ARLINGTON, Texas — Kyle Teel had to be helped off the field after suffering an apparent left ankle injury in the White Sox’ series opener Monday at Texas.
The second-year catcher, who missed most of the first three months of the season with hamstring and knee injuries, was in visible pain after diving to his left in an attempt to tag out Ezequiel Duran at home in the bottom of the second inning.
After the scoring play, Teel appeared unable to put any pressure on his left leg.
Teel (.190/.271/.317, two homers, 14 RBI) had struggled at the plate since returning from the injured list June 22, but provided the Sox a desperately needed defensive upgrade over Drew Romo, who replaced him Monday, and Edgar Quero, who has logged a .594 OPS the past month at Triple-A Charlotte.
Manager Will Venable, who helped his prized backstop off the field along with Sox trainer James Kruk, has called Teel arguably the Sox’ best player. Venable said over the weekend that Teel had just been “getting into his rhythm and into his form.”
Depending on the severity of Teel’s injury, it likely adds the catcher position to general manager Chris Getz’s wish list before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
