Month in a Box: The White Sox in June 2026

The danger in taking a few days to gather up everything that happened in a recently completed month is that even though the box is closed, it might not be airtight, and the performance over the first fresh week that follows can color it, if not contaminate it.

Case in point: The White Sox posting an over-.500 record in June is a triumph. Not only is it a second consecutive winning month for a team that had gone 17 months without one, but they kept their heads above water during the toughest part of their schedule, at least on paper.

It just might not feel like it, because they finished June with a two-game lead in the AL Central, and then dropped a game back of Cleveland after three consecutive losses, including two of the walk-off variety against those Guardians at the house of horrors that is Progressive Field.

But hey, they won on Saturday to regain a share of first place while being one better in the loss column, so let's strike while the iron is hot.

WHITE SOX TEAM PERFORMANCE

• Record: 13-12
• Standings: First, 2 up
• Longest winning streak: 3, June 9-12
• Longest losing streak: 3, June 19-21
• Largest margin of victory: 21, June 26 vs. Royals
• Largest margin of defeat: 10, June 16 at Yankees

HITTING LEADERS

• Batting average: .318, Sam Antonacci
• On-base percentage: .426, Antonacci
• Slugging percentage: .597, Andrew Benintendi
• wRC+: 163, Antonacci and Benintendi
• Home runs: 6, Benintendi, Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery
• RBI: 18, Vargas
• Walks: 12, Vargas
• Strikeouts: 37, Colson Montgomery
• Stolen bases: 6, Luisangel Acuña
• fWAR: 1.0, Antonacci and Vargas

PITCHING LEADERS

• Wins: 3, Erick Fedde, Sean Burke, Grant Taylor
• Losses: 2, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay
• ERA: 2.39, Fedde
• Innings: 27⅓, Burke
• Strikeouts: 35, Burke
• Appearances: 11, Brandon Eisert
• Relief innings: 15⅓ , Sean Newcomb
• fWAR: 0.6, Newcomb

COMING AND GOING

• White Sox debuts: Joe Rock, Braden Montgomery, Junior Pérez
• White Sox departures: Derek Hill
• Going up: Rock, Montgomery, Chris Murphy, Pérez, David Sandlin, Tyler Schweitzer
• Going down: Murphy, Sandlin(x2), Rikuu Nishida, Tyler Davis, Edgar Quero, Rock

#SOXMORGUE

• Tyler Gilbert: Left shoulder impingement
• Everson Pereira: Concussion

WHITE SOX HONORS

Most Valuable Player: Sam Antonacci

Antonacci hit .318/.426/.494, which is ideal work from the leadoff spot. He scored 20 runs in 22 games with more free bases (10 walks, six HBPs) than strikeouts (14), and now he's starting to hit the ball over the fence, too. He's still largely shielded against lefties, but he managed to post a .303 OBP against them over 23 PAs, which is an improvement from the .250 OBP in unfavorable matchups over the first two months.

Least Valuable Player: Drew Romo/Edgar Quero

It comes down to which one you figure is qualifying as the regular. Romo started more games, 10-9, but Quero came to the plate more often, with 38 plate appearances to Romo's 36. Quero hit .158/.158/.158 before being optioned to Charlotte, Romo hit .061/.086/.091. Neither should qualify for this title next month as long as Kyle Teel's legs cooperate.

Most Valuable Pitcher: Sean Burke

The monthly numbers on the whole aren't eye-popping -- a 3.62 ERA, a 5.16 FIP -- but his 7⅓ innings of Ultimate Bulk Boy work against the Yankees might have represented a corner-turning, as he turned in two useful starts in winning efforts with no opener assistance afterward.

Last Valuable Pitcher: David Sandlin

Sandlin wore it in his first two starts of the month, as the Twins and Phillies combined to hang 11 runs on him over 7 ⅓ innings before the White Sox decided to go without a fifth starter for a while. That said, he came away from June with something to build on with six innings of one-run ball against Kansas City, maximizing those 22 runs of support.

Fire Man: Sean Newcomb

Five of Newcomb's eight appearances were 1) scoreless and 2) spanned at least five outs. His versatility was further on display by the fact that he threw three scoreless innings to start a game, and recorded a save of 2⅔ innings, which is the kind of effort that allowed him to lead the bullpen in Win Probability Added going away. Hat tip to Chris Murphy and Trevor Richards, who combined to allow three earned runs and four walks over 23⅓ innings, providing a lot of stability in uncertain situations.

Gas Can: Seranthony Domínguez

Domínguez posted the worst WPA among White Sox relievers, and boy was it felt. He blew two of three saves, and even the one he recorded involved a run on a hit and two walks. He finished the month getting a low-leverage appearance to get right, but based on the way he opened July, it doesn't appear that it stuck.

Bench Player: Randal Grichuk

Grichuk continues to own his niche, slugging .689 over 48 plate appearances in June, and .852 against lefties. He proved capable of even springing the occasional surprise against righties, with a game-tying ninth-inning homer off Cleveland closer Cade Smith as evidence.

Stench Player: Edgar Quero/Drew Romo

See: Least Valuable Player.

Gold Glove: Tristan Peters

In terms of defense, Peters has turned out to be a better Luis Robert Jr. than Luis Robert Jr., both in terms of center field metrics (second among AL center fielders to Cedanne Rafaela) and his tendency to make catches in front of corner outfielders who have parked under it.

Hands of Stone: Colson Montgomery

Here's a development worth monitoring -- Montgomery's Outs Above Average totals per month:

• April: 5
• May: 5
• June: -4

The fact that Montgomery plays third base to accommodate Luisangel Acuña suggests that he's probably not as all-world as Statcast makes him appear, but if you're wondering if he returned from his back-related absence with a noticeable drop in playmaking ability, OOA is right there with you.

