The White Sox are closing in on the final month of the 2026 season, and September 1 brings the usual roster wrinkle: MLB clubs can expand from 26 players to 28 for the stretch run. Some teams use that extra room for veteran insurance. Others use it to get a look at younger players and prospects.
If the White Sox lean toward the second path, two names stand out as possible call-ups: IF/OF Ryan Galanie and RHP Jairo Iriarte.
Galanie has quietly put together the best minor league season of his career. The 23-year-old, taken in the 13th round of the 2023 MLB draft, has climbed all the way to Triple-A and has hit his way into the conversation.
In 96 games this season, he’s slashing .283/.358/.536 with an .894 OPS. Most of that work has come with Charlotte, where he’s started 71 games at first base.
The problem, of course, is that first base at the big-league level is already spoken for by star Munetaka Murakami. That has pushed the White Sox to broaden Galanie’s defensive profile, and he’s gotten some reps in the corner outfield as part of that effort.
He isn’t in the White Sox top 30 prospects, largely because of his age and position, but he has never finished a minor league season with a below-average OPS. That gives him a case as a potential offensive bench piece.
There may not be a ton of everyday at-bats waiting for him in Chicago, but the White Sox could still use another left-handed power option off the bench. Charlotte’s depth is also fairly thin. At this point, a look makes sense.
Iriarte is coming from a different angle, but his case is just as interesting. The right-hander, acquired as part of the Dylan Cease trade, has had one of the strongest bounce-back years in the organization.
He reached the majors in 2024 out of the bullpen and looked like he could be a key part of the pitching mix in 2025. Instead, last season went off the rails.
In 48 innings, he posted a 7.13 ERA, walked 37 batters, and was sent to Arizona midseason to work on his mechanics.
This offseason, he was outrighted off the 40-man roster. Since then, he’s turned things around.
Iriarte put up a 2.28 ERA in 17 games at Double-A Birmingham before moving up to Charlotte, where he has logged a 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings. The walk rate is still high, but he’s cut his opponent batting average by .100 points and has been much more effective at getting hitters out.
At his best, Iriarte has the kind of stuff that could play in a late-inning relief role, and his 2026 season has put him back on the radar for September.
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