MILWAUKEE — Last year, Colson Montgomery had to go back to the very basics of his swing — and his mindset — to escape a cold streak at the plate that put his career trajectory in jeopardy.
Now, to reach the franchise-cornerstone potential the White Sox are banking on from the power-hitting 24-year-old, Montgomery knows he has to do it all over again.
And again. And again.
“You've got to stick with your process, you've got to stick with your routines, and things are going to change throughout the year,” the Sox’ 2021 first-round draft pick said before his first Opening Day start. “You've just got to be able to adapt to these pitchers. It's flipping the script.”
It took an early-spring sabbatical to the Sox’ Arizona training complex to flip the script on Montgomery’s wretched start at Triple-A Charlotte in 2025. It pulled the Holland, Indiana, native out of his tailspin and onto 21 home runs in 71 games to start his career — and back on track as a foundational piece of the Sox’ future.
Montgomery’s sturdy defense at short, where scouts have questioned how long his 6-3 frame will last, was the cherry on top for the front office.
"I look back at all that and can be like 'Yeah, that's what I can do,’” he said. “You just want to try to replicate all that stuff and it goes back to… being process-oriented.”
Montgomery’s early 2026 returns suggest he needs to hone in on that process. He went hitless with three strikeouts to start the season in Milwaukee, and while spring training stats don’t count for much of anything, he went .182/.224/.345 with 20 strikeouts and three homers in 55 at-bats.
Colson Montgomery hits a home run last season at Washington.
Daniel Kucin Jr./AP Photos
But he’s come back from worse.
“He really exhibited what I would describe as durability,” Sox player development director Paul Janish said. “Even when he was struggling, he was pretty much the same guy.”
That means a lot of hitting your head against the wall, Janish said.
“It’s
