The door is open to promote Kyle Teel
White Sox top hitting prospect Kyle Teel mashed two home runs for the Charlotte Knights on Thursday. He is red hot right now and riding an 18-game hit streak.
Teel's slash line over his past 10 games is eye-popping. There is nothing else for him to accomplish in the minor leagues to earn a promotion, but the club doesn't seem to have room for him.
The organization could argue they are taking the approach the Baltimore Orioles did with their hitting prospects, given the ties hitting director Ryan Fuller has to that organization. However, Teel now has more career minor league at-bats than Adley Rutschman.
Teel needs some reps in the outfield. He has better athleticism to play multiple positions than Edgar Quero. Once Teel is up, the team should want Quero and him in the lineup every day.
While Teel has played some outfield in college, it would be better to give him a refresher in games that do not matter in Triple-A. If the club drops him in the outfield without minor league reps, it would be like repeating the failed outfield experience with Vaughn and Gavin Sheets.
But if Vaughn and Elko are both in the minor leagues, maybe there is room to bring Teel up and have him DH when he's not behind the plate. Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss can play some first base.