What to expect from White Sox prospect Teel in the big leagues

The White Sox called up one of the best catching prospects in baseball when they added Edgar Quero in mid-April. Seven weeks later, they're promoting an even better one.

Kyle Teel, MLB's No. 26 prospect, will join Chicago before its game tonight against the Royals. He was the best of the four prospects acquired from the Red Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade at the Winter Meetings, along with outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman González. At .312/.401/.369, Meidroth has been the White Sox's best hitter this season.

Chicago has the worst record in the American League and the fifth-worst offense in MLB. Teel should help in both regards, but the organization's focus is more on the future than the present. He can become a key part of an eventual contender, which is what necessitated dealing an All-Star left-hander for younger talent six months ago, and had nothing left to prove in Triple-A.

The second-ranked White Sox prospect comes with a higher offensive ceiling and more athleticism than most catchers. The 14th overall pick in the 2023 Draft out of Virginia, he needed just 188 games in the Minors to reach the big leagues. He's a career .300/.401/.456 hitter in the Minors and overcame a 9-for-49 slump to begin this season to pull his batting line up to .295/.394/.492 before his promotion.

Teel has the chance to hit for both power and average thanks to his combination of a quick left-handed stroke, the strength in his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame and quality swing decisions. His patience at the plate will stand out on a White Sox club filled with aggressive hitters.

While most of Teel's home runs travel to his pull side and come against right-handers, he does have some opposite-field pop and improved against lefties in the first two months of this season. He could provide 20 homers per season, perhaps more if he learns to launch balls in the air more consistently.

Teel has close to average speed and moves well behind the plate, but he's still relatively inexperienced back there. He didn't become a full-time catcher until his sophomore season at Virginia, and he struggled at times with his receiving and blocking during his first full pro season.

He has made progress with his catching skills, both over the course of last year and during the first part of this season. He has solid arm strength with a quick transfer and makes accurate throws, which enabled him to erase 33 percent of basestealers in Triple-A this year.

White Sox catcher Korey Lee saw Teel while on a recent rehab assignment in Triple-A and noted how much he had improved since Spring Training.

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"His recall, his catching, his dynamics of day-in and day-out catching," Lee told MLB.com. "He's gotten a lot better. We are all striving to improve, trying to be the best, but he's done a really, really good job down there."

Both Teel and Quero are offensive-minded catchers who could share the job while also seeing action at other positions to get their bats in the lineup. Splitting duties behind the plate would reduce the physical toll on them, which would help maximize their production at the plate. Teel moves and throws well enough to play the outfield corners, and both are worthy of at-bats at DH.