The Chicago White Sox are getting back a catcher they haven’t seen all year. Kyle Teel was activated from the 60-day injured list Monday, right as the team kicked off a series against the Cleveland Guardians. And honestly, they could use the help.
Teel’s season has been a nightmare of bad timing. He tore his right hamstring in March while playing for Team Italy against the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic. The initial prognosis was four to six weeks. Then, during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on May 16, he sprained the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee. That pushed him to the 60-day IL on May 19, and he hasn’t played a single regular-season game in 2026.
The White Sox got swept by the Detroit Tigers over the weekend, which knocked them out of first place in the AL Central. So Teel’s return comes at a decent moment. Chicago sat at 39-37 heading into Monday’s game, one game behind Cleveland for the division lead and holding the second Wild Card spot. Not bad for a team that was supposed to be rebuilding after trading Garrett Crochet to Boston in December 2024.
Teel was part of that return. The Sox also got Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery, and Wikelman Gonzalez from the Red Sox. Meidroth has taken over at second base, and Montgomery is working his way into the big league lineup. Teel finally gets his shot.
During his most recent rehab stint with Charlotte, he looked ready. Four games, 8-for-16, a homer, four RBIs, five runs scored. He even had a five-hit game at Buffalo on Friday. In his 2025 rookie season, Teel hit .273/.375/.411 with eight homers and 35 RBIs across 78 games. The plate discipline is there — 37 walks in that span.
To make room on the roster, the White Sox sent catcher Edgar Quero back to Triple-A. Quero has struggled all year, hitting .187/.253/.233 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 55 games. Chicago catchers collectively have posted a miserable .167/.241/.268 slash line this season. So Teel doesn’t exactly have a high bar to clear.
The timing works out. The Guardians are coming off a series loss of their own, and the White Sox need to make a move before this division race gets out of hand. Teel won’t fix everything, but he’s a much-needed upgrade behind the plate.
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