Thirteen is not yet an unlucky number for the White Sox.
July was the White Sox's second consecutive 13-12 month, and their third month with 13 wins if you count April by itself. They also finished comfortably in the black with regards to run differential (113 scored, 95 allowed), so the overall record suggests a team eking by, but the run differential suggests they're underperforming?
Maybe, but while the White Sox ranked 13th in baseball for runs scored in July, the overall hitting performance -- .225/.295/.378 -- was a bottom-10 showing, and a 100-point drop from their June OPS. They compensated by posting the sixth-lowest July ERA after coming into the month ranking 16th, but based on all the pitchers who are dealing with in-game or in-season stamina issues, they'd be well-served to start mashing again.
WHITE SOX TEAM PERFORMANCE
- Record: 13-12
- Standings: First, 4 up
- Longest winning streak:4, July 10-17
- Longest losing streak: 3, July 1-3, 7-9
- Largest margin of victory: 13, July 10 vs. Athletics
- Largest margin of defeat: 10, July 21 at Rangers
HITTING LEADERS
- Batting average: .262, Chase Meidroth
- On-base percentage: .395, Munetaka Murakami
- Slugging percentage: .532, Murakami
- wRC+: 155, Murakami
- Home runs: 4, Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Sam Antonacci and Colson Montgomery
- RBI: 14, Montgomery
- Walks: 14, Murakami
- Strikeouts: 30, Montgomery
- Stolen bases: 3, Antonacci
- fWAR: 0.6, Meidroth and Murakami
PITCHING LEADERS
- Wins: 3, Erick Fedde
- Losses: 3, Noah Schultz
- ERA: 1.14, Sean Burke
- Innings: 31⅔, Burke
- Strikeouts: 45, Burke
- Appearances: 13, Trevor Richards
- Relief innings: 18⅓, Richards
- fWAR: 1.4, Burke
COMING AND GOING
- White Sox debuts: Joe Rock, Braden Montgomery, Junior Pérez
- White Sox departures: Jacob Gonzalez, Brandon Eisert
- Going up: Tyler Davis, Tyler Schweitzer, Edgar Quero,
- Going down: Schweitzer, Gonzalez, Davis, Junior Perez
#SOXMORGUE
- Kyle Teel: Left high ankle sprain
WHITE SOX HONORS
Most Valuable Player: Chase Meidroth
It doesn't rank with previous award-winning months in terms of sheer offensive impact, but Meidroth regaining his control of the strike zone without sacrificing power while playing pretty good defense is a big development for his personal staying power. He hit .262/.344/.429 and got stronger as the month went on, but the most impressive numbers are his walk and strikeout rates:
- July: 9.3 BB%, 16.5 K%, .167 ISO
- Before: 9.5 BB%, 24.4 K%, .108 ISO
Least Valuable Player: Catchers
For the second straight month, the position itself was the biggest straggler. Last time around, the debate was whether Drew Romo or Edgar Quero was the starter. This time around, the playing time was largely split between Romo and Kyle Teel, with Quero picking up the pieces after Teel went down again. The combined line: .157/.227/.225, and the third-worst fWAR in baseball.
Most Valuable Pitcher: Sean Burke
Burke's June breakout rolled through July unimpeded. He posted a 1.14 ERA by allowing just 20 hits and -- get this -- four walks against 45 strikeouts over 31⅔ innings. He went 5-for-5 in throwing quality starts, struck out 10 in three of those starts, and finished with nine in another. The White Sox went 4-1 in his starts, including three wins where he received three, three and two runs of support.
Last Valuable Pitcher: Noah Schultz
July was the most stable month of White Sox pitching, in that the White Sox stuck to the same five-man rotation the entire time. That made it easier to see that Schultz was the weakest link. Davis Martin provided the wrong kind of challenge, but Schultz didn't pitch beyond the fifth inning in any of his five starts while posting a 6.75 ERA, which gave him the edge.
Fire Man: Jordan Hicks
In multiple senses of the word. Hicks couldn't have performed any better, as he didn't allow a run over 11 innings and apearances, striking out 18 against eight baserunners. It was a true scoreless month, too, as he stranded all three runners he inherited. Beyond the numbers, Hicks rediscovered his triple-digit heat and figured out how to use it in four-seam form, and that made him a menace.
Gas Can: Bryan Hudson
Hudson posted a 6.23 ERA, mainly due to one disastrous outing against the Astros, where he couldn't rescue Davis Martin and they ended up allowing eight runs in an inning. But while seven of his 10 innings were personally scoreless, he allowed eight of his nine inherited runners to score in July, which is how he ended up with the bullpen's worst Win Probability Added score (-0.68) for July, and by a considerable margin.
Bench Player: Luisangel Acuña
This is more or less by default, as he hit .323/.323/.355 while playing an above-average shortstop. That combination is typically useful for a bench player, but the impact -- at least at the plate -- is a bit muted by Acuña having the third-worst WPA among White Sox hitters in July.
Stench Player: Catchers
Once again, see: Least Valuable Player. Junior Pérez went 2-for-19 with six strikeouts before Everson Pereira returned, but he was always playing above his pay grade.
Gold Glove: Chase Meidroth
Meidroth saw his 50-game errorless streak snapped on the last day of the month, but it didn't keep him from posting the team's best Outs Above Average total in July (5). He made multiple highlight-reel plays, and the lone meidroth-misplay entry was for bouncing a throw after a great diving stop.
