White Sox Minor League Update: June 28, 2025

Hagen Smith had a strong but short return for the Barons in a 3-2 night on the farm

Charlotte Knights 9, Toledo Mud Hens 0 (Statcast box)
Strong pitching and lively offense helped the Knights (40-40) extend their win streak to four games. They’re finally just one win shy of breaching .500!

Andre Lipcius got Charlotte on the board early with an RBI double that brought in Tim Elko, who singled right before him. The Knights put up a five-spot in the fifth to put the Mud Hens (40-40) in the rearview mirror with Colson Montgomery’s RBI triple, Elko’s second hit that plated Montgomery, and Tristan Gray’s three-run home run. It sounds like all three of them listened to the latest Sox Populi podcast that questioned how this Triple-A team could still be worse than .500.

Lipcius tacked on three runs for good measure in the sixth, with his 11th home run of the year.

On the bump, Yoendrys Gómez made his fifth start of the season after transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation, and it finally paid off. Gómez restricted Toledo to a hit and nine strikeouts through five frames, tying a Knights mark for most strikeouts this season. Justin Anderson, Frasier Ellard, Gus Varland and Payton Pallette closed out the shutout beautifully.

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Knoxville Smokies 5, Birmingham Barons 1
Knoxville’s (35-38) relentless persistence was the downfall of the Barons (40-34). Ryan Galanie gave Birmingham the lead early with a sacrifice fly that drove in Birmingham’s only run. The lineup struck out 10 times and went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, stranding seven on the bases.

Hagen Smith returned from the 7-day IL after nearly a month of absence, but his night was kept short. To ease him back in, manager Guillermo Quiroz took him out 1 2⁄3 scoreless frames of allowing one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts. Tommy Vail replaced Smith, but it turned out to be a poor substitution, as Vail immediately allowed three runs in the third. Vail gave up another run in the fifth. The next inning, Vail’s costly wild throw in a pickoff attempt at second pushed the Smokies to their 5-1 final.

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Greensboro Grasshoppers 3, Winston-Salem Dash 1
Weak offense paved the way for loss No. 45 for Winston-Salem (28-45) against Greensboro (50-22), who is only half a game back from first in the South Atlantic League North.

The Dash scrounged a run from Arxy Hernandez in the fourth on an RBI single that scored Samuel Zavala, who walked and advanced second after Jackson Appel was hit by a pitch. But that was it for the offense. Winston-Salem’s lineup was held to five hits and 10 strikeouts, with half of the hitters failing to get on base. The worst offender was Braden Montgomery, who seems to have found himself in a tailspin, striking out in three of his four at-bats.

Jake Bockenstedt was charged with the loss and all three of Greensboro’s runs. While he managed to hang on until the sixth inning, Bockenstedt at least forced the Grasshoppers to be efficient in their win, ceding only three hits and three walks, and punching out seven in his 5 1⁄3 innings. The bullpen came did a fair job of keeping the contest close. Nick Altermatt and Carson Jacobs combined for one hit, two walks, and five strikeouts through 2 2⁄3 innings.

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Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5, Fredericksburg Nationals 1
The Ballers (35-39) bounced back from its loss on Friday night to give themselves a chance to tie the series against the Nationals (34-39).

Kannapolis tallied all their runs with small ball. Ronny Hernandez, Grant Magill, and Abraham Núñez each drove in a run in the second to set the tone. Magill notched his second single — and hit of the night — in the second to securely put the Ballers ahead, 5-0.

Kannapolis pitching stood its ground against Fredericksburg. Luis Reyes pitched six strong, scoreless innings, limiting hitters to three hits and a walk while striking out six, closing out a stellar June of pitching. Although Jesus Mendez wavered slightly, surrendering the Nationals’ only run of the game, Blake Shepardson closed the game out with two innings, a pair of walks, and five strikeouts.

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ACL White Sox 4, ACL Mariners 2 (7 innings)
The ACL Sox (24-18) handed the ACL Mariners (20-20) their 20th loss of the season in a pitching-dominated match.

Stiven Flores put the Sox on the board in the first with a sacrifice fly driving in Drake Logan, who doubled on the first pitch of the game. The Sox added a run in the next frame with an RBI single from Mason Dinesen, and a pair of runs in the third from Albertson Asigen’s two-run homer to cap off the Sox’s scoring.

Noah Syndegaard made his debut with the Sox organization after signing a minor league deal on June 25. His one hit, three-inning shutout set the table for Jommy Hernandez, who let a run squeak in during two innings, but held the Mariners to two hits. Kevin Davis relieved Hernandez to close the game in the final two innings. Although he relinquished the second Mariners run with wild pitch in the sixth, he still at least saved his save.