White Sox Minor League Update: July 20, 2025

Boom, bust, and bullpen blues as Chicago’s affiliates go 3-for-5 on the day, delivering both fireworks and frustration

Durham Bulls 10, Charlotte Knights 7 (10 innings) (Statcast box)
The Knights endured a tough 10-7 extra-inning loss, dropping their record below .500 to 47-48 and placing them fourth in the International League. It’s been a season of hovering around the middle mark for Charlotte, going up a few games here and down a few games there. It seems like it will be a year destined for mediocrity. Hmm … that sounds familiar.

Despite the loss, the Knights’ offense demonstrated flashes of its league-leading (144 home runs) power. Korey Lee blasted his seventh tank of 2025 in the second, and Bryan Ramos took his tenth deep in the fourth. Recently promoted Caden Connor, the White Sox’s 2023 19th-round pick, recorded his first Triple-A hit in the seventh, continuing his strong performance across three different levels this season. The Knights did manage to rally in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run single by Will Robertson and a sacrifice fly by Tristan Gray to tie the game at six, but in the end, the Knights’ terrible pitching did them in yet again.

Speaking of the staff, they currently own a league-worst 6.29 ERA. The starter gave up three runs over four innings, while the bullpen, which did toss a few scoreless frames, ultimately surrendered four runs, allowing the game to get away in the tenth inning. Unfortunately, the late surge by the Bulls was too much for Charlotte to overcome, as Bob Seymour and Tanner Murray delivered key hits, including a two-run homer by Murray off Fraser Ellard, to deliver the L.

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Birmingham Barons 6, Knoxville Smokies 1
The Barons’ (52-38) victory gave them a four-game lead over Knoxville for first place in the Southern League. The offense broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third with Matt Hogan’s first homer of the season. After the Smokies tied it up 1-1 in the fifth, the Barons capitalized on a throwing error by Knoxville’s pitcher Jake Brentz in the sixth inning, which put runners on first and second with one out. Brentz then walked Sam Antonacci to load the bases, and Wilfred Veras came through with a two-RBI single to give the Barons back the lead, 3-1. They added three more to the scoreboard with late-inning runs in the eighth, highlighted by Jason Matthews’s RBI base hit and Rikku Nishida’s sacrifice fly.

Jake Palisch delivered a solid five-frame outing for the Barons, surrendering only one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. The arm barn of Dalton Roach, Andrew Dalquist, and Zach Franklin combined to give up three hits and no runs over four innings. This was welcome news for a pen that has been hanging out near the bottom of the league with a collective 4.20 ERA.

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Greensboro Grasshoppers 2, Winston-Salem Dash 1 (7 innings, Game 1)
The Dash offense struggled to generate consistent scoring opportunities in their 2-1 loss in Game 1. Their lone tally came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Braden Montgomery knocked an RBI single, driving home Wilber Sánchez to tie the game at 1-1. Beyond that, the Dash managed only a handful of singles, with T.J. McCants and Jackson Appel both contributing base hits. Winston-Salem had just two runners in scoring position throughout the game.

Despite their offensive troubles, the Dash hurlers delivered a strong performance that kept them in the game. Starter Christian Oppor held Greensboro to just one run through his three innings of work. The southpaw is only 20 years old and has been really solid since being promoted at the end of May. Relievers Jonathan Clark, Jake Peppers, and Morris Austin supported the effort and collectively shut down the Grasshoppers’ offense, holding them scoreless for one inning apiece. Unfortunately, the only mishap was Phil Fox allowing a solo jack in the top of the seventh, which ultimately proved to be the difference.

Winston-Salem Dash 6, Greensboro Grasshoppers 0 (7 innings, Game 2)
The Dash (33-55) redeemed themselves in Game 2 with their offense igniting early. The scoring jump-started in the bottom of the first inning when Jeral Perez launched his 15th round-tripper of the season, a solo shot to left field. Winston-Salem continued to pile on, with Braden Montgomery scoring on a wild pitch and Alec Makarewicz plating Arxy Hernandez with an RBI single, giving Winston-Salem a quick 3-0 lead. After four quiet innings, the Dash bats reactivated in the sixth when Alec Makarewicz delivered a decisive blow, crushing a three-run blast that extended the lead to 6-0 and effectively put the game out of reach.

On the mound, the Winston-Salem Dash staff delivered a stellar shutout. Starting pitcher Connor McCullough sailed through the first three innings without allowing a run and surrendered just one hit while striking out two. Jake Bockenstedt came on in relief and continued the strong performance, holding the grasshopper scoreless through his four frames.

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Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 7, Columbia Fireflies 2
The Cannon Ballers (43-47) combined timely hitting with aggressive base running to nail down a victory. After a slow start, the Ballers got their bats going in the top of the fourth with Mikey Kane delivering a two-run triple to tie the game. Nathan Archer’s RBI single followed to give them a tight 3-2 advantage. Then, after a few quiet frames, power was on full display in the seventh when George Wolkow launched a two-run four-bagger, extending Kanny’s lead to 5-2. With 49 dingers on the season, Wolkow’s blast tied them for fourth in the Carolina League. They also showcased their speed on the basepaths, swiping three bags, including a key stolen base by Jordan Sprinkle in the eighth inning that led to another run, further padding their lead. They rank third overall with 191 in bases swiped.

Kaleb Sophy delivered a terrific performance, earning him a win along with his first quality start of the season. The southpaw tossed six innings, allowing only two runs on six hits with one walk and two Ks. His outing set the tone for the rest of the bullpen as Blake Shepardson, Joseph Yabbour, and Hale Sims combined to keep the Fireflies off the board over the final three innings.