Colson Montgomery looks like shortstop of the future for White Sox.

Four years after the White Sox selected him with a first-round pick, Colson Montgomery has arrived. His timing looks perfect.

The over-sized shortstop looks like a major piece for a rebuilding team. He’s the latest step forward as the Sox audition rookies to find those with staying power, and he seemingly presents a higher ceiling than those who debuted before him.

Montgomery, 23, stands 6-3 and hits left-handed, with a middle-of-the-order approach at the plate. The White Sox have him under control through 3031 and could add onto that window if they elect to sign him to a long-term contract. They certainly have the flexibility, with only $35.6 million in guaranteed deals on the books beyond 2025.

But first they will want to see if the all-around athlete — he could have signed to play basketball for Purdue or Indiana in his home state — can sustain the success he has been having at the plate since a late-April reset with his mechanics.

Montgomery was struggling to handle advanced pitching. He had moved quickly l through Double-A but hit only .214 with 164 strikeouts and a .710 OPS in Triple-A last season, then started this season batting .149 in his first 23 games. But something clicked after General Manager Chris Getz and director of hitting Ryan Fuller sent him back to Arizona for some serious one-on-one work.

The difference was dramatic when he returned (.270 with home runs every 15.3 at-bats), and his confidence grew. He was 11-for-25 with seven extra-base hits and a pair of two-homer games in six games at Charlotte before getting the call to join the White Sox in Colorado last Friday.

Credit Getz with helping him get a running start. Montgomery continued hitting against the Rockies in the welcoming environment of Coors Field, going 5-for-10 with a triple and two walks (and only two strikeouts) as the Sox took two out of three games. He helped win a 3-2 game in his debut with a lunging, over-the-shoulder catch of a blooper into left field.

“I love his body language, his mannerisms,” former big-league pitcher Dan Plesac said on the White Sox broadcast. “It doesn’t look like the spotlight is too big. He enjoys playing in front of a big crowd. … He looks like he’s been in the big leagues for awhile.”

Montgomery has had to handle more than his share of adversity early in his career, with injuries (back and oblique) and strikeout issues delaying his advancement. He played 407 games in the minors, including two stints in the Arizona Fall League. That’s 184 more than Jackson Merrill, who the Padres selected with the 27th pick in 2021, five after the Sox grabbed Montgomery.

Statcast credited Montgomery with elite bat speed — 76.7 mph, which is only 0.2 less than Aaron Judge and 1.8 behind MLB leader Oneil Cruz — and a better-than-average chase rate of 24 percent in the weekend series in Colorado. That’s a great skill set for a young hitter.

Montgomery looks the part at shortstop but the White Sox plan to also play him some at third base. His 230-pound frame seems more ideally suited for a corner infield spot but his value will be maximized if he plays up the middle.

Chase Meidroth, who had been the Sox’s primary shortstop, was shifted to second base upon Montgomery’s arrival. He is a skilled fielder with a highly disciplined approach at the plate. They join third baseman Miguel Vargas and catchers Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero as 25-and-under building blocks.

While the White Sox are on target for a third consecutive season of 100-plus losses, they’re making progress in building for a brighter future. Montgomery embodies the promise Getz has been selling.