The Chicago White Sox clubhouse is getting smaller by the day. Only nine more spring training games remain before the highly anticipated Opening Day in Milwaukee.

Several players continue to make a last second push for a roster spot, while others are hoping to stay healthy enough to avoid missing any time. Let’s talk about that and more in our latest spring training notes!

Tristan Peters’ Unreal Catch

During Saturday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tristan Peters added another highlight to his spring tape.

The former Tampa Bay Rays prospect has survived the first round of roster moves in Arizona thanks to a solid performance at the plate. The 26-year-old outfielder has piled up six hits, seven RBIs, a home run, and two walks over his 10 games played. Three of those RBIs also came on Saturday afternoon against the Dodgers.

Nevertheless, Peters’ best moment of the weekend and all of spring training came in the field. While playing left field, Dalton Rushing popped a ball high into the air with two runners on. It looked destined to land over the fence, but Peters continued to back track and proceeded to leave his feet at the perfect time. He reached over the fence, snagged the ball, and fell on his back for the incredible defensive play to end the inning.

If he misses that ball, the Dodgers would have been within striking distance and cut the score to 6-4.

It still feels like an uphill battle for Peters to make the Opening Day roster. Jarred Kelenic may have one of the outfield bench spots locked up, while the Sox have also shown a clear affinity for Everson Pereira and Brooks Bladwin. However, there is no question Peters has already given manager Will Venable something to think about, and a catch like that is only going to help his case.

Mike Vasil Leaves Early

The injury bug has found its way into the White Sox clubhouse. Following the unfortunate hamstring strain for Kyle Teel, news broke that Brooks Baldwin was suffering from some elbow soreness. While it doesn’t necessarily appear to be anything serious, it remains unclear exactly how long the versatile outfielder is expected to be sidelined. Could there be a world where he starts the year on IL?

Pitchers like Drew Thorpe and David Sandlin have also continued to work their way back into shape slowly. Thorpe has made some real progress in recent weeks following last year’s Tommy John surgery, but Sandlin failed to even see the spring training mound in Arizona due to back and elbow issues.

Speaking of which, Mike Vasil has now possibly joined the list of banged-up you pitchers. The 25-year-old had to exit Saturday’s game against the Dodgers due to his own elbow soreness. He would go on to tell reporters that now isn’t the time to push his body to the max, and he didn’t want to risk playing through any level of discomfort. Chicago has yet to share much of an update on his condition, as Vasil said they will need to run more tests before knowing how to proceed, per Scott Merkin.

The good news is that it doesn’t sound like there is any major concern. All sides seemingly want to be careful with Opening Day right around the corner. At the same time, they will need to get to the root of the issue, and there is no question that potentially missing Vasil for a period of time would be a massive bummer. He has put together an excellent spring with a 1.64 ERA in his 11.0 innings pitched. While he has walked eight batters, he’s also struck out nine and has only allowed two earned runs.

Vasil is one of the organization’s highest upside arms, and that sure is saying a lot considering how deep their farm system is. He projects to eventually take over a starting role and arguably has a deeper arsenal than any pitcher in the organization. He can go from a fastball in the high 90s to a devastating breaking ball in the low 80s with ease. Can it come with some command issues at times? Sure, but if he can find some consistency and keep his walks down in the majors, he should become a high-impact contributor.

Latest Moves

The White Sox continued to trim down their spring training roster on Sunday. Their latest move sent catcher Josh Breaux and outfielder Braden Montgomery to the minor league camp. All things considered, neither decision comes as a surprise, but most do expect the latter to make his major league debut sooner rather than later.

Montgomery sits at the top of MLB Pipeline’s White Sox rankings, and for good reason! He is easily one the best two-way prospects in Chicago’s system, offering high-upside power at the plate and some flashy athleticism that could fit almost anywhere in the outfield. So far in Arizona, Montgomery has tallied 15 total bases in his 12 games, recording a slash line of .348/.348/.652. Simply put, he looks like a major leaguer, and the Sox most certainly view him as a key building block moving forward.

As for Breaux, the White Sox are shockingly deep at the catcher position, which could make playing time pretty hard to come by for the minor league veteran. Kyle Teel is destined to start the season on the IL, however, which could mean Breaux gets an unexpected call-up in the event that something happens to either Edgar Quero or Korey Lee.

Lastly, the White Sox have informed No. 10 overall pick and No. 5 prospect Billy Carlson is set to start 2026 with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. There will be plenty of eyes on the newest member of the franchise this season.

Colson Montgomery Heating Up?

After a slow start to camp, Colson Montgomery is starting to look a lot like his rookie year self. He’s now recorded a hit in each of the Sox’ last five games, which included only his second home run in Arizona on March 11 against the Angels.

To be sure, he has still struck out ten times and has only one walk in his 34 at-bats, but all that matters is that he finds a rhythm before Opening Day. For as much young talent as there is on this Sox roster, Montgomery remains the most important piece to the puzzle. He showed flashes of being a true star-level infielder last year, smashing 21 homers and recording 55 RBIs in just his 71 games played after being called up.

Montgomery has a winning gene, and there is nothing the White Sox need more.