The White Sox were left holding their breath when Kyle Teel had to leave the game with what appeared to be an injury after a play at the plate against the Texas Rangers.
Teel was trying to apply the tag in the second inning when Evan Carter’s single sent Ezequiel Duran charging home. As Teel took the throw, his metal cleat appeared to stick in the dirt while he twisted to make the tag, and he was visibly grimacing behind his facemask before needing help to get off the field.
What makes the moment even more alarming is how it happened: no contact, just a painful-looking twist. And for Teel, it comes after a season already interrupted by leg trouble.
The 24-year-old catcher had only recently returned from a long absence. He was reinstated from the 60-day IL in June after missing the first 76 games because of a right hamstring strain suffered in the World Baseball Classic. What was supposed to be a shorter recovery turned into a much longer one after Teel sprained the lateral collateral ligament in his knee during a rehab assignment.
Chicago’s catching depth is thin enough already, and Teel’s exit only sharpened that problem. Drew Romo was the only active catcher left on the roster, with Sam Antonacci listed next as the emergency backup.
If Teel ends up on the injured list, Edgar Quero and Korey Lee would likely be the next options from Triple-A Charlotte. But whichever direction the White Sox go, losing Teel would sting at the plate as much as behind it.
Romo is batting .130 with a 26 percent strikeout rate and a .527 OPS. Quero has already been optioned once this season after opening the year with a .187/.253/.233 line, along with two homers and 15 RBIs. Lee has produced 13 homers and an .805 OPS in the minors this season, but his MLB track record still leaves questions.
If Teel is out for any meaningful stretch, the White Sox may have to look outside the organization for catching help before the trade deadline. For a club with postseason aspirations, that kind of hole could become a costly one in the race for the AL Central title.
In Other News...
White Sox Finally Had A Feel Good Win Then Teel Left
For a team that has spent much of the season searching for something to feel good about, the White Sox finally got one in Texas. Andrew Benintendi delivered the big swing with a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning, turning a tight game into a cushion the White Sox could protect, and the bullpen did the rest by piecing together a steady night against the Rangers.
The win had the kind of lift Chicago has been missing, which made the scene around Rangers catcher Kyle Teel hard to ignore. Teel left early after a non-contact injury, and the expectation is that he will be out for an extended stretch, a reminder that even on a night when the White Sox could savor a rare bright spot, there was still a more sobering storyline hanging over the game. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Finally Broke Out At The Plate Then Came The Concern
The White Sox finally gave themselves a night to feel good about the offense, putting up 10 runs in a win over the Rangers and getting contributions from a lineup that looked far more alive than it has for much of the season. Sam Antonacci helped set the tone, while Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Andrew Benintendi and Joc Pederson all chipped in as Chicago kept finding ways to extend innings and turn traffic on the bases into real damage.
The concern came after the bats had already done their job, because the game also brought injury scares for Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery. Any time two young pieces leave a game like that, the mood changes fast, and the Sox will be left waiting to see how much time, if any, they might lose from a lineup that had just started to show some life. [Read more 🡒]