2026 White Sox Affiliate Preview: Arizona Complex League (Rookie) -

The Arizona Complex League clubs are generally comprised of recent high school draft picks and international signings. The 2026 rookie level club of the Chicago White Sox in Arizona fits those parameters. This roster is littered with players off of our just missed pre-season list with a few names from the top 30 prospect list as well.

The White Sox have challenged their high level teenage prospects in recent years. George Wolkow moved to full season ball early in 2024. Caleb Bonemer started the 2025 season in Low-A after being selected out of a Michigan high school the previous July. Billy Carlson, Jaden Fauske and Matthew Boughton were all prep selections in the 2025 draft who have all begun the 2026 campaign in Kannapolis with the Cannon Ballers.

Major League Baseball made changes to the rookie ball environment two years ago and this season will be the third year with that change in effect. Rookie ball starts earlier and ends sooner in reality which makes things more difficult for clubs who draft prep players each July.

The White Sox start play in the Arizona Complex League on Saturday May 2nd.

The Arizona Complex League is a rookie-level league that has operated in the Phoenix area since 1988. There are 18 teams in the league and they play at the spring training homes of their parent clubs. There are 15 organizations located in the desert and they make up the rosters of the 18 clubs. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants each have two rookie league teams. The alignment of the divisions is as follows:

East: ACL Angels (Los Angeles), ACL Diamondbacks Black (Arizona), ACL Diamondbacks Red (Arizona), ACL Giants Black (San Francisco), ACL Giants Orange (San Francisco), ACL Rockies (Colorado)

Central: ACL Athletics (Oakland), ACL Cubs (Chicago), ACL Brewers Blue (Milwaukee), ACL Brewers Gold (Milwaukee), ACL Guardians (Cleveland), ACL Reds (Cincinnati)

West: ACL Dodgers (Los Angeles), ACL Mariners (Seattle), ACL Padres (San Diego), ACL Rangers (Texas), ACL Royals (Kansas City), ACL White Sox (Chicago)

White Sox in the Desert

The White Sox reside in the West Division and play their home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona which doubles as the franchise’s spring training home. Due to scorching hot temperatures, the ACL is often referred to as the “Fire League”. Games also aren’t heavily populated, with crowds represented by scouts, front office personnel and family members. Games are also free to attend.

There are currently 43 players on the first version of this roster with more likely to join throughout the season and that includes players on rehab assignments or the full-season injured list. The roster is currently comprised of 28 pitchers, five infielders, seven outfielders and three catchers.

The club will be managed by Danny Gonzalez once again. Gerardo Olivares and Anders Dzurak will serve as the hitting and pitching coaches respectively. Veteran staff member Mike Gellinger will assist the hitters and serve as bench coach as well. Max Huberman and Miguel Gonzalez will serve as the performance and development coaches on the staff.

(Ages in parentheses)

Pitchers

Reudis Diaz (RHP, 20)
Felix Doroteo (RHP, 21)
Cesar Familia (RHP, 18)
Kendry Garcia (RHP, 21)
Michael Gemma (RHP, 24)
Reinder Gomez (RHP, 18)
Madison Jeffrey (LHP, 26)
Mathias LaCombe (RHP, 23)
Blake Larson (LHP, 20)
Alexander Martinez (RHP, 23)
Jesus Mendez (RHP, 21)
Fidel Montero (RHP, 22)
Cesar Nunez (LHP, 18)
Diego Perez (RHP, 17)
Carlton Perkins (RHP, 23)
Yobal Rodriguez (RHP, 18)
Tommy Sheehan (LHP, 26)
Blake Shephardson (RHP, 22)
Orlando Suarez (RHP, 19)
Marcelo Valladares (RHP, 21)
Fabian Ysalla (RHP, 21)

Mathias LaCombe shouldn’t be in Arizona for long but he’ll seemingly start there after a setback in spring training. The 16th ranked prospect in the White Sox’s system posted a 3.04 ERA in the minors last year with 73 strikeouts in 53.1 innings. The 23-year-old has some of the best stuff in the system and he’ll be overwhelming for rookie league hitters. The 6-2 185 pounder needs innings however.

There are some other interesting starting pitching prospects on this squad as well with Blake Larson, Yobal Rodriguez, Diego Perez, Orlando Suarez and Fabian Ysalla. Larson is the 18th ranked prospect in the system and he’ll be making his professional debut in Arizona this year. The former Iowa prep signed for $1.4 million as a competitive balance round B pick in 2024. He missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The southpaw is one of the highest upside arms in the system.

18-year-old righty Yobal Rodriguez signed out of Cuba last January and the 6-2, 155 pounder posted a 2.97 ERA while striking out 33 hitters and walking 13. He showed a low 90’s fastball with the makings of a plus changeup in 30.1 innings. Cesar Familia, Diego Perez, Orlando Suarez and Fabian Ysalla could all develop as starters as well and they’re on the opening roster in Arizona.

Alexander Martinez is a 6-5, 210 pound right hander who struck out 46 hitters in 29.2 innings in the Dominican Summer League last year. There are some command issues in this profile but he throws really hard. Blake Shephardson was an 11th round pick out of San Francisco in 2024. The 6-5, 225 pounder has posted lots of strikeouts and lots of walks and this is a major developmental year for the hurler.

