This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO – White Sox general manager Chris Getz was asked if Colson Montgomery (Chicago's No. 2 prospect and No. 28 overall, per MLB Pipeline) would be a September callup to the Major Leagues during his media session this past Friday.

During a recent interview with MLB.com and again in a pregame group interview Monday night, White Sox director of player development Paul Janish was offered up a similar question. The basic answer provided by both was: to be determined.

“Haven’t made that decision yet,” said Getz of Montgomery. “We’re still looking for a little bit more consistency in the bat. There have been some positive signs along the way, but most importantly, we have to make sure he is foundationally in a good spot before we challenge him at the Major League level.”

“In a perfect world, you can get him some Major League time,” Janish said. “Whether or not that happens, we’ll see. Ultimately does he need to have it to be ready next year potentially? No, I don’t think so. We’ll see what the rest of the year holds.”

Montgomery entered the 2024 campaign with a tag of when and not if he’d get to the Majors this season. But there have been offensive struggles for the left-handed-hitting shortstop in his first full campaign with Triple-A Charlotte, slashing .210/.328/.375 with 137 strikeouts over 395 at-bats.

Always possessing a keen batting eye, Montgomery still has drawn 56 walks. He also has 14 home runs, 17 doubles and 50 RBIs. There’s no getting around the overall shortcomings, but the confident and hard-working 22-year-old has not been weighed down by the issues.

“Obviously, he would first and foremost say that he’s not where he wants to be or where he expects himself to be offensively,” said White Sox third-base coach and previous Charlotte manager Justin Jirschele. “This is really his first full year, complete, and he’s done a really good job of being a pro, showing up every day ready to work. And he’s not shying away from the failure.”

“Has his confidence wavered? I don’t think so, from a macro view,” Janish said. “Has his frustration set in a little bit? Sure. Again, if you ask me or Colson, we would both tell you we are still dealing with a middle-of-the-order, really good Major League offensive player. I believe he still believes that, and at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing.”

Maybe the preseason expectations for Montgomery were a little bit lofty or unrealistic. Yes, he came off a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, and he carries himself like a top-flight player. But due to back and oblique injuries in 2023, Montgomery is going through his first full pro season and doing so at the Triple-A level.

With a 5-for-9 (.556) effort over his past two games at Memphis, including a second home run in August, Montgomery has raised his average eight points. This stretch might be the start of a hot streak needed to push Montgomery into that late big league chance in 2024.

Even if that chance doesn’t come this year, as Janish explained, Montgomery remains at the center of the White Sox rebuild as they move forward.

“It’s a really good group of guys there in Charlotte that have kind of kept him going, helping his maturity process continue to elevate, and he’s showing that on his own too,” Jirschele said. “Despite the lower numbers than what he wants and what we expect from him, there’s definitely some positives there.”

“He’s been struggling, but still the same guy: always laughing, always ready to work, always finding something to work on,” said Charlotte Knights third baseman Bryan Ramos. “It doesn’t matter how he’s doing on the field. He’s a great person [and] a great teammate.”