southsiders in the second half of the season, Baldwin has found a refreshing level of production at the plate as a solid bottom-of-the-order presence.
It’s been enjoyable to see that we can include Baldwin with the higher touted young guys who have been offensively rocking this second half; ie. Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Chase Meidroth, Lenyn Sosa, etc.
Since July 19th, he’s posted a slash line of .277/.336/.465, good for an .801 OPS, and a 121 WRC+. For a guy like this, with his positional versatility, to be hitting this well in the 7, 8, or 9-hole on most days bodes pretty well for the White Sox of the future.
If he can continue to tap into his budding bat-to-ball skills, utilize his speed, find some power along the way, and establish a solid footing on his defense, September could look like a continuation of a strong second half of the season for Brooks Baldwin in his quest to find a secure role on the 2026 roster.
Korey Lee
Ironically, Korey Lee got called AND labeled himself a “swiss army knife” in making a return to the major league roster, albeit as a third catcher behind Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel.
Beginning the year on the Opening Day roster, Lee has only appeared in 19 games after an early-season ankle sprain sent him to the injured list. After a rehab assignment and a few quick appearances for the Sox, he was then optioned to Charlotte, where he spent nearly three months as their everyday catcher.
Despite playing 125 games for the club last season, the decision to keep Lee down in Charlotte for the majority of 2025 was a likely indicator of the foreseeable future of the catching situation in Chicago. Quero and Teel, both younger and more skilled offensive catchers, are getting almost all the playing time.
That being said, the Sox still have belief in Lee after calling him up in late August to have a third catcher on the roster. He won’t receive too many at-bats, barring any injuries, but is making the most of his opportunities thus far.
In his first game back from Triple-A, Lee went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk, showcasing his bat when receiving the opportunity to do so. Every once in a while, we’ll see Lee come in as a defensive replacement or as a pinch-runner, but it won’t be surprising to see him get a start every so often, to continue to prove his worth.
With a pop time that ranks amongst the upper echelon of MLB catchers, along with above-average caught stealing, Lee still possesses some solid tools that can be utilized well in the right situation. He’ll definitely need continued improvement at the plate, as he posted a .255/.313/.405 (.718 OPS) slash line in Charlotte this year, but that’s what this September can be about.
With the upcoming offseason in mind, the front office will have a decision to make about whether Lee still fits in their overall system. He has been loosely linked to trade rumors before, but ultimately stayed put on the South Side. A strong finish to the year could see his name resurface over the coming months.
Curtis Mead
Acquired from the Rays in the Adrian Houser trade, Mead has been receiving fairly regular playing time in the infield. This has been mainly in part due to Miguel Vargas’ sprained wrist, as Mead has been able to split reps between first and third base.
In 25 games with the Sox thus far, Mead has posted a slash line of .278/.321/.316 (.637 OPS), which has been slightly inflated due to his .373 BABIP in this small sample size. For the most part, we’re seeing a very similar version of Mead to when he was on the Rays – we haven’t seen too much meddling from the White Sox quite yet.
Defensively, Mead has been performing fairly average, as he splits time as a corner infielder, posting a +1 OAA and -1 DRS between his two positions. It’s still fairly early in his tenure with the Sox to fully evaluate what we’ll see from him and where he could ultimately land, but he very much fits in with Getz’s mission for versatility on the defensive side.
The one area of improvement we’d really hope to see from Mead in September is tapping into his power a little more. He only has three extra base hits of his 22 hits with the Sox so far, consisting of three doubles and no home runs.
In Triple-A Durham in 2024, Mead had 19 doubles and 13 home runs in 91 games, good for a .481 slugging percentage. He’s generally remained around the .480-.500 SLG clip throughout his time there, and you’d hope that some of that could eventually translate in the major leagues.. Perhaps some offseason work with Ryan Fuller could do Mead some favors, just as it has for Montgomery and Vargas.
Mead’s going to be in a weird spot heading into 2026. Heck, he’s still in a weird spot as we speak. He’s entered the White Sox organization with a fairly crowded competition for infield positions with a budding group of young guys who are all improving at a pretty rapid pace.
Lenyn Sosa is hitting like a madman. Vargas has made big adjustments that have translated. Chase Meidroth is the discipline king who is looking like a really strong defender. Montgomery might be the best power-hitting shortstop Major League Baseball has seen in a few years, who’s also a really strong defender. Even Baldwin is finding his groove at the plate and can play just about anywhere.
Where is Mead going to fit in all of this? We may not know our answer until 2026, but this current path of consistent playing time at multiple positions may help slowly reveal his role on this White Sox team for the future.
Jonathan Cannon
As of the writing of this article, Jonathan Cannon is being recalled back up to the White Sox to pitch the finale against the Minnesota Twins after spending a month down in Triple-A Charlotte.
To say that 2025 has been a struggle for Cannon may be an understatement. It feels as though his campaign this year has gone through three separate phases, both good and bad.
In March/April, Cannon was giving out too many free passes, allowing an average of three walks for each of his first six starts of the year. This wasn’t something we saw from Cannon for the majority of his rookie campaign, as he did a fairly good job at limiting walks in 2024.
