The White Sox are giving Edgar Quero another shot, and this one comes with a little less room for patience.
Chicago’s latest roster shuffle was triggered by Tommy Pham’s surprisingly brief second stint with the club. The 38-year-old landed on the 10-day injured list with a calf strain after just one at bat, and with only 19 games left in the 2026 regular season, he might not see the field again this year. To replace him, the White Sox brought up a third catcher and turned back to Quero, giving the 23-year-old another chance to stick in the majors.
Quero’s path back has already had a few twists. The White Sox got him in the 2023 deadline deal that sent Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels, and he quickly built a reputation as a promising bat in the minors.
He reached the big leagues in April of 2025 and spent the rest of that season on the roster, hitting .268/.333/.356 with five home runs and a .689 OPS in 111 games. The contact skills and strike zone feel were there, but the hard contact and the defense never really caught up.
This offseason, the White Sox asked him to work on his launch angle and bat speed, and Quero took that work to Driveline. The results in 2026 were rough.
A preseason injury to Kyle Teel opened the door for Quero to take on a major role right away, and he looked overwhelmed at the plate. He hung around until Teel returned in June, but the numbers never really stabilized: .196 in April, .158 in June, with a better May tucked in between.
Chicago optioned him to Charlotte for a month, then brought him back in July after Teel was hurt again. For a stretch from July 27th through August 13th, Quero went 10-for-27, which at least hinted at progress, but the White Sox sent him back down once they added Jake Rogers.
Even now, the fit is a little fuzzy. Quero hasn’t lit it up in Charlotte either, posting a .627 OPS with one home run, but the White Sox are giving him another look anyway.
How much he actually plays is unclear with two other catchers in the mix. Teel is expected to handle most of the starts against right-handed pitching, though the club may give him more rest to keep him fresh.
Rogers brings stronger numbers against left-handed pitching and better defense than Quero, which makes him the cleaner platoon partner. Quero may wind up as a bench option against lefties, and Will Venable already showed he’s willing to use him there by hitting him against a lefty on Sunday night, when Quero drew a walk.
Whatever the role ends up being, the clock is ticking. Quero doesn’t have much time left to convince the White Sox he can be more than a temporary piece, and the team can’t afford to let him search forever while chasing a division title. For Chicago and for Quero, this really does feel like a third chance with real stakes attached.
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