Madison Jeffrey, Cesar Nunez and Tommy Sheehan will join the pitching staff from the left side. Reudis Diaz, Felix Doroteo, Kendry Gracia, Michael Gemma, Reinder Gomez, Jesus Mendez, Fidel Montero, Carlton Perkins and Marcelo Valladares all throw from the right side.

The Arizona Complex League will be used for rehabilitation as well and the White Sox have multiple arms returning from injuries. Juan Carela, Mason Adams and Ky Bush have all rehabbed in Arizona. It’s unclear whether any will throw in the complex league. Others like Angel Bello, Jordany Chirinos, Jommy Hernandez, Denny Lima, Maximo Martinez and Andrew Sentlinger are at various stages of rehab as well.

Catchers

Landon Hodge (19)
Jose Mendoza (18)
Erasmi Rodriguez (21)

The White Sox have a pair of interesting teenage catchers preparing to make their professional debuts. Landon Hodge was the club’s fourth round pick from the 2025 draft out of Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California and the 19-year-old signed for just over $1 million. The 6-1, 175 pounder hits left-handed and he’s the #20 prospect in the system for MLB Pipeline.

Hodge might have been the most athletic catcher in the 2025 class and he’s been honing his skills in Arizona since entering professional baseball. There are some things to improve on defensively but he projects to stay at the position. At the plate, Hodge possesses a disciplined approach with some power and swing and miss present in his game as well.

Jose Mendoza made his debut in the Dominican Summer League last year after signing out of Venezuela as a 17-year-old. The now 18-year-old created lots of buzz this spring by showing off his plus defensive skills and launching balls to all fields consistently. The 6-3, 210 pounder hits from the right side and he posted a 116 wRC+ in his debut.

Erasmi Rodriguez is a 5-8, 180 pounder from the Dominican Republic. The 21-year-old posted an .862 OPS in the DSL with two homers in the Dominican Summer League last year and he’ll round out this catching trio. It will be interesting to track how Hodge and Mendoza split time this year in Arizona.

Infielders

Alexander Albertus (21)
Alejandro Cruz (19)
Adrian Gil (20)
Eduardo Herrera (19)
Jurdrick Profar (19)
Jefrank Silva (18)
Yordani Soto (17)
Efren Teran (19)

Our guy Jerry Espinoza has seen Alexander Albertus on the back fields and he’s been playing baseball. He’s currently on the injured list with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him pop up in Arizona at any point. The 21-year-old infielder is ranked #21 overall on the White Sox’s prospect list at MLB Pipeline. Albertus hasn’t played at all in the organization after battling leg injuries since his acquisition.

The White Sox signed Cuban third baseman Alejandro Cruz for $2 million during the 2025 international signing period. Lauded for tournament success, good defense and a contact oriented approach, he turned it on late in his professional debut. The 6-2, 165 pounder made our Just Missed list after hitting .228/.396/.378 with a 108 wRC+ and four homers in the Dominican Summer League. He’s one of the more interesting players on this roster.

Eduardo Herrera signed for $1.8 million out of Venezuela as the club’s top signing during the 2024 international signing period. The 19-year-old can play on both corners but has also played some catcher in Arizona. Herrera has plus raw power and hit five homers in the DSL last year with a 17% walk rate as well. He needs to hit for even more power though and strike out too often. It’s a big development year for the former top signing.

Adrian Gil is a 20-year-old Venezuelan who posted a 110 wRC+ in the ACL last year with seven homers. The first baseman has really struggled in A ball though. Jurdrick Profar is a 19-year-old from Curacao who struggled in 49 games in the desert last season. The 5-11, 170 pounder plays shortstop and had a solid DSL debut in 2024 however. Jefrank Silva and Yordani Soto will debut in the Arizona Complex League after decent professional debuts in the Dominican Republic. Efren Teran joins the organization after two years of struggles in the Boston system as well.

Outfielders

Leandro Alsinois (21)
Osniel Castillo (20)
Derek Cerda (23)
Alan Escobar (17)
Christian Gonzalez (19)
Frank Mieses (18)
Jordan Rich (18)

Christian Gonzalez will return to the Arizona Complex League after hitting .381/.435/.500 in 12 games there last year. The 5-11, 185 pounder posted a 198 wRC+ in the DSL before the mid-season promotion. The 19-year-old originally signed for $550K in 2024 and he was a member of the FutureSox just missed list as well. Gonzalez should play a lot in center field and he’s a plus-plus runner with a solid hit tool.

Frank Mieses is an 18-year-old making his stateside debut after a Dominican Summer League All Star season last year. The Dominican posted a 118 wRC+ with three homers while showing plate discipline and strength within a center field profile. The 6-1, 170 pounder was one of the better players in the club’s haul from the 2025 international signing class.

Osniel Castillo is a 20-year-old Cuban who signed with the White Sox late last year. The 5-11, 170 pounder slashed .375/.444/.542 with a 151 wRC+in 15 games in the DSL last year. He has shown bat to ball skills in the early going. Leandro Alsinois, Derek Cerda and Alan Escobar will join the outfield mix as well.

In mid-April, the White Sox acquired 18-year-old outfielder Jordan Rich in the Lenyn Sosa swap with the Blue Jays. The outfielder was a two-sport star for American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida and he signed with Toronto for $150,000 after being taken in the 17th round last summer. Rich is a contact hitter with plus center field potential and 80-grade run times.

It will be interesting to see how the White Sox prioritize time in center field with this group of young guys available in the Arizona Complex League.