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White Sox make obscure baseball history with sudden call up
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- White Sox make obscure baseball history with sudden call up
Perhaps a gauge of how a team is doing can be gleaned from the transaction column.
Is a team getting reinforcements by promoting younger players faring decently in the minor leagues? Or is a team supplementing its rosters with fringe players who constantly get into the transaction column and cycle through organizations?
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The younger player angle became relevant Thursday when the White Sox made a small bit of obscure baseball history by calling up outfielder Junior Perez and starting him in left field.
When the improved White Sox made the move, Perez became the 13th player to make his big league debut before the All-Star break, and his entrance into the lineup tied the 1944 Cincinnati Reds for the most players to make their big league debut before the All-Star break.
Who are some of the 13 debuts for the White Sox?
Last year, Colson Montgomery was among 11 players to make their first big league appearances for the White Sox during a 60-win season. It is a group that includes catchers Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero , as well as Chase Meidroth .
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Perez's call to the majors is a relatively minor move since he was added when Everson Pereira went on the seven-day concussion list following a tremendous catch on Ben Rice Wednesday night. He is not a top-30 prospect according to MLB , and the 27-year-old was acquired in a minor trade from the A's last month that only those who read transactions daily might notice.
Instead, the most notable debut belongs to Munetaka Murakami , whose 20 homers were paused by a hamstring injury two weeks ago. His replacement is Jacob Gonzalez, who is also part of the 13 newcomers after hitting 19 homers in Triple-A, and he is learning first base on the fly.
Another is pitching prospect Noah Schultz, who began this season as Chicago 's third-best prospect per MLB.com and made eight starts before experiencing knee discomfort a few days before Murakami got hurt.
Another is Braden Montgomery, whose debut ended with a game-ending homer to beat Atlanta , and his promotion made him the third piece from the Garrett Crochet trade to appear for the White Sox.
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"We also have a bunch of young guys that are relatable and share a lot of the experiences that they recently had in having their call-up," Chicago manager Will Venable said hours before Perez made a throw from left field to get Anthony Volpe trying to stretch a double into a triple. "I think that we're well-positioned to do it, and it's kind of become what we do here. I'm proud that we've had a lot of success and that our players have had a lot of success transitioning."
Jun 9, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox right fielder Braden Montgomery (24), reacts after his walk off two run home run during the tenth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesMatt Marton-Imagn Images
White Sox acquit themselves well in tough stretch
Last month, the White Sox drew notice for getting above .500 and taking two of three against the Cubs in front of packed houses on the South Side.
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Going through a stretch of playing the Phillies , Braves, Dodgers , and Yankees in a row also is noteworthy, and in this span, the White Sox won six of 11 games.
After losing two of three in Philadelphia , the White Sox won a pair of one-run games against the Braves. Then they took two of three at home from the two-time defending champion Dodgers in a series that featured a seven-run and a six-run inning sandwiched around a no-hit bid by Yoshinobu Yamamoto .
The first two games in New York hardly went well since the White Sox were outscored 22-7. Those games occurred before brief former Yankee Andrew Benintendi hit a pinch-hit grand slam in an inning where Venable used three pinch hitters, and the White Sox headed to an encounter with Tarik Skubal with 39 wins in their first 73 games.
"It was good," Benintendi said. "I think obviously we saw a lot of great pitching. Teams that are consistently in the playoffs. So to face those teams and have some success I think will give us a lot of confidence with this young group, so all positives there."
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So about those 1944 Reds debuts
In 1944, the Reds were an 89-win team that finished 16 games behind the Cardinals for the National League pennant.
Overall, 16 players made their big league debuts for the Reds, and the most notable names are Joe Nuxhall and Jim Konstanty.
Nuxhall debuted in mid-June with a relief appearance in a blowout as a 15-year-old, making him the youngest player to ever appear in a major league game. He did not return to the Reds until 1952 and wound up winning 130 games in a 16-year career (Reds, Royals and Angels) before embarking on a broadcasting career.
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Konstanty debuted about a week after Nuxhall as a 27-year-old and won six games. After one season with the Braves, he established himself with the Phillies as a steady reliever by getting 22 saves for the Whiz Kids who made the 1950 World Series.
As for the present, it is possible the White Sox may get sole possession of the quirky record, since more prospects may make their debuts, exceeding our modest expectations of merely avoiding 90 losses and last place.
For fans, seeing prospects debut is more exciting than watching journeyman types shuffled on and off the roster, which is something the Mets are becoming known for this year.
Related: White Sox Make Move After Murakami Injury Update
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This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Jun 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
