After an injury-plagued start to the 2026 season, Kyle Teel is dominating during his rehab assignment and appears poised to rejoin the White Sox lineup this week.
The Chicago White Sox desperately need catcher Kyle Teel to return.
While Chicago's lineup has been fairly impressive in 2026, the struggles from the catching tandem remain a black eye on an otherwise promising group. Edgar Quero is batting .185 on the season with a .486 OPS. And after a promising start, Drew Romo is batting .131 with a .490 OPS since the start of May.
Both of them are still young switch-hitting catchers with the potential to be MLB contributors in the future, but neither one of them holds a candle to what Kyle Teel will likely bring the White Sox once he returns.
As a rookie in 2025, Teel hit .273 with eight home runs and a .786 OPS in 78 games. He was worth 1.9 fWAR during a rookie season that didn't begin until his debut on June 6.
The White Sox could be getting that kind of contribution, or possibly even better, from Teel once he's back in the fold. Fortunately, it now looks like he's more ready than ever.
The White Sox sent Teel on a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights this past week. It's the second time he's done a rehab stint in 2026, with his previous one coming from May 12 to May 16. That initial recovery from the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered during the World Baseball Classic was going smoothly through four games before Teel sprained the LCL in his right knee on his final swing, just as he was set to rejoin the White Sox.
That leaves us approaching the end of June before Teel has played in a single game. But if his most recent rehab assignment is any indication, he should be coming back at full strength for the upcoming series against the Cleveland Guardians.
In four games during this latest rehab assignment, Teel is 8-for-16 at the plate with a double, a home run, and four RBIs. That's a .500 batting average and a 1.279 OPS. On Friday night alone, Teel had five hits and scored three runs. He has also been playing full games behind the plate.
Given what he's done on both sides of the ball, I have little doubt that Teel is ready to rejoin the White Sox. He's not expected to be in the lineup for Charlotte on Sunday afternoon as the White Sox re-evaluate his knee and make final confirmations that he's ready to go.
If all goes smoothly for Teel on Sunday, expect him to be in the lineup for Chicago on Monday night as the Cleveland Guardians come to Rate Field. Romo is probably the more likely corresponding move at this point.
