Chicago White Sox prospect Kyle Teel is doing everything he can to prove he is ready for his Major League debut and deserving of a call up to the big leagues.
The 23-year-old catcher is currently on an 18-game hitting streak in Triple-A Charlotte. During the streak, which dates back to April 26, Teel his hitting .358 with a .979 OPS.
On Thursday, Teel had his second three-hit game of the season and launched two home runs. He now has six home runs on the season and an OPS of .836.
Teel is an adequate defender behind the plate, runs well for a catcher, and has hit everywhere he has been throughout his baseball career. There's a reason he is the No. 28 prospect in all of baseball and is knocking on the door of the Major Leagues.
If the decision came down to merrit alone, Teel would be in Chicago right now with the big league club. But as ready as he is for the White Sox, the White Sox are not ready for him.
The White Sox don't have space for Kyle Teel
As silly as it might sound, I'm not sure where the White Sox would play Teel if they did bring him to Chicago.
While GM Chris Getz emphasized the positional versatility that is in Teel's background when he was first acquired from the Boston Red Sox, we have yet to see that on display in professional baseball. Teel has not played a single inning at a position other than catcher in the minor leagues, despite his background as an outfielder in college.
The White Sox have Edgar Quero on the active roster and are obviously giving him regular at-bats and innings behind the plate. They also have Matt Thaiss, who has been a serviceable veteran. It benefits the Sox if Thaiss is playing to increase his trade value.
Chicago is also getting Korey Lee back from a rehab stint soon. Lee is 26 years old and was off to a hot start to the season before landing on the Injured List.
The catcher position is loaded throughout the organization. You can only have so many guys on a big league roster that don't have positional versatility. Tim Elko blasted three home runs in his first 10 career games, but even he is being sent down because the Sox can only roster so many C/1B/DH types.
I have no doubt that Kyle Teel is ready, but until the Sox trade Matt Thaiss, move on from Andrew Vaughn, or start playing him in the outfield...I'm not sure the Sox will be ready to call him up.