CHICAGO: Former Ole Miss Rebels shortstop and first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2023 MLB Draft Jacob Gonzalez throws a ceremonial first pitch before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sept. 16, 2023. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
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Jacob Gonzalez’s emergence as a power hitter at Triple-A Charlotte has put him in the middle of the remarkable resurgence of the Chicago White Sox.
The bad news is he will not be joining slugger Munetaka Murakami in the lineup. The American League’s home run leader with 20 will be sidelined with a hamstring injury for “several weeks”, according to manager Will Venable.
That puts a damper on a season that has seen the White Sox get off to a 30-27 record. Sounds slightly better than ordinary until you realize the ballclub lost 323 games the past three years, going 61-101, an all-time worst 41-121 and 60-102.
Paul Janish began to see some light at the end of the tunnel last year when Chicago went 9-2 from August 31 to September 11. “It obviously looks very different today than it did at the beginning of the season,” the team’s director of player development told Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times a few days later. “You talk about some of those young guys . . . potentially a core position group starting to form, hopefully.”
Janish has always been in Gonzalez’s corner. In so24, he told Scott Merkin of MLB.com: “His hit tool is going to be something that will be real. He has a good eye, he sees the baseball, diagnoses pitches early. He’s been good at baseball up to this point, so we are going to give him the chance to be good at baseball.”
PEORIA, AZ: Jacob Gonzalez of the Chicago White Sox bats during a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Stadium on Feb. 24, 2026. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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It did not look that way until this season. After being drafted, Gonzalez hit only .211 in 34 games in 2023 and was not much better in 130 games the following year: .238. He hit just .232 in 135 games last season.
More concerning, he totaled only 17 home runs in those 299 games.
“I’ve struggled the past two years, and now I’ve gotta prove to myself and to the White Sox that I’m better than what I have been,” Gonzalez told James Fegan of SoxMachine.com earlier this month. “I was already struggling. So I was trying to, like, experiment pretty much. I mean, it couldn’t get worse.”
Turning It Around
Gonzalez’s ranking by MLB.com tumbled from No. 5 in the organization in 2024, to No. 14 and then No. 23 this year. Their 2026 scouting report said he was far too passive at the plate.
Getting off-season help from his father Jess, a long-time high school coach, put the left-handed hitter back on track. He hit two home runs in Charlotte’s third game of the season against the Durham Bulls and has not stopped.
His game went into overdrive in mid-May. In five games against the Norfolk Tides. He hit .476 (10-for-21) with four homers, two doubles and 12 RBI.
Last night, he went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI and 11th double and 19th homer this season. The night before, he had two homers.
OXFORD, MS: Ole Miss infielder Jacob Gonzalez makes a throw to first base for an out against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on March 13, 2022 at Swayze Field. (Photo by Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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That is the type production the White Sox envisioned when they gave Gonzalez a $3.9 million signing bonus as pick No. 15 in 2023 after posting big numbers at Mississippi. He was the national freshman of the year in 2021, and helped the Rebels win their first national championship in 2022.
Overall in 186 games at Ole Miss, he hit .319 with 40 homers and 158 RBI. Scouts loved his patience at the plate, too: 123 walks to 94 strikeouts.
Rebels With A Cause
When Gonzalez takes the field for Chicago, he will become the 63rd player in MLB history from Ole Miss. Infielder Don Kessinger, who finished his 16-year career in 1977-79 with the White Sox, played more MLB games than any former Rebel, 2,078. Most (1,648) were with the Chicago Cubs in 1964 to 1975 when he was a six-time All-Star and won two gold gloves.
PITTSBURGH, PA: Don Kessinger of the Chicago Cubs takes a throw to force out Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox during MLB All-Star game July 23, 1974 at Three Rivers Stadium. Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Dave Cash is backing up the play. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Ninety years ago, ex-Rebel Gerald (Gee) Walker hit .353 in his sixth season with the Detroit Tigers. He made his only All-Star appearance the next year when he hit .335 with 18 homers, 105 runs, 113 RBI and 23 stolen bases. He had 111 RBI for the White Sox in 1939 and batted .294 over 15 seasons with four teams until 1945.
Jim Hickman had 159 homers over 13 seasons (1962-74). His best year was 1970 for the Cubs, when he hit .315 with 32 homers, 115 RBI and became the lost hero of his only All-Star Game. Few remember that he singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning.
CONCINNATI: Pete Rose scores the winning run by crashing into catcher Ray Fosse at Riverfront Stadium on July 14, 1970. (Photo by Herb Scharfman/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (SetNumber: X15088)
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That’s because Cincinnati Reds’ great Pete Rose scored from second base, bowling over catcher Ray Fosse of the Cleveland Indians in one of the most controversial plays in history. The replays of Fosse getting hurt still cause divide among fans.
The 2026 Chicago White Sox
Gonzalez will be the 13th rookie to play for the White Sox this year. That includes Murakami and speedy 23-year-old Sam Antonacci and Tristan Peters, 26. Antonacci plays left field, second base and is hitting .290; Peters is hitting .281 and playing a fine center field.
CHICAGO: Colson Montgomery of the Chicago White Sox hits a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies at Rate Field on July 30, 2025. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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With Murakami out, Miguel Vargas will likely shift from third base to first. Colson Montgomery, Chicago’s first-round pick in 2021, will probably go from shortstop to third, making room for Gonzalez. Both have played either spot but Montgomery, the same age as Gonzalez, is more experienced at third.
Second-year second baseman Chase Meidroth, 24, and infielder/outfielder Luisangel Acuna, 24, brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., add more speed and defense.
Another 24-year-old, Kyle Teel, has been on the injured list since straining a hamstring i n the World Baseball Classic and then hurting his knee during rehab. The catcher hit .283 and was a defensive leader as a rookie in 2025.
Yet another 24-year-old, Grant Taylor, is a key part of the fourth-youngest pitching staff in the AL. The right-hander has a 2.20 earned run average with just 9 walks and 40 strikeouts over 27 2/3 innings.
The future is brighter for the Chicago White Sox. It’s likely a stretch to think they can stay in contention all year, even in the traditionally average AL Central. There’s going to be some ups and downs – but up wasn’t even in the team vocabulary the past three years.