The Winston-Salem Dash are stuck in that awkward middle ground where the top talent has mostly moved on to Birmingham, but the next wave from Kannapolis hasn’t arrived in force yet. That’s why Roch Cholowsky is the obvious name missing from the picture.
Even so, James Taussig gave the Dash something worth watching on Saturday.
Taussig came in hitting .265/.371/.615 with 10 homers in 29 games for Winston-Salem, and he kept that surge going by driving in all three Dash runs. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent out of UT-San Antonio, signed by the White Sox after the 2025 draft, launched one homer and added an RBI double in the first inning to push his line to .276/.382/.647. He’s doing it with a 31-percent strikeout rate in High-A, but the production has been there, and at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, the damage is hard to miss when he connects.
Charlotte took a 7-5 win over Durham, with Rikuu Nishida turning in a busy day at the plate: 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk and a stolen base, though he was also picked off. Everson Pereira started his rehab stint and went 1-for-3.
Ryan Galanie finished 1-for-5 with a homer and three strikeouts. On the mound, Shane Smith struggled through 3.1 innings, allowing 2 hits and 3 runs, all earned, while walking 4, striking out 3, hitting 2 batters and throwing 3 wild pitches.
He needed 67 pitches to get 32 strikes.
Birmingham beat Rocket City 6-4, and Samuel Zavala supplied the loudest swing of the night with a grand slam in a 1-for-2 effort that also included a walk. Caleb Bonemer went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, Anthony DePino was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, Boston Smith drew three walks without an official at-bat, and Colby Shelton went 0-for-2 with an HBP and a strikeout. Juan Carela worked 4.2 innings, giving up 5 hits and 1 run, though it was unearned, while walking 1 and striking out 4.
Bowling Green handled Winston-Salem 11-3. Kyle Lodise went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts, Jeral Perez was 1-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts, and George Wolkow singled while striking out three times.
Kannapolis topped Myrtle Beach 6-2. Jaden Fauske finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout, hit by pitch and stolen base.
Matthew Boughton went 1-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. Billy Carlson didn’t officially hit but drew three walks and stole two bases.
Javier Mogollón was back in the lineup and went 0-for-3 with a walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base. Alexander Albertus was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
The ACL White Sox beat the ACL Padres 6-3 in seven innings.
In Other News...
White Sox Are About To Face A Momentum Test Fans Know Too Well
After taking a series from Toronto, the White Sox get a chance to show whether that result was a step forward or just another brief burst of good play. They head into a matchup with Texas carrying some momentum, and the timing matters as they try to settle into the second half with something more dependable than the streaky stretches that have defined too much of their season.
The Rangers bring a tougher measuring stick, and the White Sox also know the calendar is not offering many immediate chances to make up ground in the division. They will not see Cleveland again until Aug. 7, which makes this stretch feel especially important if Chicago wants to build a cushion and turn one encouraging series into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox May Have One Last Hope In That Curtis Mead Trade
The Curtis Mead deal looked like a straightforward DFA move for the White Sox after spring training in 2026, but it has become one of those trades that can still be judged from more than one angle. Chicago sent Mead to Washington and got catcher Boston Smith plus a 2025 draft pick back, a return that initially seemed modest enough for a player who had not found his footing.
Mead has since taken off with the Nationals, which only sharpens the scrutiny on the White Soxs side of the swap. But Smith is giving Chicago a reason to keep watching, because his bat has started to stand out in the minor league system and he has shown enough offensive promise to make the trade feel less one-sided than it once did. For a White Sox club looking for any long-term value it can extract, that is at least something to hold onto for now. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Burke Delivers Another Statement As White Sox Grab First Place
Sean Burke kept building the case that his summer surge is for real, carving through Toronto for 6.2 scoreless innings as the White Sox beat the Blue Jays 3-0. Chicago backed him with timely offense from Colson Montgomery and Braden Montgomery, then finished the job behind Grant Taylor to improve to 52-46 and move into first place in the American League Central.
Burkes outing fit the broader shape of what has become a notable midseason turnaround after a rough stretch in May and June, and the White Sox are suddenly playing with the kind of confidence that comes with sitting atop the division. They are one game ahead of the Guardians now, and the next test comes quickly with a three-game trip to Texas beginning Monday against Jacob deGrom. [Read more 🡒]