When White Sox catcher Kyle Teel suffered a Grade 2 right hamstring strain on March 10 playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, the expected timeline for his return was 4-6 weeks. As of Saturday, it is unknown when Teel will even begin a rehab assignment.
Teel is still trying to maintain a positive outlook.
“In the grand scheme of things, I’m still within my timeline,” he said Saturday. “It is a higher-up grade 2 strain so it’s kind of normal for it to take a bit longer. Still not ideal, right? I want to be back as much as everyone wants me back. That time’s coming soon.”
Before the injury, Teel had four hits in six WBC at-bats and was building off a strong debut with the Sox last season when he slashed .273/.375/.411.
That progress was temporarily halted in March. Since then, Teel’s focus has been on recovery and being there for his teammates while learning valuable lessons that could help him in the future.
“One thing that this experience has taught me is just to be patient and how important it is to get your work in the training room and weight room every single day because that kind of stuff hasn’t been part of my routine really ever,” Teel said.
Teel isn’t sitting around and feeling sorry for himself and said he can only control what he can control.
“I feel like I just need to take care of what I need to get back as soon as possible and help this team win,” Teel said.
Staying behind the plate
While the Sox wait for Teel to make his first appearance in 2026, they still need some production from behind the plate. On Saturday, they made a move to extract some offensive life from the position.
The Sox selected the contract of catcher Drew Romo from Triple-A Charlotte and fellow catcher Reese McGuire was designated for assignment. McGuire was 5-for-29 in 11 games, and combined with Edgar Quero hitting .161, the Sox haven’t gotten any meaningful contribution from their catchers.
Manager Will Venable praised McGuire’s game-planning and locker-room presence, but that wasn’t enough to keep him around. Romo made a strong impression in spring training, and his .385 on-base percentage and four home runs with Charlotte got him back to the big leagues after playing 56 games with the Rockies over the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The move Saturday, Venable said, was independent of Teel’s uncertain timeline.
“As we’re continuing to find ways to improve and continuing to find ways to improve our roster that taking a look at that position specifically and finding a way to at least explore a potential upgrade . . . it’s an important thing to do,” Venable said.
Romo’s path to Rate Field hasn’t been smooth.
During the offseason, he was claimed off waivers by the Orioles, Mets and Sox. The Sox designated him for assignment in February but he cleared waivers and was sent to Charlotte, where he earned the call-up.
“It’s been a heck of a journey, getting to where I am right now,” Romo said.
Briefly
Reliever Tyler Davis made his major-league debut, striking out two during a scoreless eighth inning.