CHICAGO -- For a brief moment or three, White Sox catcher Kyle Teel became a pitcher.
That position change didn’t happen during an 8-7 loss to the Orioles Tuesday night at Rate Field, with the White Sox falling just short after rallying from a six-run deficit via a five-run eighth. It took place earlier in the day at the Ronald McDonald House located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago during a visit with children and families staying at the facility.
Teel was joined by shortstop Colson Montgomery, as they played wiffle ball on the rooftop’s White Sox Family Field, which the organization unveiled in June 2013. It was a welcome and enjoyable break for those kids and families, and it served as a nice off-the-field moment in the final two weeks of this 2025 season for Teel and Montgomery.
“I mean, it means a lot,” Montgomery said. “You come here and just [the] smiles you are able to put on these kids’ faces and we’ll never know how much it actually means to them. Sometimes, we feel like we have it hard, but you never know. It’s so cool to come out here and make kids happy and take some time out of the day. It’s really sweet.”
“We are able to brighten someone’s day, that’s everything,” Teel said. “So, it’s great. We are having a good time out here and it’s just awesome."
Both Teel and Montgomery took their turn on the mound, throwing to excited kids of various ages and encouraging them through their swings. As strong as this duo has been for the White Sox during their respective rookie campaigns, they were even more impressive with these young baseball enthusiasts and their families.
When one young man missed on a couple of pitches, Teel smiled and told him, "Don’t worry. I struck out three times last night." The player hit the ball hard on the next pitch, just as Teel did Tuesday night with a two-run homer in the first inning off Dean Kremer among his two hits.
“All our life we’ve been taught to do stuff, so it’s easy, simple tips,” Montgomery said. “It’s just having fun. A lot of them, it seems like they are natural at it.”
“These young kids love the game. It’s great to see,” Teel said. “Just to be able to share that with them is fantastic.”
This 2025 campaign has been an interesting one for Montgomery and Teel, not to mention their rookie cohorts such as Shane Smith (6-8), who suffered his first loss in 10 starts Tuesday (3-0 with six no-decisions). Montgomery’s chance to break camp as the team’s starting shortstop was halted by back issues, followed by a major downturn with Triple-A Charlotte leading to a short reset in Arizona. But he quickly proved to be ready for prime time with 18 home runs and 49 RBIs over 61 games, despite a current 4-for-31 funk and the game-ending strikeout Tuesday.
After being acquired from Boston during the ‘24 Winter Meetings as one of the four major pieces in the Garrett Crochet trade, Teel looked as if he would spend a little longer time with Charlotte as he perfected his craft behind the plate. But Teel hit his way to a callup on June 6, has been one of the team’s top presences on offense since and joins Montgomery at the core of hope for the White Sox future.
No Arizona Fall League or Instructs coming up for the 23-year-olds. Just a chance to wind down and eventually get ready for the next step in ‘26.
“Every single year, at the beginning, it kind of goes fast and then slows down and gets fast again,” Montgomery said. “We will look back on this season, look at some of the good things, some of the things you need to improve on, but you need to flip the page and get ready for next year.”
“It has been a long season, but I try to go out there with the mentality that every day is Opening Day,” Teel said. “A lot of other guys have that mentality. So it’s just one day at a time.”
One day for Teel and Montgomery was a special one on Tuesday. Yes, they watched their losing streak extend to five straight, with Teel also striking out in the ninth. But their good spirits and giving nature with the kids and families at the Ronald McDonald House was as big of a success as a walkoff home run.
“You come and do this, it gives you a sense of fresh air about stuff that’s going on in the world, and the things that people have to deal with,” Montgomery said. “It’s definitely cool to come out here and see all these kids.”