ARLINGTON, Texas — The White Sox entered the year with perhaps the most promising duo of young catchers in baseball.
But in a season full of positive surprises, the Sox are dealing with another tough one as Kyle Teel’s latest injury has them hoping that a struggling Edgar Quero can regain his form at the plate.
The Sox placed Teel on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, a day after he suffered an ankle injury while trying to tag out a runner at the plate during their series opening win in Texas. It looked like it could’ve been a lot worse when manager Will Venable and head athletic trainer James Kruk had to help Teel off the field.
It’s the third injury Teel has weathered in his sophomore season. The 24-year-old pulled a hamstring while running out a double for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, then tweaked a knee ligament when he initially was nearing a return in mid-May.
Teel’s latest setback came less than a month after making it back to the Sox on June 22. He’d hit .190/.271/.317 with two homers, two doubles and 14 RBI in 19 games.
The team recalled Quero, who never found a rhythm at the plate while handling the bulk of catching duties in Teel’s initial absence. After showing a knack for contact his rookie season, Quero labored to a paltry .187/.253/.233 line in 55 games to start this season.
He did produce one of the season’s top highlights with a walk-off homer against the Cubs at Rate Field to secure a crosstown series win.
But Quero only hit one other homer and a double, and the 23-year-old didn’t fare much better after getting shipped to Triple-A following Teel’s comeback. In 15 games with Charlotte, Quero hit .230/.299/.295 with a homer, a double and six RBI.