The Chicago White Sox are on the brink of welcoming back one of their best young players

Kyle Teel is finally headed toward a rehab assignment with the Charlotte Knights. He has yet to appear in a game this season after injuring his hamstring during the World Baseball Classic with Team Italy. The second-year catcher spoke wth the media about his looming return to the field on Sunday, expressing a lot of excitement about the opportunity to finally join this better-than-expected squad.

“This team is electric right now,” Teel told Chicago Sports Network. “The attitude, how hard everyone is playing, the success that we’re having, I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Teel said the plan will be for him to serve as the Knights’ catcher in his first rehab assignment before he steps into the DH spot in his second. He’s been able to put in plenty of work both at the backstop and at the plate over the last couple of weeks, which seemingly has him feeling well prepared for the moment.

So, why did it take him this long to see game action? Running on his injured hamstring was the primary concern, but Teel stressed that he is finally moving well. All eyes will now be on when Teel can officially suit up for the big league squad. For what it’s worth, one of the Sox’ biggest series of the year will be coming up later this week. They will face off against Chicago in the first crosstown series of the year, and one has to imagine Teel is crossing his fingers that he can be in the lineup for that series opener on Friday.

Can Kyle Teel Slide Right Into the Mix for the White Sox?

To the White Sox’ credit, they have played some very good baseball in recent weeks. Their back-to-back wins over the Seattle Mariners gave them their third series win of the last four, keeping them very much in the hunt for the top spot in the AL Central. The Cleveland Guardians currently have just 1.0 game on them, as Chicago sits with a record of 19-21.

Almost every part of the White Sox lineup has taken a step in the right direction. Their starting pitching has been increasingly effective, especially since Noah Schultz joined the rotiation a few weeks back. Davis Martin has also been particularly good, ranking Top 14 in strikeouts over his eight starts.

The offense has also been firing on all cylinders. Led by the star-level power hitting of Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery, they have also gotten consistent production from Miguel Vargas, Sam Antonacci, and Chae Meidroth. Overall, it’s been a very balanced attack, as they sit Top 11 in both homers and walks thus far.

Still, Kyle Teel’s return should undoubtedly be viewed as an overwhelming positive. If there is any position that has stood out for the wrong reasons over the first couple of months, it’s been catcher. Edgar Quero has struggled heavily to reproduce the consistent contact hitting he offered in his rookie campaign. The Sox have also tried two different players as their primary backup, first using Reese McGuire before designating him for assignment and calling up Drew Romo.

Should the expectation still be that manager Will Venable splits starts between Quero and Teel? Yes, especially as Teel gets his feet wet. But the door is wide open for Teel to come in and immediately steal extra playing time. Speaking of which, with how explosive the Sox’ middle of the lineup has been, doubling down with Teel’s power might be the way to go. Remember, Teel added 20 pounds of extra muscle this offseason in hopes of sending some more balls over wall.