White Sox Minor League Player of the Month for September 2026 went to Grant Umberger, and the left-hander saved his best work for the biggest stage.
Umberger’s regular season line with Winston-Salem was a 4.70 ERA and a 4.88 FIP over 120 2/3 innings, but the month itself ended with a quality start in his only September regular-season outing. Then he took over in the postseason.
Across two playoff appearances, Umberger posted a 0.64 ERA with 22 strikeouts and three walks. In September postseason play, he worked 14 innings with three walks and 22 strikeouts.
His regular-season September start went 6 innings, allowing 2 earned runs, 5 hits, 1 walk and striking out 5. Before the playoffs, he had already been trending up with a 2.81 ERA in 25 2/3 innings in August.
Winston-Salem’s run was the kind of finish a season like this deserves. The Dash closed the regular season with a 4-2 series win, then swept Bowling Green and Greensboro on the way to the South Atlantic League Championship. It was a strong final stretch and a postseason to remember.
The system’s other monthly standouts also put together plenty of notable work.
At Charlotte, Tim Elko finished the year with a loud September after joining the Knights on July 21 following his rehab assignment with the Dash. The 27-year-old first baseman recovered from a torn ACL last year and closed the season on a high note, going 14-for-41 with two homers, a triple, two doubles and two walks.
That produced a .949 OPS. Elko has only 72 plate appearances at the highest level, all with the 2025 White Sox, when he hit .134/.194/.328.
Still, this finish gives him something to build on as he tries to earn a place on next year’s MLB roster.
Charlotte as a team also ended on a solid note, winning 10 of 17 in September to finish 13 games over .500. The Knights still missed the playoffs, but they turned in a respectable season.
Along with Elko, the month’s numbers included Rikuu Nishida at .286/.444/.286 in 49 at-bats, Junior Perez at .231/.302/.538 with 4-for-4 stolen bases in 39 at-bats, Mario Camilletti at .200/.333/.286 in 35 at-bats and Jake Cave at .191/.255/.468 in 47 at-bats. On the mound, Shane Murphy logged a 2.08 ERA in 17 1/3 innings, Jonathan Cannon posted a 2.20 ERA with just one walk and 15 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings, Drew Thorpe had a 2.51 ERA in 14 1/3 innings, Peyton Pallette finished at 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3 innings, and Aidan Anderson turned in a 2.00 ERA over 9 innings.
Birmingham’s top month belonged to Samuel Zavala, who keeps forcing his way into the conversation. The 22-year-old outfielder hit .292/.564/.583 in 24 at-bats, and the walk total jumps off the page: 14 walks against seven hits.
He also added two homers and a double. Zavala followed up an August in which he posted a .500 OBP and a 1.045 OPS, and he was even better in September with a 1.147 OPS.
He’s currently No. 29 on MLB Pipeline’s White Sox prospect list, but after these last two months, he looks underappreciated. Zavala plays all three outfield spots, mostly center, and MLB Pipeline’s grades list him at 60 field and 55 arm.
Birmingham finished 6-6 and stayed alive for a playoff shot based on second-half record, but the run fell short after a rough first half. The Barons’ month also included Ryan Burrowes at .275/.370/.350 with 3-for-3 stolen bases in 40 at-bats, Caleb Bonemer at .250/.358/.432 with 1-for-1 stolen bases in 44 at-bats, Dylan Campbell at .227/.358/.432 with 8-for-8 stolen bases in 44 at-bats and Colby Shelton at .162/.244/.432 in 37 at-bats.
On the mound, Pierce George had a 1.29 ERA in 7 innings before being promoted to Charlotte on September 18, Mathias LaCombe posted a 1.59 ERA in 5 2/3 innings before moving up on September 19, Connor McCullough finished at 3.14 ERA over 14 1/3 innings, and Dylan Cumming logged a 5.25 ERA in 12 innings.
The postseason group had its own set of eye-catching lines. Nick McLain hit .333/.556/.917 with one stolen base in 12 at-bats, Javier Mogollón went .313/.389/.813 with one stolen base in 16 at-bats, James Taussig hit .286/.444/.714 in 14 at-bats, Derek Cerda was 3-for-6, Jake Curtis posted a 2.84 ERA in 6 1/3 innings, and Carlton Perkins did not allow a run in 2 1/3 innings.
In the regular season, McLain hit .389/.455/.722 in 18 at-bats, Jeral Perez went .320/.370/.480 in 25 at-bats, Taussig hit .320/.370/.640 in 25 at-bats, Mogollón posted a .250/.280/.542 line with 2-for-2 stolen bases in 24 at-bats, Rylan Galvan hit .313/.313/.813 in 16 at-bats, Kyle Lodise went .200/.360/.500 with 3-for-3 stolen bases in 20 at-bats, and George Wolkow hit .250/.350/.313 with 2-for-2 stolen bases in 16 at-bats. Roch Cholowsky did not play after being shut down for the season because of a wrist injury.
The pitching line in the regular season also featured Grant Umberger’s 6 innings with 2 earned runs, 5 hits, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts; Mason Moore’s 5 2/3 innings with 8 earned runs, 8 hits, 6 walks and 8 strikeouts; Dylan Carmouche’s 5 innings with 2 runs, 0 earned, 3 hits, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts; Jake Curtis’ 5 innings with 1 earned run, 3 hits, no walks and 8 strikeouts; and Justin Sinibaldi’s 5 innings with 2 runs, 1 earned, 4 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.
For South Side Sox, Umberger was already on the preseason radar, ranked No. 26 before the year began. By the end of September, he had backed that up in a big way.
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