White Sox young prospects ready to take next step in 2026

Last year, only Colorado had a lower win percentage (.265) than Chicago’s .370, and at this point, the Rockies barely even count. Thankfully for White Sox fans, the team looks to be considerably better heading into 2026. Some of that optimism comes from just how low the bar was set, but it’s also fueled by a promising young core and several good moves this offseason. For the first time in a while, the arrow is at least pointing definitively upward for Chicago. The question is, can all these prospects come together and click at the same time?

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Lineup:

May 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third base Miguel Vargas (20) hits a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Chicago’s batting lineup now features an exciting mix of promising young uprisers and a few key newcomers. Young catcher Kyle Teel will be looking to build on a solid first year, while shortstop Colson Montgomery will aim to take another step forward in his sophomore season, too.

Slated to hit near the middle of the order, top prospect Miguel Vargas at times looked poised for a breakout last season. Edgar Quero also offers reason for optimism after spending time at Driveline to improve his bat speed, and while Andrew Benintendi hasn’t become the player many once hoped for, he remains a solid major leaguer. Chase Meidroth and newcomer Luisangel Acuña should provide some speed, likely at the top and bottom of the lineup, respectively.

Perhaps most excitingly, the White Sox also signed impressive young NPB slugger Munetaka Murakami and acquired a very solid hitter in Austin Hays.

Rotation:

The rotation looks like it could be the biggest weakness for the Sox, but it has upside if things break right. Shane Smith had a very solid first major league season and showed a promising ability to miss bats. Sean Burke has upside but needs to work on the walks and home runs. While not nearly as buzzy as Tatsuya Imai, newly signed Anthony Kay quietly pitched quite well in the NPB. It’ll be interesting to see how well he can perform this year in his first year back in the MLB. Unfortunately, that’s where the intrigue stops.

Bullpen:

Sep 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Grant Taylor (31) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

The White Sox acquired talented relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez from Toronto this offseason, and he will likely slide right into the closer role. While he only had 2 saves pitching for 2 different teams last year, he did have 11 at least in 2024. He has been a consistently good relief arm since his call-up in 2018 and averages nearly 98mph on his fastball.

Grant Taylor is a special arm who could easily be a wipeout closer, but the team seems to be grooming him for an eventual starting role in the future and, therefore, wants to use him as more of a multi-inning setup option this season. Along with Jordan Leasure, these 3 pitchers should make for a formidable high-leverage relief corps.