Colson Montgomery came up just short of the first grand slam of his career July 23 in Tampa, Fla., hitting a Kevin Kelly sinker off the wall in right-center at George M. Steinbrenner Field for a two-run double.
The Chicago White Sox shortstop left no doubt Saturday against the Minnesota Twins.
Batting with the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, Montgomery crushed a 97-mph fastball from Mick Abel for a 412-foot slam to right-center at Rate Field.
“It was nice,” Montgomery said afterward. “I wasn’t trying to do too much. Trying to get the ball in the air. Just hit the ball forward. I was able to put a good swing on it.”
Montgomery has done a lot of that recently. The slam is part of a stretch of four home runs in Montgomery’s last four games. He had to press pause on trying to extend that streak Wednesday when he did not play because of left side soreness.
Montgomery was not in the starting lineup again Thursday as the Sox began a four-game series against the New York Yankees at Rate Field.
“We’re not quite there, but hope to be here in the next couple days,” manager Will Venable said before Thursday’s game. Venable added the soreness is affecting Montgomery offensively and defensively.
“I think he can feel it on the field as well, but I think it’s mainly swinging,” Venable said. “But again, progressing here and over the next day or two expecting to see more progress and hopefully he’s in there.”
General manager Chris Getz compared the situation to when Montgomery missed a game Aug. 18 in Atlanta when the soreness first appeared.
“We’ve MRI’d it, and it’s clean,” Getz said Wednesday. “But he still feels something a little bit, and we’re going to make sure that that’s under control.
“We had something similar pop up on our last road trip. He got over it fairly quickly, got back in there, was productive, like he’s been since he’s been here with the major-league club. So we anticipate doing the same thing when the time’s right.”
White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery slaps hands with third-base coach Justin Jirschele after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the Royals on Aug. 26, 2025, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Montgomery has wasted no time in making an impact at the plate. His 14 home runs are tied with Zeke Bonura (1934) for the second-most in Sox history by a player in his first 43 career games. José Abreu tops that list with 15.
“I feel like I’ve always been a power hitter,” Montgomery said Saturday. “You are just trying to put your best swing on the ball. If I get a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it, I’ve been able to do some damage.”
The home run streak began Aug. 22 with a two-run shot in the fifth inning against the Twins. The grand slam occurred the next night. Montgomery hit another two-run home run in the second inning Sunday against the Twins.
He did not play Monday in the series opener against the Kansas City Royals but returned the next night and hit a solo home run off the left-field foul pole in the second inning.
“He’s just done it in different ways,” Venable said Wednesday. “The one (Tuesday) was pretty impressive on a ball that I thought was a foul ball. I think he might have too. It ends up going pretty far up the foul pole. Just him doing it in different ways on different pitches, using the whole field, just impressive.”
Montgomery entered Thursday one short of matching the franchise record of five straight games with a home run, shared by A.J. Pierzynski (2012), Paul Konerko (2011), Carlos Lee (2003), Frank Thomas (twice in 1994), Ron Kittle (1983) and Greg Luzinski (1983).
Getz said the most impressive aspect of the stretch is “that he’s just continued to do it.”
“He hits one one night and then it’s the next day and the next day and the next day — that just speaks to the confidence that he has and the belief in himself and of course his ability in getting the right pitches to drive,” Getz said. “We know he’s not going to hit a home run every night, but to know that he’s got a chance to really impact the game every time he comes to the plate is a good feeling.”
Montgomery entered Thursday third in the majors with 35 RBIs since the All-Star break. The 14 home runs have come in the second half. He entered Thursday fourth in the majors in that category since the break.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Getz said. “For his last four games played, to hit home runs is an impressive feat. And then you kind of, underneath the hood, rewind back once again where he was earlier in the year to where he is now, it’s remarkable.”
And the work is continuing to get Montgomery back in the starting lineup. Communication is key, Venable said, when it comes to a setback for any player.
“You have to understand that relative to these injuries that if you push yourself and mess around too much, then you’re out for a really long time,” Venable said Thursday. “That’s where the collaborative effort comes in, communicating with all parties and making sure we have a real clear understanding and make the best decision for the player and for the team.”