Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable didn’t dress up Colson Montgomery’s recent slide. After Monday’s 11-2 loss to the Texas Rangers, he went straight to the point, and the numbers behind it were ugly.
Montgomery finished the game hitless in four at-bats and struck out three times. Over his last six games, he has gone 2-for-24 with 14 strikeouts.
When Venable was asked about the young slugger’s struggles, he didn’t reach for a polished baseball answer.
“Just swing and miss,” Venable said. “Chase below the zone, chase above the zone, so just got to tighten up and make contact in the zone.”
That’s the heart of it. Pitchers have seen Montgomery expand the strike zone, and they’ve started attacking that weakness. Until he proves he’ll lay off those pitches, he’s going to keep seeing breaking balls near his ankles and fastballs above his hands.
That’s the way the league works with young hitters. Once a flaw shows up, opponents keep testing it until it stops being a flaw.
Montgomery’s power gives Chicago some margin for error, but not much. A hitter who can change a game with one swing still has to put himself in position to actually get that swing off. Too many of Montgomery’s trips to the plate lately have ended before he gets a pitch he can really drive.
Colson Montgomery, last 53 games...
227 PA
.191 AVG
.247 OBP
.325 SLG
7 HR
38.8% K pic.twitter.com/AFwBAqzyDT
- Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) August 24, 2026
The timing isn’t great for the White Sox, either. Chicago is leading the American League Central and trying to show that this season won’t fade as the pressure rises.
This isn’t a rebuilding team with time to burn. In late August, empty at-bats matter more.
Still, there’s no reason to overreact. Young power hitters strike out. Even established sluggers go through stretches when the zone seems to grow wider than it really is.
What happens next matters more than the slump itself.
Montgomery has to force pitchers back into the strike zone. A walk may not create the same noise as one of his home runs, but it’s a lot better than chasing another breaking ball into the dirt.
Venable’s tone sounded more instructive than angry. He identified the problem and offered the fix: tighten up, and make contact in the zone.
Simple advice. Tough to carry out.
Chicago could also ease some of the pressure by moving Montgomery lower in the order for a while as he works through the adjustment. That wouldn’t be a punishment, just a practical move for a young hitter facing his first real late-season test.
The White Sox have gotten this far with a roster that has shown it can bounce back. Now Montgomery has to do the same on his own.
In Other News...
White Sox Just Got A Real Chance To Fix Their Bench Power
The Reds decision to place Eugenio Surez on waivers has created a late-summer wrinkle for clubs looking for a bat, and the White Sox are the kind of team that should at least be paying attention. Chicago has been searching for more punch off the bench, and Surez brings the sort of right-handed power that can change a game in a single at-bat even if his overall season has been uneven.
Surez has struggled for much of the year, but he has also shown signs of picking it up lately and brings postseason experience that matters for a club trying to add a little more depth and edge. If the White Sox decide to make a move, it could come with a roster ripple effect, including a smaller role for Luisangel Acuna as Chicago sorts out how much room it wants to devote to bench power. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Are Being Linked To Another Intriguing Japan Arm
The White Sox continue to cast a wide net in Japan as they look for pitching help down the road, and Kaima Taira has emerged as another name worth watching. During a recent game, Chicago reportedly showed interest in the 26-year-old right-hander, with team official David Keller on hand to see him in person, a familiar sign that the club is doing its homework well before any offseason decisions need to be made.
Taira has built a strong record in Nippon Professional Baseball, which helps explain why he has drawn attention beyond Chicago, with other MLB teams also said to be scouting him. For the White Sox, the timing fits a broader effort to add pitching depth for the 2027 season, and interest in a pitcher like Taira suggests they are already thinking several moves ahead as they monitor the international market. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Bullpen Shakeup Says Plenty Before Twins Series
The White Sox made a notable set of roster moves before opening a series with the Twins, sending Jonathan Cannon and Rikku Nishida back to Triple-A while shifting Andrew Benintendi to the bereavement list. In their place, Tyler Davis was brought back into the bullpen, giving Chicago a little more relief depth as it heads into another divisional matchup.
Davis has already been part of the mix this season, appearing in 24 games with a 4.10 ERA before being optioned to Triple-A on July 13. Bringing him back now suggests the White Sox are again leaning on familiar arms to steady the staff, while the timing of the other moves leaves the roster in a temporary state of flux as the Twins series gets underway. [Read more 🡒]