The 2025 White Sox closed with a rough tally, but a bright youth wave took shape. Colson Montgomery’s 21 homers in 70 games and a 3.3 WAR signal a franchise cornerstone, while Kyle Teel’s June debut added 2.0 WAR and a promising catcher of the present. Rule 5 rookie Shane Smith and steady arms like Davis Martin and Jonathan Cannon supplied hope for 2026. Birmingham Barons’ back-to-back Southern League titles underline the depth, with Quero, Sosa, Baldwin, Elko, Vargas, and Meidroth looming. Michael A. Taylor retires; 2026 looks brighter.

Two struggling teams meet as the Chicago White Sox face the Washington Nationals in what could be a high-scoring affair. Chicago leans on Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel at the top of a cautious lineup while Chase Meidroth and Edgar Quero try to spark production from an offense that has been short on big swings. Washington errors could tilt the balance, but Jake Irvin and the Nationals are themselves fighting an uphill battle. With Tyler Gilbert opening and Sean Burke in a bullpen-heavy plan, fantasy managers should expect runs and volatility, as the White Sox chase a rare win late in a brutal season.

The pitching matchup hints at plenty of scoring, with Irvin's inflated ERA and Sox bullpen usage shaping the game flow. Montgomery's OPS over .800 and Teel near .800 anchor a fragile roster, while Meidroth and Quero struggle to climb above sub-par marks. Losses piling up for both clubs make this an unusual fantasy pivot—look for late-game opportunities on both sides, especially with four Washington errors potentially creating cheap counting stats for Chicago.

Mike Tauchman anchored Chicago’s defense with two highlight catches in a 7-3 loss to San Diego, stoking late-life Sox vibes for fantasy managers chasing value in shallow rosters. Offensively, Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas kicked in early runs, Chase Meidroth and Kyle Teel added a 2-1 swing, and Lenyn Sosa thumped a scorching 108 mph liner to spark a late push, even as Yu Darvish and the Padres bullpen slammed the door.

Padres tallied on the strength of Fernando Tatís Jr.’s RBI and a Padres bullpen that quietly shut down Chicago after the early heat. A late trio of runs against Fraser Ellard and company sealed the outcome. Chicago sits at 58-97, five wins from avoiding 100 losses, with one final home game against San Diego looming as the season wraps.

White Sox rebuild shows both bright spots and growing pains as Kyle Teel homers in the opener and Chase Meidroth pushes a 12-game hitting streak, lifting September to .408. Shane Smith’s stumble bumps his ERA to 4.06 but he remains the ace-in-wuture for 2026, while Colson Montgomery endures a cold stretch (.129 last 10). Calibrated optimism rises with Caleb Bonemer’s Carolina League MVP bid and top Sox prospects Braden Montgomery, Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz showing big-time potential as the organization eyes 2026 spring training. The path to avoided 100 losses remains steep as a five-game skid underlines the rebuild.

Meanwhile, the Orioles’ slide from preseason hype—accompanied by a midseason managerial change and missed playoffs—frames the challenge for the Sox to stay on course. A few weeks of meaningful development in Chicago contrast with the daily grind of trying to convert prospects into a sustainable contender, a theme that will define the South Side’s narrative through the winter.