White Sox announce signings of the 2026 draft picks they’re going to sign

The White Sox signaled that their recent draft picks were likely to sign and sign soon by establishing a draft camp in Charlotte that started Thursday. Sure enough, they announced that 20 of their 21 picks are officially under terms and part of the organization, and a couple of them have already talked to Kendall Smith, so Roch Cholowsky and Landon Thome in particular are way ahead of schedule.

The lone unsigned player was Connor Fennell, the Vanderbilt righty taken in the 20th round. Mike Shirley said Fennell was an insurance policy in case they hit a snag with one of their first 20 picks, and it turns out he wasn't needed, so consider the photo above a tribute to his brief time in the White Sox's orbit.

The White Sox indeed blasted past the record for largest signing bonus, as Roch Cholowsky's $10.35 million bonus bested the previous record of $9.3 million held by Chase Burns and Charlie Condon in 2024. (Burns just set a new, specific kind of record by signing a seven-year, $105 million extension, so either the Reds have zero buyer's remorse, or they're going undecuple or nothing.)

The other amounts are still coming in, although few notable seven-figure signings have already been reported. There was the Kyle Casteel $1.25 million bonus we discussed Thursday morning, $1.1 million of which counted against the pool, and Jim Callis added the over-slot signings of second-rounder Cole Prosek ($3.25 million; roughly $800,000 over slot) and sixth-round pick Alex Weingartner ($1.4 million; nearly $1 million over slot).

These sorts of figures would pack a whole lot more drama if the White Sox hadn't already spoiled the ending, but they do reflect the team's desire to add them to the organization regardless of round.

Along with the 19 draft picks confirmed, the White Sox also published a list of undrafted free agents already under terms:

• Andrew Berg, RHP, Army
• Grant Cleavinger, LHP, Nebraska
• Justin Feld, RHP, Gonzaga
• Luke Lawrence, INF, Kentucky
• Nathan Leininger, RHP, Toledo
• Michael Sharman, LHP, Clemson

Cleavinger is the younger brother of Rays lefty Garrett Cleavinger, in case you were curious about the odds.

White Sox Minor Keys: July 16, 2026

ACL White Sox 12, ACL Reds 11 (9 innings)

• Yordani Soto entered as a pinch runner, then hit the walk-off sac fly.
• Adam Fogel continues to look healthy: 3-for-4 with two homers and a walk.
• Jose Mendoza was 1-for-4 with a homer, walk and two strikeouts.
• Eduardo Herrera grounded out in a pinch-hitting appearance.
• Alejandro Cruz went 0-for-3 with a walk, two strikeouts, a sac bunt and a stolen base.

Notes:

It's hard to tell if this was a seven-inning game or a nine-inning game because the Reds tied it up at 11 with a seven-run seventh, and neither team scored in the eighth.

DSL Athletics 12, DSL White Sox 3

• Sebastian Romero went 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts.
• Fernando Graterol was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Ronald Cardozo was 2-for-3.
• Felix Lebron walked once, struck out thrice and was caught stealing.
• Samuel Luis went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
• Roderic Ramirez with a neat line: 2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 WP