It will take a long time before Kyle Teel made his first season. The White Sox second-year catcher sprained the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his right knee, reports Brooke Fletcher of the Chicago Sports Network. He will be out for 3-6 weeks before he can start a new rehab.
Teel was injured Saturday in a rehab game against Triple-A Charlotte. Manager Will Venable told the media (including James Fegan of the Sox Machine) that the left-hander suffered the injury when his apron got caught while he was swinging. He has been working his way back after receiving a grade 2 repair of his right hamstring while playing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
It’s a disappointing setback for an incredibly competitive Sox team. Chicago enters its series in Seattle with a 24-22 record that has them in the Wild Card spot and only a game behind Cleveland in the AL Central. The playoffs still look like a long shot given the Sox’ rebuilding staff, but they are more dangerous than most expected at the start of the season.
The case was a big part of that. Chicago is 10th in scoring and ranks in the top half of the league in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Only the Yankees have hit more home runs than the Sox’s 66 long balls. Teel likely moved into the upper half of the list after hitting .273/.375/.411 over his first 78 MLB games.
Chicago instead rolled with the Drew Romo/Edgar Quero pairing behind the plate. Romo, who entered the season without an MLB record, has hit four home runs in 13 games since being called up. Reese McGuire as a backup handler. Quero has had a rough year, walk-off yesterday against the Cubs notwithstanding.
The Sox could place Teel on the 60-day disabled list if they need to open a spot on the 40-man roster at some point. That will go back to Opening Day and will be official, as it’s unlikely he’ll be ready for MLB action until late June at the earliest. Quero and Romo are the only healthy catchers on the 40-man.
