White Sox catcher Kyle Teel made an early exit from tonight’s game in Texas. Chicago announced that he’s being evaluated for a left ankle injury. They haven’t provided any additional specifics, but Francys Romero reports that the Sox are recalling Edgar Quero from Triple-A Charlotte.
The Sox could bring Quero up as a third catcher and option outfielder Junior Perez if they feel Teel will only need to miss a few days. An injured list stint unfortunately would seem more likely, as it was a non-contact injury and Teel wasn’t able to put weight on his leg coming off the field. He evidently tweaked it trying to dive back across to tag out a diving Ezequiel Duran on a throw from right field.
A former first-round pick and headliner of the Garrett Crochet return, Teel hit .273/.375/.411 in his first 78 MLB games last year. His second season as a big leaguer has been far more frustrating. Teel strained his right hamstring while playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. That forced him to begin the season on the injured list.
The Virginia product sprained the LCL in his right knee while on a rehab assignment in May, delaying his return by another month. Teel has made 19 appearances since begin reinstated on June 22. He’s out to a slow start, fanning in 27 of his first 70 plate appearances while hitting .190 with two home runs.
Aside from a few games from Reese McGuire in April, the Sox used a Quero and Drew Romo catching tandem while Teel was absent. That’ll be the pairing again if he heads back to the injured list. No team has gotten worse offensive production from their catchers. Sox catchers are dead last in batting average (.165) and on-base percentage (.243), while their .267 slugging percentage is 29th in MLB — narrowly above that of a Yankees team that is scouring the trade market for an upgrade.
Catcher wasn’t expected to be a position of need for the Sox, who’d been hoping that Teel would find an offensive rhythm as he got further removed from the early-season injuries. It’s too soon to tell whether the ankle issue could have an impact on their deadline plans. If Teel were to face a lengthy absence, the Sox could look into a trade for an inexpensive rental or high-end backup type as they try to maintain their surprise lead in the AL Central.
Romo went on an early home run barrage after being called up but is hitting .117 with one homer in his past 25 games. He has been a below-average hitter in his minor league career and went unclaimed on waivers last offseason. Quero, a former highly-regarded prospect, has ugly receiving metrics and is a .245/.309/.320 hitter in 166 games over the last two seasons. He has hit .230 with a .295 OBP in 15 Triple-A games since being optioned when Teel came off the injured list.
Chicago also announced that shortstop Colson Montgomery left the game with a right shin contusion. He’s day to day, and it’s not clear if he’ll need to go for further testing. Montgomery fouled a ball off his leg in the seventh inning. He finished the at-bat but was lifted for Luisangel Acuña as a defensive replacement in the bottom half.
