It’s no secret that the Opening Day roster for the White Sox is lacking talent. Garrett Crochet is gone, no premier free agents were signed, and multiple big-name prospects with big league hopes landed in Triple-A to start the season. Fear not, though— these guys and a few notable others will make waves in Chicago with 2025 big league debuts.
Yes, we are fully back in 2018 mode, where prospect arrivals are the central thing breathing life into the fanbase. Depressing? A bit. A reality fans must accept? Surely. With that said, let’s dive into timelines for the talents that should bring fresh energy to the Sox over the next several months.
Noah Schultz
The South Siders boast a few interesting young arms in their upcoming 2025 starting rotation, but none are in Schultz’s tier. Universally heralded by prospect evaluators, the imposing lefty dominated the Southern League in 2024 with the champion Birmingham Barons.
Those 61 innings of Double-A experience should put him on track for a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte either now or briefly into the season. Give him a few months to polish his game there, and then get excited.
Verdict: August
Kyle Teel
Acquired as part of the massive return for Crochet, Teel impressed in his 2025 spring campaign. It wasn’t enough to earn him an Opening Day roster spot, but he’s certainly not far behind. Service time considerations may be at play for MLB Pipeline’s 32nd overall prospect in the game, although Teel only registered 28 games at the Triple-A level last season.
Korey Lee and Edgar Quero’s showings could delay things for Teel, but under average circumstances, the 23-year-old catcher is one solid stretch away from debuting.
Verdict: May
Colson Montgomery
Fresh off a slightly underwhelming 2024 campaign, Montgomery still began camp with the Sox, aiming to compete for an Opening Day slot. Those chances were dampened when Montgomery was sidelined for about a week as March began with a back injury, shortening Montgomery’s body of work this spring.
Still, 130 games is a lot to play at Triple-A as an elite prospect, even if his OPS last year was a mediocre .710. If he stays healthy and hits the ball with some authority, Montgomery is in a prime position to fulfill his dream soon.
Verdict: May
Edgar Quero
If less than 20 at-bats means anything, Teel got the better of Edgar Quero this spring. Thankfully, we’re all smart people, and Quero’s .544 OPS across nine games has no bearing on his outlook. That said, Teel and Quero appear bound to split catching duties in Triple-A, and the Sox can only be so patient while two of their top prospects are forced to rotate at one position.
Quero, the younger of the two by a couple of years, played 26 Triple-A games in 2024 to Teel’s 28, but looked sharper at that level, finishing with a stellar .295/.382/.463 slash line. Yet given the age gap, Chicago can afford to be a little more patient with him. All things considered, I see no reason why these two stud backstops aren’t on the same trajectory.
Verdict: May
Chase Meidroth
Meidroth’s absence from the Opening Day roster is a bit of a head-scratcher, unless you put a ton of stock into Spring Training statistics. The underrated third piece from the Crochet deal, Meidroth excelled in 122 Triple-A contests last season, sporting a 132 wRC+ and an absurd .437 OBP. With a lack of middle infield talent at the major league level, expect Meidroth to don the black-and-white pinstripes imminently.
Verdict: April
Jairo Iriarte
Technically, Iriarte made his big-league debut at the tail end of last season, but his six innings of relief hardly count. Arriving in Chicago as part of the Dylan Cease trade, Iriarte finished an extensive stint with Birmingham with a 3.71 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, flashing some nasty movement in the process.
Those are fairly pedestrian stats at a notoriously pitcher-friendly park, though, so Iriarte will hope to display a bit more promise with Triple-A Charlotte throughout 2025. Chris Getz’s desire for Iriarte at the big-league level heavily depends on the performances of others, so this is a bit hard to project. With decent play, expect the 23-year-old righty to see big league action once more mid-way through the summer.
Verdict: July
Honorable Mentions
To start, Mason Adams would have made the list if the Sox hadn’t announced on Sunday that he’ll soon undergo Tommy John surgery. Adams, 25, really broke out last year, hurling 100+ innings with Double-A Birmingham at a 2.44 ERA mark.
Aside from that, there are a couple of big names that are more likely to make the bigs in early 2026. On top of that list is Hagen Smith, Chicago’s 2024 first-round selection and a Top 40 MLB prospect. Smith is yet to start outside a few innings of High-A ball, so he’ll likely round out 2025 with a month of pitching in Charlotte if he performs to par.
Grant Taylor is just behind Smith, as he dominated in 16 innings with Low-A Kannapolis and made MLB hitters look silly this spring. He will begin his 2025 season in the rotation at Double-A Birmingham, and from there, the White Sox will begin to decide on his future role – if they decide to transition him to a reliever, he may even find his way to the big leagues at some point this season.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more throughout the season!
Featured Image: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
