CHICAGO -- Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, two of the top players at the core of the White Sox rebuild, have started in the same lineup 28 times, including Minnesota’s 9-7 victory on Elvis Night Friday at Rate Field.
That number will increase by a sizable margin over the final 34 games, based on the addition of catcher Korey Lee from Triple-A Charlotte prior to a third straight loss for the White Sox (45-83). Infielder Josh Rojas was designated for assignment to make room for Lee being recalled.
Lee gives the White Sox a third catcher, making it easier for manager Will Venable to start Teel and Quero while feeling comfortable making moves later in games.
"Developmentally, it’s huge,” Venable said. “We’ve asked these guys to be in roles they haven’t been in before. That’s been new to them. At the same time, that’s the opportunity they get in the big leagues.
“More than anything for us, you want the young guys to have consistent at-bats. But it makes our lineup better kind of on both ends. Excited to have both those guys in the lineup more often.”
Teel, hitting third and catching in the opener of this 10-game homestand, and Quero, batting ninth as the designated hitter, each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. They contributed to the White Sox cutting an 8-4 deficit to 8-7 in the eighth, with the bases loaded and one out and Colson Montgomery facing Justin Topa.
Montgomery, who had launched his 11th home run in the fifth to erase the Twins’ 4-2 edge, lifted a foul popup that was tracked down by third baseman Royce Lewis on the run with his back to the infield. Miguel Vargas, who walked to force home a run during the three-run eighth, tagged up and broke for home on the play, but Lewis’ strike to catcher Ryan Jeffers nailed Vargas for the third out.
Luis Robert Jr. was left on deck, leading off the ninth.
“It was on me. I thought I had a good shot and then I didn’t,” Vargas said. “Yeah, it’s on me 100 percent. It wasn’t the play for me to go and score, especially when we have Louie behind. I take all the responsibility and I have to be better.”
"Aggressive play," Venable said. "If we were able to take that back, we would obviously. There was potentially some miscommunication after talking to Jirsch [third-base coach Justin Jirschele] about it. He took responsibility. For me, gotta clean that up. It’s a big spot. Just didn’t work out for us.”
After the White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first, Teel was thrown out at the plate on Robert’s infield single as he tried to catch the Twins off-guard and score from second. They were ready for him, ending the frame.
Those game-changers on the basepaths, coupled with seven walks issued and two unearned runs allowed, left the White Sox short -- despite it being their third game in the last four in which they scored at least seven.
"You hate to see the outcome, but the boys did show a lot of fight,” Teel said. “We've got to come out here and be better tomorrow."
“Trusting the guy behind you, next to you, has been the key for us,” added Vargas of the team’s overall approach. “Attacking the fastball. We all think on the same page.”
While Teel is 23 and Quero is 22, Lee isn’t exactly an aged veteran at 27. He was on the White Sox Opening Day roster, going 7-for-28 with three doubles and seven runs scored in 14 games before being optioned to Charlotte on June 6. He was out of action during that big league stint from April 10 to May 2 with a sprained left ankle.
Promoting Quero and Teel made Lee movable, and he slashed .255/.313/.405 with eight home runs, 28 RBIs and 34 runs scored in 55 games with the Knights. Lee also was an integral part behind the plate for the ‘24 White Sox.
Integral, one might ask, for a team finishing 41-121? Lee had 12 home runs, 14 doubles and 37 RBIs over 125 games but also was a consistent and steady voice of the team through the toughest of times. His presence allows the White Sox to be better in the present and, they hope, in the future.
“I kind of think of myself as a Swiss Army knife,” Lee said. “I can run, I can hit, I can catch, maybe go in the outfield. I come prepared every single day to win.
"It's the big leagues. It's where you always want to be. It's where I know that I can play. It's real baseball.”