Kyle

Teel

It’s merely a procedural move and doesn’t impact Teel’s return timeline. The 24-year-old backstop, who was in the closing stages of his recovery from a hamstring strain that he suffered back in the World Baseball Classic, is expected to miss another 3-6 weeks after suffering a sprained LCL while playing in a minor league rehab game at Triple-A Charlotte last weekend.

It’s an unfortunate setback for Teel as he appeared to be close to making it back to Chicago for his season debut before suffering the injury during a rehab contest for Triple-A Charlotte over the weekend. The 24-year-old backstop will be on the shelf until at least early June before he’s potentially an option for the White Sox. It’s quickly turning into a bit of a lost season for Teel, who entered the year as one of the top young catchers in the game. Drew Romo and Edgar Quero will continue handling the catching duties for Chicago in his absence.

The injury isn’t believed to be anything serious, but he’ll sit on Sunday before being re-evaluated on Tuesday. Teel had been tracking toward a return to the White Sox in mid-May, but it’s possible this will set him back a bit.

Teel played five innings at catcher and finished 1-for-4 at the plate in his first rehab contest. The 24-year-old backstop will need a handful of additional games to get back up to speed following a lengthy layoff after suffering a hamstring injury during the World Baseball Classic back in March. He figures to be ready to make his season debut by the end of May.

Teel ran the bases without issue over the weekend which was the final hurdle that he needed to clear before heading out on a rehab assignment. The 24-year-old backstop has been shelved since suffering a hamstring strain during the World Baseball Classic on March 10. It’s unclear how many games he’ll need on that rehab assignment before he’s ready to rejoin the White Sox.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters Teel is scheduled to run the bases this weekend, which would be his final step before heading out on a rehab assignment next week. The 24-year-old backstop has been brought along slowly in his recovery from a hamstring strain that he suffered during the World Baseball Classic. He should be ready to make his season debut by the end of May.

Getz elaborated that the White Sox are opting to proceed with an abundance of caution with Teel’s ramp-up process given how much time he’s missed recovering from a hamstring strain during last month’s World Baseball Classic. The 24-year-old backstop figures to be cleared at some point soon to head to Triple-A Charlotte, but fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate him back until at least early May.

He’ll be the White Sox over the weekend in Sacramento and then head out for the rehab assignment. It looks like there’s a chance Teel comes up in the next 10-14 days, which would put him on the higher end of the initial 4-6 week timeline for the hamstring injury he suffered during a WBC game on March 10.

Teel is back catching and doing some light running after getting hurt running the bases in the WBC. It’s possible he’ll return as soon as his 10 days are up. Until then, Edgar Quero will do most of the catching.

Teel also told reporters that he feels “no pain or stretch” when he’s catching, which is good news as well. The 24-year-old was diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain in the middle of March, and he’s expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury. Teel will likely begin the season on the injured list, but should be back as the backstop for the White Sox by the end of April or beginning of May.