Then, in May, his command really cleared up, as he only allowed one walk in five starts throughout the whole month. Throw in three quality starts, and it was looking like a fairly solid return to form for Cannon.
After a brief trip to the injured list with a back strain, Cannon continued to struggle with both walks and giving up the long ball, as he gave up two home runs in each of his last three appearances before being sent to Triple-A. Unfortunately, Charlotte has been a slight struggle for him, as he’s still struggling with command.
Ultimately, he sits at a 5.34 ERA (79 ERA+) through 96.0 innings pitched for the 2025 White Sox, posting a 0.3 fWAR. Not an ideal statline you’d like to see after showing some solid promise in 2024 at the back end of the rotation… which ends up speaking loudly to the future look of this pitching staff.
Fans could probably name 12 different guys who are competing for rotation spots next season. At this juncture, it really only feels like Shane Smith and Davis Martin might be locks. If Martin Perez’s option gets picked up, there’s a guy. Yoendrys Gomez has been an intriguing surprise. Sean Burke, right along with Cannon, has struggled but has the talent to bounce back. Heck, we may even see Mike Vasil and Grant Taylor re-explore starting roles. Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith also exist.
I think you can see the point here. I didn’t even mention the guys rehabbing from Tommy John, or some lesser heralded young pitchers rising through the farm system. This also doesn’t account for the possible (but unlikely) scenario of signing a SP2 or SP3 off the free agent market, either. There are going to be a lot of guys in the mix for the 2026 White Sox rotation.
For Jonathan Cannon (and by association, I believe Sean Burke will end up in a similar boat as well), these next few opportunities in September can go a very long way to show how well he can bounce back from adversity and finish the season on a good note.
Bryan Ramos
Now here’s a guy that I didn’t expect to be talking about at this juncture in the game, especially when I just talked about the issue of a crowded infield above!
After a brief stint in 2024, we hadn’t seen Bryan Ramos up with the White Sox until just a few days ago, getting the call when rosters expanded to 28 players. I’m not 100% sold on whether he would have been called up if Miguel Vargas didn’t hurt his wrist, but he’s here and has already gotten a start over at third base.
He went 1-for-5 with a two-RBI double against the Twins on Tuesday, with three strikeouts. It was nice to see his double get crushed off the right-center field wall in an important situation.
There’s been some interesting things about Ramos’ 95-game stint in Charlotte this year. While his slash line wasn’t necessarily eye-popping (.218/.317/.391, .708 OPS), it’s his remarkable 10.2% walk rate that really caught my eye.
In the lower levels of the White Sox farm system, Ramos had typically shown decent walk rates, but had fallen off a good handful in 2024, both in the minors and the majors. This part of Ramos’ game would certainly align with the vision that Chris Getz has with his current major league roster, all while keeping his strikeout rate not awfully high at 21.2%.
We’d definitely like to see that hit tool return closer to league average as time goes along, but considering he’s only made five plate appearances in September, we’ve got some time to see how his year in Charlotte will translate this month. Ramos brings yet another unique piece to this puzzle of how to best construct the major league infield for 2026 and beyond.
The Entire Bullpen. (Mostly.)
For legal reasons, this is a joke.
I won’t go too deep into the bullpen, mainly because it will very likely look completely different in 2026. However, a few key things I’d like to see from a few different guys who will contribute to this team down the line and are key members of the bullpen to help the Sox get some more wins to close out the year.
Mike Vasil, you are an electric factory, but let’s get that walk rate a bit down. Please.
The results have been very solid thus far, 2.57 ERA in 91.0 innings, but a 12.0% walk rate may not sustain those good results over the long run.
If you’re interested in reading about Jordan Leasure, please read this thread on X from our very own, Jordan Lazowski. He goes into great detail about Leasure’s second half success.
My only ask? I would love more continued outings of viewing leisure, from Mr. Leasure.
Finally, Grant Taylor. There’s been lots of discussion on his astronomical difference between his ERA and his FIP, which currently sit at 6.00 and 1.71, respectively.
If you’re curious and want an in-depth review on that difference, I’ll push forward SO35 contributor Matthew Mueller’s article, which went into great detail on what may be some of the causes of Taylor’s struggles in his current role.
With Taylor, I would love to see some success in higher leverage situations throughout this month. The Sox are in winning positions a lot more in recent times than others, so I hope that some more consistent opportunities in these spots help garner the results we know are more than capable for Grant Taylor.
Right now, it feels fairly easy (and fun) to talk about the young buck studs of this roster, like the Colson Montgomerys or Kyle Teels or Shane Smiths or Lenyn Sosas of the world. [Side note: who would have thought we’d be including Lenyn Sosa, of all people, with that kind of group?].
The improvement of depth pieces like the five players I highlighted within an organization is really what the White Sox need to make the next logical step forward. Seeing some of these guys already taking those first steps is exciting to see, and I hope that September brings more success for this group.
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Featured Photo: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images