The Chicago White Sox were thrilled when the Cubs passed on shortstop Colson Montgomery in the 2021 MLB Draft. The Cubs selected left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Wicks, leaving Montgomery up for grabs on the very next pick. Montgomery was selected with the 22nd overall pick and after his first full minor league season, the left-handed hitting shortstop was a consensus top-100 prospect.

Heading into 2023, expectations were sky high for the 21-year-old prospect. One problem, though. We are now in the first week of May and Montgomery still hasn't played a game. What's worse is that the White Sox do not know when Montgomery will return this season.

Colson Montgomery Initial Injury

Colson Montgomery was invited to White Sox spring training and the infielder played in three straight Cactus League games at the beginning of March, getting five total plate appearances. However, Montgomery was suddenly absent from spring training action and he wasn't being seen much around camp either.

A few days before Opening Day, fans learned that Montgomery had been dealing with an oblique strain. Chris Getz, the White Sox assistant general manager, said that the expectation was for Montgomery to make his season debut in late April.

Via The Athletic.

Slowed by an oblique strain, top White Sox prospect Colson Montgomery will not start this season on time. Assistant general manager Chris Getz has set the expectation of his return to play at an affiliate by late April.

“We’re not going to push it, so he’s going to stay down here in Arizona for a couple of weeks,” Getz said. “He hasn’t gotten a lot of game action either in the major-league camp and minor-league camp, so he’s getting back to swinging and throwing and being the overall player that he is.”

You obviously hate to see any injury, but at least it happened early in the year for Montgomery. That being said, oblique injuries can be extremely tricky to deal with because just when a player thinks he's fine, one awkward motion and the injury gets aggravated. It sucks and you just kind of have to wait things out.

But as you know by now, April has come and gone without Montgomery making it back to the field. Besides the oblique strain, Montgomery is now being further delayed with a second injury.

Second Injury for Colson Montgomery

After returning from a six-game road trip, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn spoke with reporters in Chicago last week and the latest update on Montgomery wasn't good. The shortstop prospect now has a back strain that is keeping him off the field.

The team does not have a timetable for Montgomery's return.

So yeah, not great news for the top players in the White Sox minor league system.

When Montgomery is finally healthy again, the expectation is for him to go to Single-A Winston-Salem for a rehab assignment before he goes back to Double-A Birmingham.

Colson Montgomery's 2022 Season

In 2022, Montgomery played in three levels down in the minors, starting the year in low A-Ball. The left-handed hitter posted a .324/.424/.476 slash line in 45 games before he was promoted to advanced A-Ball. Montgomery kept getting on base with Winston-Salem, showing great plate discipline in 37 games. He only batted .258, but posted a .387 OBP thanks to a 15.9 walk percentage in 164 plate appearances.

However, Montgomery's season ended on a sour note, as he slashed .146/.192/.292, in 14 games at Double-A. Still, Montgomery was ranked as a top-40 prospect heading into the 2023 season.

Colson Montgomery pre-2023 Prospect Rankings
Baseball Prospectus: #32
MLB Pipeline: #38
Baseball America: #39