Introduction to Colson Montgomery’s Development

The Chicago White Sox are taking a proactive approach to help their prized shortstop prospect, Colson Montgomery, overcome his early-season struggles. According to White Sox General Manager Chris Getz, Montgomery will be heading to Arizona for individual work on his swing.

Background on Montgomery’s Struggles

Montgomery, who is mlb.com’s No. 36 prospect in all of baseball, has had a tough start to the 2025 season. In 23 games and 103 plate appearances with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, he is batting .149/.223/.255 with three home runs and six RBI. Montgomery has also struck out 43 times, compared to drawing just seven walks.

The Decision to Send Montgomery to Arizona

Instead of allowing him to continue to struggle at the Triple-A level, Getz and the White Sox front office elected to send Montgomery to their team facilities in Glendale, Arizona. This decision will allow him to focus solely on his mental approach and the mechanics of his swing. "We’re going to get some one-on-one work with him outside of the atypical, you know, Charlotte day-to-day, and work on his swing," Getz said. "We anticipate that to be a fairly short period of time, but felt like it was appropriate. he’s on board. There have been plenty of examples in this game of guys that have taken steps out of their respective affiliates and go to work on something."

Precedents for This Approach

Getz noted that it’s not uncommon for teams to help a hitter tweak their swing or a pitcher work on their pitching repertoire by sending them away from their team to an alternate site. He referenced how Asst. General Manager Josh Barfield had experience with Geraldo Perdomo going through a similar process when Perdomo was a minor league prospect for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Getz also mentioned that a change of pace toward individual work served San Diego Padres pitcher Mackenzie Gore well when he was in the minors.

Manager’s Perspective

White Sox Manager Will Venable supports this approach, stating, "It’s player development right? There’s different ways to go about player development. Sometimes the best thing is just to change the work environment and be able to focus on some things without the results of the game impacting you."

Details of Montgomery’s Work in Arizona

The White Sox’s GM anticipates Montgomery to spend 1-2 weeks in Arizona before being sent back to Charlotte. White Sox Director of Hitting Ryan Fuller will also travel down to Arizona to work with Montgomery on his swing. According to Getz, the type of work Montgomery will be doing in Arizona will primarily center around work in the cages and on the field, but there will be opportunities for him to play in extended games as he works out the kinks in his swing.

Expected Outcomes

Getz is optimistic about the potential benefits of this approach, saying, "It’s a part of the development process. He’s 23 years old. In a way, he’s still at the beginning of his career and we didn’t want to wait any longer. We felt like, let’s go and attack this. Now he’s open to it and I feel like we’re going to make strides because of it."

Conclusion

The decision to send Colson Montgomery to Arizona for individual work on his swing is a proactive step by the White Sox to address his early-season struggles. With precedents for this approach and a clear plan in place, there is optimism that Montgomery will be able to make the necessary adjustments to get his season back on track.

FAQs

• Q: Why is Colson Montgomery being sent to Arizona?
  • A: Montgomery is being sent to Arizona for individual work on his swing to address his early-season struggles.
• Q: How long will Montgomery be in Arizona?
  • A: The White Sox anticipate Montgomery will spend 1-2 weeks in Arizona before being sent back to Charlotte.
• Q: Who will be working with Montgomery in Arizona?
  • A: White Sox Director of Hitting Ryan Fuller will travel to Arizona to work with Montgomery on his swing.
• Q: What kind of work will Montgomery be doing in Arizona?
  • A: Montgomery’s work will primarily center around work in the cages and on the field, with opportunities to play in extended games.
    

    CHICAGO (WGN) — The Chicago White Sox are sending prized shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery to Arizona for individual work on his swing, according to White Sox General Manager Chris Getz.

Montgomery, who is mlb.com’s No. 36 prospect in all of baseball, has struggled mightily to begin the 2025 season.

In 23 games and 103 plates appearances with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, he is batting .149/.223/.255 with three home runs and six RBI. Montgomery has also struck out 43 times, compared to drawing just seven walks.

Instead of allowing him to continue to struggle at the Triple-A level, Getz and the White Sox front office elected to send Montgomery to their team facilities in Glendale, Arizona, where he can solely focus on his mental approach and the mechanics of his swing.

“We’re going to get some one-on-one work with him outside of the atypical, you know, Charlotte day-to-day, and work on his swing,” Getz said. “We anticipate that to be a fairly short period of time, but felt like it was appropriate. he’s on board. There have been plenty of examples in this game of guys that have taken steps out of their respective affiliates and go to work on something.”

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Getz said it’s not foreign to help a hitter tweak their swing or a pitcher work on their pitching repertoire by sending them away from their team to an alternate site.

He referenced how Asst. General Manager Josh Barfield had experience having Geraldo Perdomo go through a similar process when Perdomo was a minor league prospect for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Getz also reference a change of pace toward individual work also served San Diego Padres pitcher Mackenzie Gore well when he was in the minors.

“It’s player development right? There’s different ways to go about player development,” White Sox Manager Will Venable said. “Sometimes the best thing is just to change the work environment and be able to focus on some things without the results of the game impacting you.”

It’s also not a process Getz anticipates to take too long. The White Sox’s GM anticipates Montgomery to spend 1-2 weeks in Arizona before being sent back to Charlotte.

White Sox Director of Hitting Ryan Fuller will also travel down to Arizona to work with Montgomery on his swing, where Chicago’s front office hopes the former Baltimore Orioles assistant hitting coach can work some magic back into Montgomery’s bat.

“Ryan was on the road trip with our Major League club this past stretch of games,” Getz said. “He and I had some really good conversations about different ways to develop players. And he’s obviously from Baltimore. He referenced how many strides they were able to make at the alternate site years ago, with some of the adjustments those players had to make.’

According to Getz, the type of work Montgomery will be doing in Arizona will primarily center around work in the cages and on the field, but there will be opportunities for him to play in extended games as he works out the kinks in his swing.

“It’s a part of the development process. He’s 23 years old. In a way, he’s still at the beginning of his career and we didn’t want to wait any longer,” Getz said. “We felt like, let’s go and attack this. Now he’s open to it and I feel like we’re going to make strides because of it.”