Korey Lee keeps level head as he works his way back into White Sox’ catching picture

When the White Sox sent Korey Lee down to Charlotte in June, one of the first calls he made went to his big brother.

It wasn’t just family support the now-recently promoted Sox catcher got. It was professional, too. Kellen Lee is the mental skills coach for the Seattle Mariners, with a Ph.D in performance psychology.

“I talk to him a lot, and he’s done wonders for me,” Korey Lee said Monday after hitting a home run and catching a gem from pitcher Shane Smith in Lee’s first game since being recalled to the big-league squad. “He’s done great for me, just talking to him.”

The brotherly advice? Find a healthy mindset by keeping things simple.

“[It’s just] playing the game that I know how to. It doesn’t change. It’s still 60 feet, six inches,” Lee said. “You’re still trying to hit that round thing. It’s the same game, and you can take it one way or the other. And I enjoy playing baseball, so wherever it is.”

For now it’s with the Sox, where his presence as the third catcher on the roster frees up manager Will Venable to use Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel in the same lineup more regularly. Both rookie catchers have shined in their debut seasons, leaving Lee as the odd man out for much of the year at Triple-A.

“For him and how he’s handled this stretch in Triple-A to keep himself ready to go for this opportunity says a lot about his attitude in this whole thing and being able to contribute,” Venable said.

Lee looked like a potential building block for the rebuild when the Sox got him in exchange for Kendall Graveman at the 2023 trade deadline. Now it’s up to the 27-year-old, who batted .210/.244/.347 with 12 homers in 125 games last season, to convince the Sox that he can contribute long-term.

Lee said he’s seen “incredible” growth in the Sox’ clubhouse compared to how it looked when he was the Opening Day catcher.

“They’re getting their feet wet up here, starting to learn themselves, starting to learn how to play a big-league baseball game,” Lee said. “We’re all still learning that and there’s a lot of room to grow and we’re gonna continue to do that.”

Down on the farm

Oswego East product Noah Schultz, the Sox’ top pitching prospect, returned from the injured list Sunday for his first start at Triple-A Charlotte in more than a month, giving up two hits and striking out four over two innings with an unearned run.

The 6-10 lefty, rated as the No. 38 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, was held to 37 pitches as he’s eased back from the knee injury that prompted the Sox to shelve him in early July. It was better than his first three starts at Triple-A, where he has a 10.13 ERA overall.

Jonathan Cannon looked better in his latest start Saturday since being sent down to Charlotte to rediscover his groove, giving up one run in 6 ⅓ innings with five strikeouts and a walk.

But Opening Day starter Sean Burke labored a night earlier in his first Triple-A action since being demoted after a string of short starts for the Sox. He gave up four runs and eight hits over five innings with three walks and four strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Sox promoted 19-year-old infielder Caleb Bonemer from Single-A to High-A Winston-Salem. The organization’s No. 4 prospect has hit .281/.400/.458 with 10 homers in his first full minor-league season.