The White Sox farm system had its share of bright spots in 2026, but every level also produced at least one prospect whose season went sideways. From injuries to command problems to bats that stalled out against better pitching, these were the names that didn’t take the step forward the organization was hoping for.
At Triple-A Charlotte, Tanner McDougal went from breakout buzz to a season that never really got on track. A year after he looked like one of the biggest risers in the system - with a 3.26 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 113.1 innings across 28 games between Winston-Salem and Birmingham - the right-hander opened 2026 with Charlotte and the expectation that he might reach the White Sox rotation by the end of the year.
Instead, a flexor strain cut him down to 49.2 innings, and when he came back, the club shifted him to the bullpen to ease the load on his arm. McDougal did make one major league appearance out of relief, but it was a rough one: three runs and three walks in just a third of an inning.
He should get another shot to start next season, but the bigger question is whether he can stay healthy and handle the highest level. If not, the White Sox may have to think of him as a bullpen arm rather than the kind of electric starter they once envisioned.
Double-A Birmingham brought a different kind of disappointment with Jeral Perez, whose stock had been climbing fast not long ago. There was a stretch when he looked like he could be the best player the White Sox got back in the 2024 deal that sent Erick Fedde to the Cardinals.
Miguel Vargas was scuffling, and Perez was drawing attention as a promising young bat in the minors. After he launched 22 home runs as a 20-year-old at High-A in 2025, the White Sox pushed him to Double-A for his age-21 season.
The jump proved too steep. In 60 games with Birmingham, Perez hit .180 with a .563 OPS before getting sent back to High-A.
His numbers there were better and even tracking ahead of his 2025 output, but the damage to his stock is real. He’ll probably get another look at Double-A in 2027, and the next step is obvious: he has to show he can hit upper-level pitching soon if he wants to remain part of the organization’s future plans.
High-A Winston-Salem was just as frustrating for Christian Oppor, whose 2026 turned into a mess almost immediately. Oppor had broken out in 2025 with a 3.08 ERA in 22 starts between Low-A and High-A, but this year began in Birmingham and unraveled fast.
He posted a 9.49 ERA in eight outings for the Barons, and the real red flag was the control: 36 walks in 24.2 innings. That led to a trip to Arizona to work on his mechanics, and once he returned, the problems only got worse in Winston-Salem.
Oppor managed just 2.2 innings across seven appearances and walked 19 batters in that stretch. The stuff is still there, but the White Sox are staring at a serious offseason fix.
He needs to find the strike zone, and soon.
Even Low-A Kannapolis didn’t offer a clean success story, so Billy Carlson ends up here after a rookie year that was solid on paper but still left something to be desired. The 19-year-old missed time with multiple injuries and played only 60 games.
He hasn’t hit his first big league home run yet, and while he did post a .252 average with a .380 on-base percentage, the extra-base damage was light: 14 doubles and two triples. The White Sox are hoping Carlson adds power as he gets older and stronger, especially since his swing has long been considered a work in progress.
He should open 2027 back in Kannapolis, though a strong start could move him to High-A quickly.
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