Finding it difficult to stick both your talented young catchers in the lineup every day?
Try what the White Sox did Friday and call up another catcher.
The Sox’ backstop corps grew to three with Korey Lee’s return to the major league squad, allowing Will Venable to regularly stock his lineups with both Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, solving the problem of needing to hold one back in case of an in-game injury or late pinch-hit situation.
Lee, who had been at Triple-A Charlotte since early June, was himself once considered a candidate for the job of catcher of the future after he was acquired in a trade with the Astros in 2023, the same summer the Sox added Quero to their farm system in a deal with the Angels.
But once Chris Getz — who was the team’s farm director when those two trades were made — landed Teel as the headlining prospect in last winter’s Garrett Crochet trade, Lee seemed the odd man out. Both Teel and Quero started the season in the minors, meaning Lee was part of the Opening Day roster, but he had been supplanted not long after.
“You can take it one way or the other: You can go out there and complain about it, or you can go over there and work,” Lee said Friday. “[This is] the big leagues. It’s where you always want to be. It’s where I know that I can play. It’s real baseball. You’re playing for a reason.
“I’m very fortunate to be part of this organization and [plan to] finish off the season strong.”
Lee might no longer appear to be a big part of the long-term future on the South Side, but he returns to provide critical support late in what is shaping up to be another 100-loss season, as the Sox look to continue the major league development of Quero and Teel.
The 23-year-old Teel is hitting .270 with a .768 OPS through his first 48 major league games. Quero, 22, is batting .278 with a .724 OPS in his first 81 games as a big leaguer.
The two figure to see an increase in their at-bats as regular designated hitters now that there’s someone to sub in behind the plate as an injury replacement or late-game fill-in.
“Developmentally, it’s huge,” Venable said before Friday’s game. “You want the young guys to have consistent at-bats. … We’re excited to have both those guys in the lineup more often.
“I don’t think it necessarily needs to be an everyday thing. There’s going to be other considerations that might drive somebody else to the DH spot. It’s certainly good to have that flexibility to be able to do it and know that you can also make late moves now that Korey’s here. It’s just not going to [automatically be] one of Teel or Edgar or Korey in the DH spot.”
Though Lee, 27, isn’t terribly long in the tooth, the experience he gained from nearly a full season in the majors in 2024 could prove valuable in the Sox’ catching room.
Last season, Lee espoused the impact longtime veteran Martin Maldonado made on him, both in Houston and on the South Side. While Lee’s 175 career games pale in comparison to Maldonado’s 1,230 — a number that continues to grow in his 15th big league season with the Padres — perhaps he could serve in something of a similar role.
“They’ve been doing a great job here handling the pitching staff,” Lee said of Teel and Quero. “They’re unbelievable athletes. And whatever I can do to help them go further in their career, that’s my job.
“I don’t know if I can do [as much as Maldonado]. He’s got a lot more years on me. But the things that I’ve learned from him are very, very important, and that’s what I can give to them.”