The White Sox believe Kyle Teel is just days away from beginning a rehab assignment, putting the young catcher on track to make his long-awaited return later this month.
The Chicago White Sox truly have a lineup that is firing on all cylinders right now. The White Sox are currently fifth in baseball in home runs, ninth in runs scored, and fourth in team OPS.
Even without Munetaka Murakami, Chicago has been finding ways to score runs and win games, no matter who they play. Whether it be a rookie coming up from the minor leagues, a midseason signing, or a player discarded by another organization, the White Sox have had plenty of reinforcements fuel their offense while some of the organization's depth has been tested.
But throughout the entire 2026 season, offensive production from White Sox catchers has been a point of frustration.
Over 152 plate appearances, Edgar Quero has a .185 batting average and a .498 OPS. Drew Romo has provided some fun moments with his power, but his OPS has now dipped to .661 over 93 plate appearances. Reese McGuire had a .445 OPS before the White Sox let him go.
Of all the injuries suffered this season, the White Sox are probably missing Kyle Teel most of all.
Teel looked like one of the best young catchers in baseball last season, posting a .786 OPS in 78 games and establishing himself as a leader for the White Sox both on and off the field despite being a rookie. He has not played yet this season after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain during the World Baseball Classic back in March. That injury kept him out for a couple of months, then as he was nearing the end of a rehab assignment and preparing to rejoin the White Sox, Teel then tweaked the LCL in his knee and has been shut down ever since.
Now, here we are three months after the initial injury, and the White Sox have not gotten any production from Teel. Given how the catching situation has gone this year, it's hard to describe just how significant of an upgrade his return would be for Chicago.
And at long last, it seems like we're closing in on that moment.
Teel was taking live batting practice on Friday night at Rate Field before the White Sox took on the Los Angeles Dodgers. The White Sox believe he is now days away from going on a rehab assignment, but they don't have an exact date in mind just yet.
“I don't think there's an exact date in which we're pinpointing for him to go out on an assignment, but definitely progress," said manager Will Venable on Friday. "He’s hitting on the field, running on the field, doing the catch and drills, so it's a matter of continued recovery and just pushing the intensity a little bit. But I think it could be just a matter of days before we send them out.”
If Teel begins his rehab assignment sometime next week, we could be about two weeks away from him being activated. It could make sense for Teel to return prior to a home series against the Kansas City Royals on June 26. If the White Sox want to get really aggressive because of the importance of the series, they begin that homestand on June 22 with a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Those games against the Guardians could prove pivotal in deciding the AL Central race this season.
Either way, provided everything goes according to plan, we're getting close to Kyle Teel's return and a massive upgrade to the White Sox starting lineup.
