White Sox Are Suddenly the AL Central’s Most Fun Story

The Chicago White Sox have been one of the best stories of the 2026 Major League Baseball season so far.

Chicago has been one of the worst teams in baseball for years at this point. The White Sox haven't been to the playoffs since 2021. In 2022, the White Sox finished the campaign at 81-81. Since then, it has been a painful rebuild. The White Sox haven't finished a season with more than 61 wins since. In 2023, the White Sox went 61-101. In 2024, the White Sox had one of the worst overall seasons in recent memory as they went 41-121. In 2025, the White Sox took a step forward, but still finished the season at 60-102.

Over the last few years, the White Sox have been building up a young core thanks in large part to various trades, like sending Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox before the 2025 season. Right now, the White Sox have one of the most intriguing young teams in the league. Kyle Teel is on the Injured List, but will help at some point in the not-so-distant future. Rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami has taken the league by storm. Davis Martin has come out of nowhere and has a 1.62 ERA in eight starts. Sean Burke has a 3.68 ERA in eight appearances. Colson Montgomery is mashing the ball. Chase Meidroth has been good and is hitting .273 on the season so far. Miguel Vargas has done a bit of everything and the list goes on.

That's not all. On Wednesday, the White Sox took down the Kansas City Royals to improve to 21-21 on the season so far. ESPN's Jesse Rogers shared on X that this is the latest the White Sox have been at .500 since 2022.

The White Sox Are One Of The Most Fun Stories Of 2026

May 12, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) looks on during the fifth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"The White Sox did it. They've reached .500 this late in the season for the first time since the end of 2022 when they finished 81-81. They beat the Royals 6-5 tonight after a 6-5 win in Game 1 on Tuesday," Rogers wrote.

Does this mean that the White Sox are going to win the World Series in 2026? Of course not. But the White Sox are already significantly better than they were over the last three years and are loaded with young talent that should get even better.

The Cleveland Guardians are in first place in the American League Central at 24-21. The White Sox are just 1 1/2 games back in second place in the division. We're seeing the beginning of the guard changing in the AL Central. The White Sox's young guys are just scratching the surface and there will be more to come up from the minors, like No. 1 prospect Caleb Bonemer or No. 2 prospect Braden Montgomery. This club is just going to get better as these guys get more professional experience under their belt.

It was a very long rebuild, but there are starting to be signs that the White Sox are turning things around.

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