Colson

Montgomery

White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters that Montgomery is day-to-day for now. The 24-year-old shortstop is hitting just .154 (4-for-26) with two homers and three RBI over his last seven games. Luisangel Acuña, who does not switch-hit, will take over at shortstop in his absence.

Montgomery joins Tampa Bay’s Taylor Walls as the only players this season to go 0-for-6 with four K’s in a game. His two balls in play were actually 106- and 101-mph lineouts, but he wasn’t rewarded for either. He ends the series against the Twins having gone 0-for-12 with seven strikeouts.

Montgomery erased a 1-0 deficit as he clobbered a one-out, 373-foot (100.9 mph EV) solo shot off of Drew Anderson in the seventh inning, sparking the go-ahead rally. That would be his only hit in three at-bats on the afternoon. The 24-year-old shortstop is now hitting .235/.329/.498 with the aforementioned 15 long balls, 36 RBI and one stolen base on the season.

The 372-foot homer off Beau Brieske was Montgomery’s first since he homered in three straight games from May 14-16. He was 3-for-29 with 13 strikeouts from May 17-25, but he seems to have snapped out of that little skid with eight hits in his last five games.

Montgomery’s 12th homer of the season came in the second inning off of Cubs starter Edward Cabrera, who hung a changeup over the middle of the plate, which Montgomery deposited into right-center field. Montgomery has now homered in back-to-back games and three times in his last five.

Like fellow left-handed hitters Colson Montgomery and Tristan Peters, Antonacci will take a seat with left-handed Kris Bubic toeing the slab for the Royals. Randal Grichuk will start in his place in left field and bat cleanup for the White Sox on Thursday evening.

While it didn’t seem like a huge deal at the moment, Montgomery’s solo shot in the seventh inning put the White Sox up by three and wound up being the difference in this game. That was his 11th homer of the season and left the park in a hurry with a 110 mph exit velocity. His batting average sits at a lowly .230, but those home runs still make him a fantasy asset.

Montgomery’s ninth homer of the season gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The 24-year-old also singled and improved his slash to .236/.341/.509. Montgomery’s swing-and-miss issues make hitting for average unlikely, but the power is readily apparent, and makes him a potential fantasy star.

Montgomery hit fifth, and he’s now started eight of 10 games against lefties this year. He usually hits cleanup when the White Sox face a righty. The young shortstop recently homered in four straight contests, continuing his slugging ways despite a high strikeout rate.

It’s been a nightmarish start to the season for Montgomery. After closing last season on a 50-homer pace through his 71-game debut, he has just a .175 batting average and 24 strikeouts through 18 games thus far. His raw power and defense remain elite, but it’s fair to fear how much this strikeout issue could hold him back.