White Sox Minor League Player of the Week (April 6-12, 2026): Korey Lee

On fire: Korey Lee put a huge week together for the Charlotte Knights. | Jacob Soriano/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Charlotte Knights
Record 3-3 (last week), 7-7 (first half), 7-7 (overall)

Knights Players of the Week
Korey Lee .353/.478/.882, 17 at-bats
Oliver Dunn .333/.462/.619, 3-for-3 stolen bases, 21 at-bats

LaMonte Wade Jr. .286/.304/.476, 21 at-bats
Mario Camillettii .357/.471/.429, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 14 at-bats
Jacob Gonzalez .190/.370/.371, 21 at-bats
William Bergolla .273/.333/.273, 11 at-bats
Jarred Kelenic .200/.368/.467, 15 at-bats

Noah Schultz 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K
Tanner McDougal 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K
Jonathan Cannon 4 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Ben Peoples 4 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 K
Shane Smith 4 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Hagen Smith 3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K

The Knights remained at .500 on the season after splitting their series against the red-hot Redbirds (11-4).

Catcher Korey Lee, 27, provided a major spark for the Knights, finishing 6-or-17 with three homers, seven RBIs, and two walks. As a result, Lee finished the week with a massive 1.360 OPS, as the Memphis pitching staff did not have answers for him. Lee was designated for assignment last month but cleared waivers, so he returned to the organization. The White Sox offense has struggled immensely through the first 16 games of the season, only averaging 3.06 runs per game. Meanwhile, Lee is making an excellent case to make it back to the majors to provide offense that the major league squad is missing.

Third baseman Oliver Dunn, 28, also had an excellent week for the Knights, finishing 7-for-21 with a homer, three doubles, four walks, and three stolen bases without getting caught. The White Sox signed Dunn to a Minor League contract in December, and so far, he is making a positive impact. Dunn has had minimal playing time in the majors, but he is closer to returning to the highest level than he was a week ago.

2026 Charlotte Knights Players of the Week
Korey Lee & Oliver Dunn (April 6-12)

Birmingham Barons
Record 1-5 (last week), 3-6 (first half), 3-6 (overall)

Barons Player of the Week
Samuel Zavala .333/.455/.667, 18 at-bats

Rikuu Nishida .190/.320/.286, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 21 at-bats
Braden Montgomery .208/.286/.458, 24 at-bats
Jeral Perez .263/.333/.316, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 19 at-bats
Caden Connor .182/.269/.318, 22 at-bats

Shane Murphy 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K
Jake Palisch 7 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, 5 BB, 6 K
Jackson Kelley 4 2/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Lucas Gordon 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K
Riley Gowens 3 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Jairo Iriarte 3 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K

The Barons stumbled this week, dropping five of six against the Lookouts (8-1), who are the early leaders of the Southern League.

Outfielder Samuel Zavala, 21, is off to a great start in Double-A. After finishing .254/.360/.372 (122 wRC+) with the Dash, Zavala handled his first full week of Double-A very well. Zavala finished 6-or-18 with two homers and four walks en route to a 1.122 OPS. The Barons only scored 22 runs in their six games, but Zavala could have hardly done more than what he did for the team.

Starting pitcher Shane Murphy, 25, played a big role in Birmingham’s only victory of the week, so he deserves honorable mention. Murphy pitched six shutout innings on Saturday, striking out five and only allowing three hits. The Barons proceeded to win that game in dramatic fashion, with Zavala hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.

2026 Birmingham Barons Player of the Week
Samuel Zavala (April 6-12)

Winston-Salem Dash
Record 4-2 (last week), 5-4 (first half), 5-4 (overall)

Dash Player of the Week
Caleb Bonemer .318/.407/.773, 22 at-bats

Colby Shelton .450/.500/.600, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 20 at-bats
Anthony DePino .300/.333/.700, 20 at-bats
Kyle Lodise .143/.478/.286, 3-for-3 stolen bases, 14 at-bats
Ely Brown .316/.333/.316, 19 at-bats

Justin Sinibaldi 9 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 10 K
Dylan Cumming 5 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 8 K
Grant Umberger 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K
Luke Bell 4 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Seth Keener 4 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K

The Dash took four of six against the Keys (4-4) to jump above .500 on the season. On Sunday, the Dash scored nine unanswered runs to overcome a 4-0 deficit and clinch a series victory.

What else is new? Caleb Bonemer, 20, has picked up right where he left off in 2025. Bonemer led our White Sox Minor League All-Star team, and it appears that he is hungry for more. Bonemer went 7-for-22 with two homers, two doubles, seven RBIs, and three walks, as once again, opposing pitchers struggled to solve him. The White Sox selected Bonemer in the second round in 2024, and he slid under the radar initially. However, Bonemer is on everybody’s radar now, and if anything, his No. 57 prospect ranking across baseball might even be a tad harsh given how strong his performance has been.

2026 Winston-Salem Dash Player of the Week
Caleb Bonemer (April 6-12)

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
Record 1-5 (last week), 2-7 (first half), 2-7 (overall)

Cannon Ballers Player of the Week
Stiven Flores .467/.500/.533, 15 at-bats

Boston Smith .235/.350/.294, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 17 at-bats
Marcelo Alcala .200/.368/.267, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 15 at-bats
Bryce Eblin .300/.364/.500, 10 at-bats
Billy Carlson .118/.348/.118, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 17 at-bats

Riley Eikhoff 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K
Caedmon Parker 7 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 7 K
Max Banks 4 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K
Truman Pauley 5 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Jackson Nove 4 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K
Garrett Wright 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 8 K

The Cannon Ballers only scored 16 runs in six games (2.67 per game) against Hickory (7-2), so it is no surprise that they went 1-5. Overall, Kannapolis is off to a tough start to the season.

However, catcher Stiven Flores, 20, could hardly be kept off base. Flores finished 7-for-15 with a walk and a double, serving as the biggest threat at the plate for Kannapolis by a wide margin. Flores slashed .289/.340/.394 (89 wRC+) in the Complex League in 2025, providing passable offense and solid defense at a premium position. That was enough for Flores to be a valuable player in the Complex League, and he is off to an even better start with Kannapolis. During his first full week with Kannapolis, Flores did just about everything.

Starting pitcher Riley Eikhoff, 24, was terrific in his outing, delivering five shutout innings. In that performance against Hickory, he struck out seven and allowed just one hit. The Cannon Ballers went on to win 4-0, their only victory of the week. That effort earns Eikhoff an honorable mention.

2026 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Player of the Week
Stiven Flores (April 6-12)