white sox catcher Kyle Till He has been diagnosed with a grade 2 right hamstring strain and could be out between four and six weeks, according to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. He will begin the season on the 10-day injured list.
Teel, 24, was injured last night when Italy hit a double against the United States in the World Baseball Classic. He ran out of the box and limped up immediately after hitting first base (video link). Teel was visibly frustrated as he stood at second base, clearly aware that he had suffered a significant injury. He left the scene under his own power and with his training staff.
This is a poignant note to end Teel’s WBC run and begin the 2026 season. The 2023 first-rounder headlined the package of prospects the White Sox received during the trade. garrett crochet He joined the Red Sox last offseason and quickly developed into a future catcher for Chicago. Thiel appeared in 78 games last year, had 297 plate appearances, hit .273/.375/.411, 8 home runs, 11 doubles, and had a whopping 12.5% walk rate. His defense needs some improvement, but Teel, a left-hander, looks the part of a big-league catcher with strong offense for the position.
With Teel ruled out, the South Siders will begin the season with: Edgar Cuero and Corey Lee With their catching tandem. Like Teel, Quero is a trade acquisition and former top prospect who will join the Sox in 2023. Lucas Giolito/Reynaldo Lopez Deal with angels. The Cuban-born Quero is a switch hitter who posted a .268/.333/.356 slash (95 wRC+) in 403 plate appearances last year, but his glove play was particularly poor. He caught just 15.8% of his attempts to steal base passes and ranked as one of the worst pitch framers in the game.
Teel’s injury means Quero will begin the season in a starting role and will look to improve both his power output and defensive acumen behind the plate. Lee is another former first-round pick the Astros added via trade (Kendall Graveman2023). He is currently classified as a backup, hitting .195/.237/.325 with 14 home runs in 504 plate appearances for the Sox, but with a walk rate of just 5.2% and a strikeout rate of just 29.6%. Lee has caught nearly a quarter of runners who attempted to steal bases against him since being traded to Chicago, but he has been below average due to his framing and efforts to stop balls in the dirt.
Teel’s injury could present some challenges for the White Sox as they make decisions about their catching corps. Teel and Quero appear to be solid long-term candidates for the position, while the 27-year-old Lee (28 in July) has been ruled out as a minor league option. Now he will have at least some runway to make the case that he deserves to remain on the roster once Teel gets healthy. But Lee’s chances of maintaining a roster spot with a healthy Teel seem tenuous at best. Drew Romoa former top prospect for the Rockies, is in camp as non-roster depth if the Sox suffer additional injuries in their catching group.
