Caleb Bonemer’s brief Double-A run just got a lot brighter.
After a rocky small sample, the Birmingham infielder broke through in a big way June 28, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and his first Double-A homer - a grand slam. That line pushed his Double-A slash to .293/.396/.415, and it came after he nearly left the yard earlier in the game as well, doubling high off the left field wall on a 94 mph pitch and coming a foot or two short of his first Double-A homer.
The ball was flying for Bonemer, even if not many people were around to see it. A triple-digit heat index had much of the crowd seeking shade.
One other notable bit from the day: Andy Weber hit Charlotte’s first inside-the-park homer since Jared Mitchell in 2014. Mitchell’s inside-the-park shot, the source noted, came after he benefited from the overzealousness of an obscure center fielder named Mookie Betts.
Birmingham handled Knoxville 10-5 behind Bonemer’s eruption. Anthony DePino finished 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout, while Samuel Zavala went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts and Colby Shelton was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Jake Palisch had a rough outing in the win, allowing 13 hits and five runs, all earned, across five innings with no walks, one strikeout and one homer allowed. Pierce George earned the win with two pitches, both strikes, in 0.1 scoreless innings.
In other action, Hub City beat Winston-Salem 4-1. Kyle Lodise went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, George Wolkow was 0-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base, and Jeral Perez accounted for half of the Dash’s hits, going 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Kannapolis also beat Columbia 4-1.
In Other News...
White Sox May Be Seeing Another Chris Getz Draft Find Emerge
The White Sox have spent much of the summer seeing young players push their way into the conversation, from Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas to Braden Montgomery and Sam Antonacci, and that wave of development has only added to the optimism around a club sitting atop the AL Central. With the first pick in the 2026 MLB Draft still ahead of them, the organization is also continuing to mine value from the lower levels, where another recent draftee has started to turn heads with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
Matthew Boughton, taken in the 11th round last year after being pulled away from his Texas A&M commitment, has been making a stronger case by the week that he is more than a lottery ticket. He earned Carolina League Player of the Week honors two weeks ago and has followed that up with a June surge that has him looking increasingly like one of the more intriguing young players in the system, the kind of late-round find every front office hopes to uncover. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Top Prospect Just Delivered The Breakout Fans Wanted
Caleb Bonemer keeps making the White Sox look smarter for betting on his bat, and his latest showing at Double-A Birmingham was the kind of all-around night that turns heads in a hurry. In a 10-5 win over Knoxville, the 20-year-old prospect came through with his first homer at the level and finished 4-for-5, his first four-hit game of the season and only the second of his career.
Bonemers season line already had him near the top of the organization in several offensive categories, and the power production has become impossible to ignore. The bigger question now is how quickly that bat keeps forcing its way into the conversation, because nights like this tend to change the temperature around a prospect fast. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face Obvious Move As Catching Struggles Persist
Kyle Teels return from the injured list gave the White Sox a small boost, but the catching picture still looks unsettled. Chicago has been searching for more production behind the plate, and Drew Romos bat has not given the lineup much help, with his .137 average underscoring how little offensive impact the position has provided.
Korey Lee, meanwhile, has been in Triple-A and has shown better offensive numbers, which naturally keeps his name in the conversation as a possible upgrade in a backup role. For a White Sox club trying to piece together more reliable offense wherever it can find it, the next move at catcher is starting to look less like a question and more like an obvious decision waiting to be made. [Read more 🡒]