White Sox catching prospect Edgar Quero reacted emotionally in the locker room at Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday — a moment captured on video and shared on social media — when Knights manager Sergio Santos let him know he was getting called up to the majors.
In front of 10,560 fans Thursday afternoon in the Sox’ 8-0 loss to the Athletics at Rate Field, Quero made good contact on two balls that turned into outs and finished 0-for-3 in his big-league debut. His first hit will have to come in another game, but manager Will Venable was impressed with his comfort behind the plate while catching for starter Davis Martin (1-2) and three relievers.
“It was a really good experience. Happy to be here,” said Quero, 22. “Just trying to get my work done.”
Quero, who left Cuba in 2019 and signed with the Angels as an international free agent in 2021, was acquired in July 2023, along with left-hander Ky Bush, in a trade for Sox pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.
His bat is the reason MLB.com ranked him as the No. 9 catching prospect in baseball. Quero, a switch-hitter, batted .333/.444/.412 with an .856 OPS over 15 games for Charlotte this season.
He won’t suddenly power the Sox’ lineup, but he’s one of their most promising young players, and they’re eager to see how he handles major-league pitching.
“He’s a guy who believes he’s ready and looks like he’s ready,” Venable said.
The Sox, who fell to 4-14, appear to be in for another slog of a year after their historic 121-loss season in 2024. But the arrival of a talent such as Quero offers fans some assurance the Sox are developing players in the minors who can eventually bring a fresh feeling to the big-league club.
“It’s fun to watch guys play their first few games,” left fielder Andrew Benintendi said. “The excitement they bring up — not saying it’s not exciting [for us] to be out there, but it’s different when you’re playing your first few games and getting your feet wet. There’s a lot of guys I’m sure are gonna come up throughout the year and make that debut.”
Venable praised Quero’s confidence, espe-cially at the plate, despite the Sox’ inability to get in the game Thursday. The next step is continued improvement in his game-calling and framing. Quero said he communicated with Venable and general manager Chris Getz throughout the offseason about his defensive improvements. Martin said there “wasn’t a learning curve” throwing to Quero.
“I was working a lot on my framing, especially at the beginning of the season in Triple-A,” Quero said, citing that as his most improved area. “I feel pretty good, and I’m ready to go.”
He also brings energy to an increasingly younger Sox locker room.
“He’s always energetic, never really down on himself,” infielder Brooks Baldwin said. “He’s always in the game. He’s just a guy you want beside you when you’re playing.”