White Sox select Braden Montgomery’s contract, giving the Crochet trade centerpiece a major-league start

The White Sox have officially selected the contract of outfielder Braden Montgomery, bringing the club’s top developmental story into the majors. The move, reported ahead of a South Side series opener, makes Montgomery the next piece of the team’s long-term turnaround to get an extended look at the MLB level. For a roster that has leaned on youth in recent seasons, it is also a clear statement about what Chicago expects from the trades and player development built during the rebuild cycle.

Montgomery’s path to this moment has been defined by sustained power and a rare ability to get on base at every level. He entered 2026 positioned as one of Chicago’s most watched prospects, and by the time the season shifted from Double-A to Triple-A, his production stayed stubbornly high. According to South Side Sox, the 23-year-old switch-hitter began the year with Birmingham, moved to Charlotte in early May, and then accelerated sharply. Across 56 combined games between the two minors stops, he hit.314 with a.422 on-base percentage and a.548 slugging line, totaling 10 home runs and 41 RBIs, along with 39 walks and 52 runs.

The most eye-catching stretch for Montgomery came late in his Charlotte run. South Side Sox described his last 10 games with the Knights as a major uptick in both on-base skills and extra-base damage, with a.474/.580/.711 line over that stretch. That kind of sustained production matters in MLB promotions because it is not just about one hot week. It is about whether the hitter can repeatedly control at-bats, work counts, and drive enough balls with authority to justify regular at-bats.

Montgomery’s call-up is also tied to the Garrett Crochet trade that sent the left-hander to the Boston Red Sox in December 2024. The centerpiece of that deal for Chicago did not arrive alone, and the returns have been spread across multiple organizations and timelines. South Side Sox noted that Montgomery was one of four players in the trade package, and that all four have reached the majors. The timing of this particular promotion, just under two years after the trade, reinforces how central Montgomery has been to Chicago’s valuation of the deal.

Before his pro career fully accelerated, Montgomery’s storyline included a college setback. South Side Sox reported that the former No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 draft had broken his ankle during his postseason run at Texas A&M, delaying his pro debut until 2025. Even with that interruption, the organization still treated his upside as an anchor, combining switch-hitting power with the defensive and arm traits that make outfield prospects attractive even before their hitting translates.

Going forward, the main question is how the White Sox plan to use Montgomery once he is active. When a prospect is called up on the heels of strong minor-league form, the first month often becomes about role definition, adjustments to MLB pitching, and whether the on-base profile carries against better breaking balls and faster sequences. Montgomery’s first major-league impressions will likely be shaped as much by pitch selection and strike-throwing tendencies as by raw power.

For fans and evaluators, this is the moment where reputations meet the strike zone. The White Sox have been working toward a roster that can compete with younger, homegrown production, and Montgomery is one of the most prominent arrivals from that project. If he continues to demonstrate the ability to earn walks and punish mistakes, Chicago could have more than one reason to believe its rebuilding framework is working. If not, the club will still learn quickly, because MLB promotions tend to reveal both strengths and limitations faster than any minor-league stretch can.