For the first time in what feels like forever, the White Sox actually have more than three capable major league outfielders. Prior to the season, there were some valid concerns on how the outfield would perform, as people believed the outfield group to be one of the weaker units on the team. However, that hasn’t been the case.
Sam Antonacci has been very good since being called up and has looked like a natural in the outfield. Tristan Peters has been one of the best defensive center fielders in the major leagues and has been a more than capable hitter, as he has had some clutch hits. Derek Hill has been solid, and Randal Grichuk has been on an absolute tear since joining the team. Rikuu Nishida has also shown potential since making his major league debut.
Additionally, the White Sox have multiple capable major league outfielders on the injured list, as Austin Hays and Everson Pereira are working their way back from injury. When they are on the field, they both can contribute to winning baseball. When all of these players are healthy, the White Sox will have some difficult decisions to make, as that will be seven players for four to five spots.
If that wasn’t enough, the White Sox recently acquired another intriguing outfielder via trade, as the White Sox acquired Junior Perez from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor league pitcher Jackson Nove. This adds another talented outfielder to the White Sox talent pool.
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Perez has yet to make his major league debut, but he is just 24 years old and has spent parts of eight years in the minor and affiliated leagues. In 2,577 minor league at-bats, Perez owns a career .228 average and a .332 OBP. However, the most intriguing part of Perez’s career is the fact that he has 88 home runs and 182 stolen bases. This is an interesting power/speed combination.
This was exemplified in Perez’s 2025 season, as he split the year between the Athletics AA and AAA affiliates. In 137 games, Perez hit .231 with a very solid .348 OBP. However, he hit 26 home runs, had 87 RBIs, and stole 27 bases. He also walked an impressive 87 times. While the average was a bit low, he had a 20-20 season, and those types of seasons don’t grow on trees.
Perez has started to see some action with the Charlotte Knights, as he has appeared in nine games. In those nine games, he is hitting .235 while driving in three runs and stealing three bases. While he hasn’t gotten a chance to show off his power, this isn’t a terrible start to his White Sox organizational career.
Junior Perez hammers a high hanging sweeper off the wall in LCF. Rikuu Nishida (BB/SB) comes in to score. 2-0 #Knights. pic.twitter.com/WNhX6748Uw
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) May 23, 2026
Perez will have an uphill battle to get playing time with the White Sox in Chicago, but this is exactly the type of move the White Sox should be making, as he has the potential to have the 20 homers and stolen bases to translate over to the major leagues. We will see if that is the case, but this is a very intriguing addition for the White Sox.
