Wikelman González threw a slurve and a fastball for two quick strikes against Ernie Clement during the seventh inning June 20 at Rogers Centre.
The Chicago White Sox reliever threw another slurve, which the Toronto Blue Jays third baseman fouled off. González went back to the pitch one more time, burying it low and away. Clement swung and missed as González recorded his first major-league strikeout.
“It felt super good because I was looking forward to it since I was a little kid,” González said through an interpreter after the game in Toronto. “Very happy about it.”
González was one of four players the Sox acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Garrett Crochet in December. He became the third player from that trade to make it to the majors, joining infielder Chase Meidroth and catcher Kyle Teel.
“It’s cool to see, especially with a trade of that magnitude, and you have so many guys who are higher-level minor-league prospects that are ready to go,” manager Will Venable said last week. “Seeing them make their impact here in the early going has been awesome.”
The fourth player, outfielder Braden Montgomery, is working his way through the Sox farm system at Class A Winston-Salem.
“Very happy with how those players have performed,” general manager Chris Getz said Monday. “You go back to where we were going into 2024 with Garrett Crochet and the unknowns, whether he was going to be able to start or not.
“Now you look at where you are today and have been able to convert Garrett Crochet into multiple players that can help us. We feel like we’re in a much better place.”
Meidroth was the first of the group to join the big-league club, getting called up from Triple-A Charlotte on April 11. He’s third on the team in hits (56) and walks (28) and has a .260/.347/.312 slash line through 59 games.
His season has included a 12-game hitting streak from May 11-25. Meidroth has reached base safely in 46 of his first 55 major-league starts after going 0-for-3 with a walk in Saturday’s 1-0 victory against the San Francisco Giants.
Meidroth made a smooth play at second base in the ninth, fielding a hard-hit grounder by Heliot Ramos and throwing to first for the second out. The Sox received strong pitching from Adrian Houser, who allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings, and Grant Taylor in a six-out save. Andrew Benintendi provided the offense with a home run in the sixth.
“He’s proven that he’s a winning player,” Getz said of Meidroth. “You look at his at-bats, the amount of pitches he sees, the ability to make contact. You look at his on-base percentage, you look at the hits that he’s put together, he’s a guy that you want up to the plate pretty much in every situation, so that’s a pretty good sign.
“Defensively he’s been really solid at shortstop. He’s got the ability to play anywhere on the infield. We’re really happy where Chase is in his development. There’s definitely a place for him on a championship club.”
The Sox promoted Teel to the majors from Charlotte on June 6. He’s sharing time at catcher with another rookie, Edgar Quero.
“He’s getting settled here at the major-league level,” Getz said. “I love the way he’s been catching. Whether it’s the game-calling, the framing, the catch-and-throw.
“He made a great play (in the seventh inning June 22 against the Blue Jays) with that throw home (from third baseman Josh Rojas) that short-hopped that he handled with such ease and grace. That speaks to his athleticism as a left-handed-hitting catcher. Those are hard to find, so we’re certainly excited having that skill set.”
Teel has a .279/.396/.349 slash line with eight walks, five runs and two RBIs in 15 games. He had a career-high three hits Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“The game speed itself felt the same since I got here,” Teel said after that 7-3 victory. “I wouldn’t say it was faster or slower over time. It’s more just adjustments I have to make and just sticking to my plan.”
González made his big-league debut in that June 20 game against the Blue Jays. He allowed two runs with five strikeouts in four innings over his first two major-league outings.
He joined the Sox after going 5-0 with a 2.75 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12 relief appearances for Charlotte.
“I’ve been dreaming of this since I was 3,” González said. “Baseball for me is a joy. Realizing all the sacrifices I made and my family made for me, and now being here is very rewarding.”
Montgomery’s professional career was delayed after he suffered a broken ankle in an NCAA super regional last year with Texas A&M. Montgomery, the No. 4 prospect in the Sox system according to MLB.com, had a .281/.358/.480 slash line with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 49 RBIs in 68 games between Class A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem coming into Saturday.
He has had a strong June, hitting .304 during the month entering Saturday.
“(He’s) doing a nice job in A-ball right now,” Getz said.
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