He caught the white Sox Kyle Teel was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain and could be out anywhere between four and six weeks, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. He will open the season on the 10-day injured list.
Teel, 24, was injured last night when he struck out twice during Italy’s win over the United States in the World Baseball Classic. He ran hard out of the box and came up limping shortly after rounding the first bag (video link). Teel looked distraught as he stood at second base, knowing full well that he was going to be hurt in some way. He left the field with the training staff, although they are under his control.
It’s a sour note on which to end Teel’s WBC run and on which to begin his 2026 season. The 2023 first-rounder identified the package of prospects the White Sox acquired in the trade Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox last season and quickly emerged as the Chicago catcher of the future. Teel played in 78 games last year, totaling 297 plate appearances and hitting .273/.375/.411 with eight homers, 11 doubles and a whopping 12.5% walk rate. His defense could use some improvement, but the left-handed swinging Teel looks the part of a major league catcher with a solid offense at the position.
With Teel out, the South Siders will open the season with him Edgar Quero again Corey Lee as their holding tandem. Quero, like Teel, is a trade acquisition and former top prospect, coming to the Sox by way of 2023. Lucas Giolito/Reynaldo Lopez trading with Angels. The Cuban-born Quero is a switch-hitter who posted a respectable slash line of .268/.333/.356 (95 wRC+) in 403 plate appearances last year, though his glovework he caught only 15.8% of attempted thieves in the subways and was ranked as one of the worst players in the game.
Teel’s injury means Quero will open the season in the starting role and look to improve his power and defensive ability behind the plate. Lee is another former first-round pick added by the Astros in a trade (Kendall Graveman2023). He profiles strongly as a backup at this point, slashing .195/.237/.325 with 14 homers in 504 plate appearances with the Sox – but only a 5.2% walk rate and a 29.6% strikeout rate. Lee has caught nearly a quarter of the runners who have attempted to steal against him since being traded to Chicago, but he has been given below-average grades for his frame and his attempts to block balls to the wall.
Teel’s injury allows the White Sox to kick the can down the road a bit when it comes to decisions about their catching corps. Teel and Quero appear to be the clear-cut long-term players at the position, while the 27-year-old Lee (28 in July) is out of the minor leagues. Now he’ll have at least a run of offense worth staying on the roster if Teel is healthy, but Lee has a role to play next to a healthy Teel and Quero looks pretty tough. Drew Romoa former top prospect with the Rockies, is also in camp as non-roster depth if the Sox suffer more injuries among their catching group.