Hands of Stone: Miguel Vargas
Vargas finished at the bottom of the team's July OAA at -5, and it showed up in real time, both with four errors charged to him, and several additional entries on the vargas-misplay tag.
Timeline
Return to Cleveland: After pitching a scoreless eighth to preserve a 5-4 lead, Grant Taylor issues a leadoff walk to open the ninth, eventually followed by a two-run walk-off homer by Brayan Rocchio for a 6-5 loss to the Guardians. (July 2)
Two days, two heartbreakers: After Miguel Vargas effectively generated extra innings by hitting a two-out three-run homer to put the Sox ahead in the fifth inning before a rain delay, the Guardians tie it up on soft contact in the seventh, then watch Kahlil Watson end it with a single in the 10th. (July 3)
The best revenge: While it may look quaint now, Colson Montgomery had a real case for an All-Star spot in the first half, but Miguel Vargas was listed as the only White Sox rep on the initial roster. Shortly after the snub, Montgomery went out and drove in the only runs the White Sox needed in a restorative 3-1 victory at Progressive Field. (July 4)
A split by any means: The White Sox weather two awful defensive innings to beat the Guardians 7-6, with the decisive run scoring on a chopper that probably should've produced an out at the plate. A win is a win, and a split in Cleveland is a split in Cleveland. (July 5)
It's down to three: Mike Shirley meets with Chicago media in the week of the draft and says their decision is down to Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson and Vahn Lackey. Whoever will they choose? (July 9)
Sox sweep Sox: The draft talk is a welcome distraction from a sleepy three-game series against Boston, during which they White Sox were outscored 15-2 (July 9)
A platform for Peters: Tristan Peters overshadows the return of Munetaka Murakami by hitting for the seventh cycle in White Sox history in a 14-1 drubbing of the Athletics, notching the two hardest parts by homering and tripling in the seventh inning. (July 10)
Gonzo gonezo: Shortly after optioning him to Charlotte to make room for Murakami, the White Sox trade Jacob Gonzalez to Pittsburgh, along with Brandon Eisert in exchange for the 34th pick in the next day's draft and Triple-A lefty reliever Jaden Woods. (July 10)
Roch chalk: As expected -- although he could've made it more of a lock -- the White Sox select Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB draft. If only Rob Manfred didn't butcher his name. (July 11)
Peters to Philly: Meanwhile, Tristan Peters is named an All-Star replacement to give Vargas some company. Murakami eventually joins them. (July 11)
A Futures Game check-in: Caleb Bonemer goes 0-for-2 in the Futures Game, but that doesn't stop him from expounding on his approach to hitting with James at Citizens Bank Park. (July 12)
A little rusty: Murakami participates in the Home Run Derby, but failed to advance out of the first round, as his total of nine misses the cut by one. (July 13)
Miguel's moment: After being robbed of a double by his friend Andy Pages in his first trip to the plate, Miguel Vargas hits it where nobody can get it, launching a 433-foot homer for the lone extra-base hit in the American League's 4-0 victory in the All-Star Game. (July 14)
That was fast: The White Sox announce agreements with 20 of 21 draft picks, including a record-breaking $10.35 million bonus for Cholowsky. (July 16)
HBP history: Anthony Kay sets the White Sox single-season record for HBPs in a season with 18 when he plunks Kazuma Okamoto in the first inning and Ernie Clement in the third inning of a 12-4 victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto. There's still so much season left. (July 17)
Another road series win: The White Sox open the second half by winning two of three against the Blue Jays, responding to a shutout with one of their own. (July 19)
Catching help needed: After 19 games, Kyle Teel heads back to the injured list after suffering a high ankle sprain on a non-contact play while pivoting in an attempt to apply a tag at the plate. (July 20)
At home while away: Make that three consecutive road series victories after a Chase Meidroth four-hit game propels the White Sox to a 4-2 win over the Rangers to take two of three at Globe Life Field. (July 22)
Menu-taka Murakami: For the first homestand of the second half, the White Sox unveil their midseason concessions additions, headlined by a sushi push-pop to capitalize on Murakami madness. (July 24)
Sixth-inning issues: A dream start against the Astros turns into a nightmare, as a 5-0 lead dissolves on Davis Martin and two White Sox relievers during an eight-run sixth that sours the start to the homestand. (July 24)
He's back ... in bobblehead form: Munetaka Murakami breaks out of his slump on his bobblehead day, erupting for two homers and five RBIs as the White Sox stave off a sweep by the Astros. (July 26)
Q it up: After looking overmatched by the Yankees in the first two games of a four-game set, the White Sox were down 4-0 in a Cam Schlittler start and appeared on track for a third straight loss, until they erased all with late back-to-back homers by Sam Antonacci and Murakami off reliever Paul Blackburn. It then takes three extra innings to decide a winner, when Edgar Quero supplies his second walk-off hit of the season. (July 29)
Another hard-earned split: Just like the series in Cleveland that opened the month, the White Sox recover from two tough losses by gutting out two tough wins. The finale is scoreless until the teams exchange single runs in the 10th, before Tristan Peters watches four out of the zone for a walk-off-walk in the 11th. (July 30)
M&M&M Boys: For the fifth game in 2026, Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas all homer in a 6-1 victory over the Rays. That's a franchise and MLB record, and it secures a winning mark for the month on the last day of it. (July 31)
