September has arrived, and the White Sox still have a little runway left to squeeze value out of the 2026 minor league season. The big-league calendar is winding down, and the farm system’s finish line comes even sooner, with Triple-A wrapping on September 20 and Double-A and below closing on September 13. That leaves just enough time for Chicago to give a few prospects a tougher assignment before the year ends.
Three names stand out.
Caleb Bonemer has already spent the year making one level look too easy after another. He opened hot in High-A, earned a move to Double-A as a 20-year-old, and has kept hitting there with a .944 OPS and 17 home runs in 60 games.
The White Sox have also pushed him onto the outfield grass, trying to expand his defensive value and speed up his path to the majors in 2027. Bonemer has done plenty at Double-A, and getting him a few at-bats in Charlotte before the season ends would be a logical next test.
He’s likely to start 2027 in Triple-A, with a big-league debut in Chicago potentially coming by the summer.
Kyle Lodise is another bat that has started to force the issue. The White Sox took him in the third round of the 2025 draft, expected him to move fast, and then watched him struggle in his first look at pro ball, hitting .185 in 28 games with Winston-Salem to finish 2025.
This season got off to a slow start too, but Lodise has caught fire lately. Over his last 20 games, he’s hit .325/.433/.650 with six home runs and a 172 wRC+.
In the White Sox system over the past three weeks, only Bonemer has put up better numbers. Lodise’s season line includes a .382 OBP and .832 OPS, plus 20 home runs and a knack for drawing walks.
A couple of weeks in Birmingham would give him a better read on where he stands against stronger competition.
Anthony DePino has turned a modest draft profile into something more interesting. The White Sox grabbed the college infielder in the 2025 draft in the seventh round, and after a quiet finish to 2025 in Kannapolis, he came back with an .859 OPS in High-A to start this season and earned his way to Birmingham.
He has handled Double-A well, putting up an .831 OPS with 18 home runs in 90 games. His profile is still limited as a right-handed hitting first baseman, but the offense has played at every stop.
A look at Triple-A pitching would give DePino another important test and could leave him in a strong position heading into 2027 and beyond.
In Other News...
White Sox Look Right For Giving Up On This Pitcher Fast
The White Sox did not need much time to decide Jedixson Paez was not going to be part of their pitching picture this spring. Chicago grabbed the right-hander in the Rule 5 draft, gave him a look in camp, and then moved on quickly after he was tagged for six earned runs in three innings during his spring appearances.
Paez was sent back to the Boston Red Sox organization and assigned to Double-A Portland, which only added another layer to a rough stretch for the 23-year-old. Boston later gave him a major league start, and he was hit hard there, too, before being optioned back to Triple-A, a reminder that the White Sox may have been early to bail, but not necessarily wrong. [Read more 🡒]
Will Venable Admitted One White Sox Mistake That Still Stings
A late-inning decision continues to linger for Will Venable, who said he came away wishing he had handled the eighth inning differently after Drew Romo reached a spot where a pinch runner could have changed the calculus. Venable said Romos speed was not the main issue in the moment, but the catchers defensive value weighed into the choice to keep him in the game.
Venable was candid that, with a do-over, he would have sent a pinch runner for Romo. For a White Sox club trying to squeeze every edge out of tight games, it was the kind of call that can stick with a manager because it sits right at the intersection of defense, urgency and the small details that decide whether an inning keeps moving or stops cold. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Thorpe Just Gave White Sox Fans Something To Watch Closely
A few familiar White Sox names popped up in Charlotte on Monday, and the organization had reason to pay close attention. Right-hander Drew Thorpe, catcher Kyle Teel and reliever Huascar Brazobn all made injury rehab appearances for Triple-A Charlotte against Gwinnett, giving Chicago a chance to check on three players who could matter soon if their recoveries keep moving in the right direction.
Thorpe handled the longest workload of the group, working five innings and allowing two runs, while Teel finished 1-for-3 at the plate and Brazobn tossed a perfect sixth inning. Manager Will Venable also weighed in on where each stands health-wise and how they might fit into the major league picture, leaving the White Sox with something useful to monitor as the rehab assignments continue. [Read more 🡒]