Caleb Bonemer’s bat has been doing plenty of the talking in 2026, with 33 home runs split between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. Now, the White Sox are asking their No. 2 prospect to widen the scope of his game even further.
Bonemer, who won’t turn 21 until Oct. 5, is set to begin adding center field to a defensive mix that already includes third base and shortstop. The move is part of the organization’s effort to keep building on the athleticism that has already made him one of the most watched players in the system.
“We talked to him about playing some outfield. We brought it up to him last week and he was super open about it,” White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield told MLB.com Monday.
“By no means is he no longer an infielder. We see this as adding another tool in his bag.
And he’s super athletic. He’s capable of doing it.”
Barfield saw Bonemer up close this past weekend with the Barons, where the right-handed hitter went deep three times in four games. Doug Sisson, a special assistant to general manager Chris Getz, was also around the club last week and worked with Bonemer before games on outfield reads while he continued handling his infield work.
Bonemer got some action in center field during the Barons’ season finale on Sept. 13, and he’ll keep working there when he joins Glendale in the Arizona Fall League. The goal is to keep sharpening him defensively in both spots.
“You can kind of look and he’s getting to the point now where you are like, 'OK, he’s not that far away from the big leagues,’” Barfield said. “The way that Will [Venable] has managed the team and we’ve seen how important versatility is.
… Yeah, he’s a good athlete. He’s a plus runner.”
The White Sox already have three prospects inside MLB Pipeline’s Top 62, including Bonemer, who is No. 30 overall. Roch Cholowsky, the No.
1 White Sox prospect and No. 11 overall, and Billy Carlson, the No. 3 White Sox prospect and No. 62 overall, are among the eight infield prospects that make up the club’s Top 13.
Cholowsky’s season was shut down because of right wrist soreness, and Carlson’s because of a skin infection.
Taken in the second round of the 2024 Draft out of Okemos High School in Michigan, Bonemer has put together a season that’s been impossible to ignore. Barfield pointed to more than just the power surge and the physical tools.
“He’s just got such a good demeanor, especially for somebody so young,” said Barfield of Bonemer. “The biggest thing that sticks out is the physicality.
The guy is a monster. He just keeps getting bigger and stronger.
He is not built like a 20-year-old. He’d have one of the better bodies in our clubhouse right now.
He just keeps getting better.
“It’s not easy for a high school kid to jump straight into his second full season. To do what he’s done at every level, it’s not normal.
He’s got the right mindset. He’s not going to be the loud, maybe vocal leader in the clubhouse.
He likes to have fun, but between the lines, he’s about getting the work in. He embodies kind of what this group has turned into.
The style of play that we’ve grown to love here and our fans have come to love. He’s a gamer, a dog.”
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