Where the last-place White Sox must turn for help

While no one should declare a season over after just 11 games, it is hard to hold out much hope for the 2-9 Chicago White Sox.

With OF/DH Eloy Jimenez and OF Luis Robert Jr. on the injured list, it's difficult to see a way Chicago can recover. (Per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun Times, Robert is going to miss considerable time.)

Entering Wednesday's game against first-place Cleveland, the last-place White Sox are already six games behind the Guardians in the AL Central.

So, what do the White Sox do from here? 

Chicago can't declare the season over. What it can do is mull when to bring up prospects from the minors who are close to being ready. The sooner this happens, the more experience those players will get and the better feel the front office will have for whether they are true major leaguers. 

The sad part for Chicago fans, however, is most of the White Sox's top prospects are far from being big-league ready. They are either too young (such as 20-year-old starter Noah Schultz) or don't have much time above Class A ball (such as starting pitcher Drew Thorpe).

Probably the most likely prospect to get an early call is the White Sox's top prospect, shortstop Colson Montgomery. He logged a .244/.400/428 triple-slash in 131 at bats in Double-A last season and is hitting .270/357/.324 in nine games at Triple-A in 2024. 

The White Sox probably would like to see him get more time at that level before promoting him, but if he continues to hit well in the minors, a call-up could come within a few weeks. 

Outfielder Zach DeLoach would be interesting to see in the majors soon, too. Although he is only ranked 29th among prospects in the White Sox' system, DeLoach has already put in a full season at Triple-A, performing well last year (.286, 33 HR) at Tacoma in Seattle's system.

The biggest negative with DeLoach is he strikes out too much (173 times last season at Tacoma). This accounts for why he is ranked so low. If he cuts that number, he could be a serviceable outfielder.

Along with Bryan Ramos – the apparent heir apparent to Yoan Moncada at third – a bevy of pitchers in the minors could also get call-ups, notably Nick Nastrini, Jonathan Cannon and Prelander Berroa.

As the club flounders, the White Sox must try to keep their fans engaged and playing promising prospects might help. Chicago already has outfielder Dominic Fletcher, reliever Jordan Leasure and catcher Korey Lee on the MLB roster. Why not add a few more young players when the calendar flips to May, June and July?

It is tough for any organization to go through what the White Sox are experiencing. They probably aren't going to compete in 2024, especially after their horrid start. Most of the best prospects are at least a year away from realistic consideration for a spot on the big-league club. Impatience can be as damaging as anything if young players are rushed too soon.

Still, there are prospects with whom Chicago can start the evaluation process.

It's still too early to jettison all hope for the 2024 season, but if the White Sox fall farther behind in the division, they must consider making this an evaluation season.