Timeline

That's the goal now: Chris Getz gives White Sox fans license for excitement by telling reporters at Target Field, "We are focused on 2026. I know I have stated that it's not about 2026, but this team is playing really good baseball." (June 1)

Inexperience shows: The downside of solving positions on the fly rears its ugly head when Jacob Gonzalez loses track of first base on a bunt and Sam Antonacci makes two incorrect throws in the same inning during a 6-4 loss in Minneapolis. (June 2)

Setting the table: Antonacci raises his OBP by 22 points in one game by reaching base six times -- four hits, a walk and a HBP. (June 3)

Terrific timing: During a 6-3 victory at Citizen Bank Park, Gonzalez belts his first career homer while the Phillies broadcast booth is audibly wondering what the deal is with Mike Vasil's magic wand. (June 7)

It's all downhill from here: Braden Montgomery closes his MLB debut with a walk-off homer with two outs in the 10th inning in a 6-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves, who hold the best record in baseball. Bob Costas is on the call because it happened to be a 1980s throwback broadcast. (June 9)

First place at last: Thanks to six scoreless innings from Davis Martin, White Sox rise to the top of the AL Central with a 2-1 victory and a surprising series win over Atlanta. (June 10)

When God closes a door ...: The final game of the three-game set with the Braves is rained out, so Hagen Smith's services aren't needed for a spot start for his MLB debut. (June 11)

... He sometimes slams your finger in it: Smith instead makes his scheduled start for Charlotte, gets rocked over 4 ⅓ innings, and then is placed on the injured list with a shoulder impingement. (June 13)

A lovefest: Meanwhile, at the major league level, the White Sox rout the Dodgers 8-2 in front of a capacity crowd. (June 13)

No no-no: Tristan Peters spoils Yoshinobu Yamamoto's bid for a no-hitter, as well as a shutout, with a solo shot around the right field foul pole with three outs to go. It's the only White Sox highlight in a 7-1 loss to the Dodgers. (June 13)

Putting their foot down: After being one-hit by Emmett Sheehan into the sixth inning, an Antonacci solo shot ends up being the first of three hit during a six-run sixth, which holds up for a 6-4 win that closes out a 4-1 homestand against the two best teams in baseball. (June 14)

No road romance: The White Sox return to the road -- and road woes -- by getting trounced 12-2 at Yankee Stadium, their worst loss of the season outside of Opening Day. (June 16)

Injury magnet: Making his first start since coming off the injured list for a pectoral strain, Everson Pereira leaves it with a trainer after crashing into the center field wall making a catch with the White Sox trailing by seven. He's placed on the 7-day concussion IL, his third stint in three months, all involving different body parts. (June 17)

Punch in a pinch: Andrew Benintendi, who is finally having fun four years into his White Sox career, comes off the bench to deliver a game-breaking grand slam as the White Sox avoid a sweep at Yankee Stadium. The White Sox finish their 12-game gauntlet against the Phillies, Braves, Dodgers and Yankees 6-5 with one postponement. (June 18)

Wizard meets id: Mike Vasil's wand-waving ways aren't as endearing to Tarik Skubal, who screams in Vasil's direction after giving up the lead in the fifth inning, but wriggling out of a jam to avoid further damage. A weird White Sox dugout will not be deterred. (June 19)

Motown blood: Despite leading by two runs through six innings with all high-leverage arms rested and ready to close it out, Grant Taylor and Seranthony Domínguez each give up a run via Dillon Dingler to force extras, where the White Sox get walked off without recording an out for a sweep. (June 21)

It begins: The first White Sox-Guardians game of 2026 is Kyle Teel's season debut, but his return is overshadowed by the White Sox bullpen blowing leads of 3-0 and 4-0 over the final three innings before Sam Antonacci saves the day with a walk-off single against Cleveland closer Cade Smith. The White Sox win in walk-off fashion, 5-4. (June 22)

Broadcast barrier broken: With Steve Stone absent due to illness, Brooke Fletcher steps in to become the first female TV analyst in White Sox history. She gets to oversee a less chaotic finish, as Sean Newcomb enters in relief of Sean Burke with one out in the seventh and holds the one-run lead the rest of the way for an eight-out save. (June 23)

It's probably going to be like this: All three games against Cleveland are decided by one run, with the Guardians winning the finale 4-3 in 10 innings after Braden Montgomery and Randal Grichuk homered off Cade Smith to force extras. (June 24)

A.J. Pierzynski meets the pope: If that's not a weird enough sentence on its own, the former White Sox catcher says that Pope Leo XIV told him he's paying attention to what his favorite team is doing this season. (June 26)

Spread it on: By scoring 22 runs against the Royals, the White Sox tie their second-largest single-game offensive output in franchise history. By beating the Royals 22-1, it's the second-largest victory the White Sox have produced. (June 26)

Winning, bumping ugly: Of course the next game is settled 2-1, and befitting of the 1983 White Sox they honored before the game, the White Sox won it with a Jacob Gonzalez walk-off single that was made possible by Royals reliever Daniel Lynch IV winging a throw to third from 20 feet away and nailing KC's third sacker in his only one. (June 27)

Orange you glad: The White Sox snap a nine-game losing streak to the Orioles with an 8-2 victory at Camden Yards, which features the Sox going 6-for-6 in ABS challenges. (June 29)

Seven and seven: Thanks to a seven-run third inning and Tyler Schweitzer recording the franchise's first four-inning save in 24 years, the White Sox to snap a seven-series road losing streak, as well as lock in that 13-12 month with their last opportunity to do so. (June 30)