PHILADELPHIA -- The White Sox are back in the All-Star picture in a big way, and the timing matches the larger turnaround on the South Side. After years of scraping by with one representative at the Midsummer Classic, Chicago has three players headed to Philadelphia this season: first baseman Munetaka Murakami, third baseman Miguel Vargas and center fielder Tristan Peters.
That alone says plenty about how far this club has come. The White Sox had not had two All-Stars since 2022, and the last time they sent at least three was 2021, when they had four: closer Liam Hendriks, shortstop Tim Anderson and starters Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodón.
Since then, the franchise has gone from the playoffs in 2021 to 81-81, then 61-101 in 2023, then a staggering 121 losses in 2024, followed by another 101-loss season last year. The names have changed, and so has the mood.
Now the White Sox are in first place in the AL Central again.
"I know a couple years ago, when I got there, it was a humbling process and we tried to build to what we're doing right now," Vargas said on Monday. "I'm really excited about how well we're playing right now and I'm having fun playing great baseball."
Vargas has been one of the clearest symbols of the turnaround. Acquired from the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, he was rough in his first White Sox season, but he made real progress last year and has taken another leap this season. In 94 games, he is hitting .245/.355/.493 with a 135 OPS+, along with 20 doubles, 21 home runs, 59 RBI, 64 runs, 11 steals and 3.3 WAR.
He’s not dwelling on where he came from. He’s embracing where he is.
"I love the White Sox," he said. "I love the whole organization and they've embraced me. I'm very proud to represent the White Sox."
Murakami’s path has been different, but the impact has been just as loud. He arrived from NPB and didn’t trigger the kind of free-agent frenzy many expected, eventually landing a two-year, $34 million deal with a team that was seen as a bottom-feeder.
Instead, he has become one of the offseason’s biggest wins for Chicago. A hamstring injury recently sidelined him for nearly six weeks, but he still sits among the league leaders in home runs.
In 60 games, he has 20 homers and 42 RBI, and he has paired with Vargas to form a dangerous middle-of-the-order force. Add Colson Montgomery to the mix, and the White Sox are one of just two teams with three players who have reached 20 home runs.
Then there’s Peters, whose rise is the most unexpected of all. The 26-year-old rookie played only four games for the Rays last season.
A former seventh-round pick, he had already been through the Brewers, Giants and Rays organizations before Chicago picked him up from Tampa Bay for cash considerations last December. At the time, it barely registered.
It does now.
Peters made the Opening Day roster in a surprise, though he was not an everyday starter early on. Since then, he has turned himself into an All-Star with a .301/.354/.478 line, 131 OPS+ and 3.0 WAR across 275 plate appearances in 91 appearances. His defense has been strong, and just days ago he became the ninth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle.
The power has lagged a bit behind the rest of the profile, but Peters said that part of his game is still coming.
"We're trying to unlock a little more power by using my lower half," Peters said. "It's funny, they've been saying to me, 'If you do this or that, you'll be an All-Star!'
And I'm like, maybe years down the road. But now, I can't believe it's happened."
For a team that spent recent seasons buried near the bottom of the standings, the shift is obvious. The White Sox are no longer just trying to survive; they’re in position to think bigger. With the deadline approaching, the possibility of adding talent is very real.
"One hundred percent," Vargas said when asked if the prospect of adding excited him. "As players, sometimes we don't think about what's coming in the next few weeks, and we want to focus on being in position for a good second half, but it's exciting to think the team could make some moves to help us out."
For now, the focus stays on protecting the lead they’ve built.
"It's a special team and we're super excited to be where we're at, but we're not gonna stop now," Peters said. "We want to make the playoffs."
"I think our mindset going in from the get-go was to make the playoffs. Now it's become more real."
In Other News...
Red Sox Just Put A Dangerous Team's Wild Week In Perspective
The White Soxs week had a little bit of everything, and not all of it came in the same direction. After dropping a three-game series to Boston, Chicago answered by sweeping Oakland in three straight, a stretch that included a 14-1 blowout and Tristan Peters hitting for the cycle. Munetaka Murakami also returned from the injured list during the Athletics series, giving the lineup another layer as the club tried to steady itself after the Red Sox set the tone.
Even with the rebound, the broader picture still left Chicago in a familiar middle ground in the latest power rankings, where Bleacher Report slid the White Sox down one spot. The movement was small, but it reflected the kind of week that can make a team look dangerous and inconsistent at the same time, especially when one series exposes flaws and the next one shows how quickly the roster can answer back. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Just Made A Franchise Bet On Roch Cholowsky
The White Sox used the top pick in the MLB Draft on Roch Cholowsky, making the UCLA infielder the centerpiece of their latest attempt to build something more lasting. It is the kind of choice that says as much about where the franchise wants to go as where it is right now, with Chicago still trying to climb back into contention while leaning on a growing group of young players already on the roster.
Cholowsky arrives with the profile of a future shortstop and a bat the White Sox believe can become a real middle-of-the-order force. The path from draft night to the South Side is still ahead of him, but the organizations bet is clear: if this rebuild is going to turn, it may turn around a player who can anchor both the defense and the offense for years to come. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Hicks Is Suddenly At The Center Of A White Sox Question
At the All-Star break, the White Sox can look up and see themselves tied for first place in the AL Central, but the bullpen remains one of the clearest reasons there is still work to do. Seranthony Dominguez has been part of the inconsistency, and with the deadline approaching, Chicago is expected to keep checking the market for relief help as it tries to protect a division lead that has come with some uneven late-inning work.
Jordan Hicks has quickly become a central part of that conversation. The veteran right-hander, acquired over the winter, has looked like a stabilizing force since his return in late June, and if the White Sox decide the trade market does not offer the right fit, Hicks may end up carrying even more of the load alongside prospect Tanner McDougal on the right side. For a club trying to turn a surprising first-half position into something more lasting, that is a lot to ask of a bullpen still searching for certainty. [Read more 🡒]