White Sox Minor Keys: May 24, 2026

Rikuu Nishida, your White Sox prospect's favorite White Sox prospect, is going to be a big leaguer today, as the White Sox are expected to call him up before this afternoon's game against the Twins. He'll require a corresponding move on both rosters, since he's not a part of the 40-man, and the White Sox probably have other transactions in mind as well.

There is a whole host of reasons why Nishida's call-up is unlikely, whether you're judging him by draft status (11th round in 2023), build (listed at 5'6" and 160 pounds), or utter lack of power (a career .289/.409/.339 hitter).

Even the White Sox didn't seem that convinced based on the Opening Day assignments, as Nishida started the season by returning to Double-A Birmingham, even though he posted a .403 OBP over the previous full season en route to his second Southern League championship ring. The 5-foot-7-inch Mario Camilletti ended up taking the Triple-A spot reserved for the short OBP king.

Nevertheless, Nishida forced his way up, first by hitting .250/.434/.350 over 11 games with the Barons, and then .347/.454/.395 with the Knights, including his second professional homer.

It doesn't seem like it should work at the major league level, because his game is even more reliant on being a chaos agent than Sam Antonacci's, and we've seen how that approach can backfire against major league defenses. Statcast says only two of his 99 balls in play with Charlotte have topped 100 mph, and both were hit into the ground, so there isn't a reason for an MLB pitcher to tread carefully. Watch him on the wrong day, when his active feet in the batter's box become unmoored and he swings himself into the ground on a pitch he wasn't anticipating, or when he pops up a bunt on the first pitch, and you'll wonder how he even got to Double-A, much less the majors.

Watch him on the right day, however, when changes his stance and his swing from pitch to pitch, and he's able to place the ball where it needs to be for an infield single, then wreaks havoc on the bases afterward, and you'll wish the game had room for more players like him.

He's also popular among teammates and coaches. When I talked to Winston-Salem manager Guillermo Quiroz about Sam Antonacci for James' feature earlier this season, he mentioned that Nishida was integral in bringing Antonacci out of his shell in Birmingham:

"You know, he's so quiet in the clubhouse, and obviously Rikuu [Nishida] was on top of him, trying to make him talk and feel comfortable and this and that."

In terms of where he could play, Nishida has played more second base than ever as a professional this season, but he has experience at all three outfield positions. It was a rocky transition early, but he warmed up to left field, and his arm can be a weapon, as evidenced by his 11 outfield assists over 78 games last season.

That's the skill set he'll bring, and if he's somehow able to carry over his .481 OBP against right-handed pitching, he can play pretty much anywhere and earn his keep. It seems highly unlikely, but that's been the whole theme of his arc to date, and yet here he is.

Charlotte 3, Gwinnett 2

• Rikuu Nishida went 2-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
• Austin Hays was 1-for-4.
• Braden Montgomery replaced him after seven innings and grounded out in his only plate appearance.
• Jacob Gonzalez went 2-for-4.
• Junior Pérez went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
• Jonathan Cannon: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 60 of 92 pitches for strikes.

Biloxi 7, Birmingham 5

• Samuel Zavala went 0-for-4 with an HBP and two strikeouts.
• Colby Shelton was 0-for-5 with a K.
• Full house for Anthony DePino doubled twice and struck out thrice.
• Jeral Perez walked once and struck out thrice.

Greensboro 11, Winston-Salem 4

• Kyle Lodise went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
• So did Caleb Bonemer, but his hit was his 15th homer.
• Boston Smith was 1-for-2 with two walks.
• George Wolkow, 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Mathias LaCombe: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 11 of 12 pitches for strikes.
• Seth Keener: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 13 of 20 pitches for strikes.
• Pierce George: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 17 of 26 pitches for strikes.

Highlights:

*Bonemer's homer was on a line.

Kannapolis 5, Myrtle Beach 0

• Abraham Nunez went 1-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts.
• Matthew Boughton doubled, singled and struck out thrice. He also stole a base.
• Javier Mogollón was 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
• Rylan Galvan went 1-for-3 with his first double, a walk, a strikeout and a stolen base.

Notes:

*The Cannon Ballers went 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position.