Prospects shine at Triple-A after White Sox’ Opening Day dud

MILWAUKEE — As bad as Opening Day was for the Sox, Friday night’s season opener for the Charlotte Knights was blooming with tantalizing possibilities for the franchise’s next wave of talent — including the two biggest arms that could point which way this rebuild is going.

In his first Triple-A start, left-handed 2024 first-round pick Hagen Smith gave up a run but struck out four over three innings of work.

Oswego East product Noah Schultz, the towering 2022 first-rounder, fanned five over four hitless frames in relief.

Shortstop prospect William Bergolla Jr. went 4-for-5 with two doubles, and following up his World Baseball Classic run with Team Italy, Springfield native Sam Antonacci smacked a three-run homer en route to the Knights’ 19-2 blowout over the Durham Bulls.

Antonacci, an infielder by trade, started in left field, a switch that could help grease the skids toward his big-league debut with the Sox.

“[He’s] going to play some outfield in Charlotte to start the year in an effort to get him comfortable with it,” Sox player development director Paul Janish said. “There’s a chance that he gets asked to do that at the Major League level. If that’s the case, we want to have him prepared to do it if and when the time comes.”

Coming and going

Before their second game of the season, the Sox optioned veteran lefty reliever Tyler Gilbert to Charlotte and claimed southpaw Bryan Hudson off waivers from the Mets.

Additionally, catcher Korey Lee cleared waivers and reported to Triple-A for the Sox after winding up the odd man out to Reese McGuire in spring training.

Gilbert, notably absolved of sticky-glove mischief last season after umpires confiscated his mitt during a game, was roughed up for two runs in an inning of work on Opening Day.

It’s the second Sox stint for Hudson, the 6-8 native of Alton in southern Illinois, who gave up three runs in four relief outings late in 2025. The journeyman’s best year came in 2024 with the Brewers, when he posted a 1.73 ERA over 43 outings.

Mune-ball

While Munetaka Murakami builds his fan base in Chicago, he’s making new ones in Milwaukee, too.

The Sox’ slugging rookie gave a signed bat to Brewers fan Steve Pollack in return for the ball Murakami launched into the right-field seats for his first career home run.

“This is awesome,” Pollack said outside the visitors’ clubhouse Thursday. “Just too cool.”

Murakami was sending the ball home overseas, where he swatted 246 dingers for the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball.

“It was a special occasion,“ Murakami said via translator Kenzo Yagi. “In Japan… the fans tend to return the ball back, so I’m relieved it came back to me.”