White Sox call up of Korey Lee gives manager Will Venable no more excuses

As the Chicago White Sox headed home to begin a 10-game homestand on Friday evening, a roster move that was long speculated by fans finally came to be.

The White Sox called up catcher Korey Lee from Triple-A Charlotte, and designated struggling veteran Josh Rojas for assignment.

Rojas has not lived up to his contract

Rojas, 31, took a one-year deal with with White Sox in free agency this past offseason, looking to regain some value after a tough 2024.

A strong spring by Rojas was quickly derailed by a preseason injury that started him on the Injured List, and he never really found a grove upon his return.

With Rojas hitting just .180 (.511 OPS) on the season, it was time to admit that the signing didn’t work out. 

Korey Lee is back with the Sox

Korey Lee began the season on the White Sox opening day roster, and unfortunately, ended up on the Injured List with a sprained ankle after just a handful of games.

By the time Lee was activated, Edgar Quero had been called up, and Lee was mostly relegated to a backup role.

Lee ended up playing in just 14 games total before the White Sox made the decision to call up Kyle Teel and Lee was sent to Charlotte. Now, Lee will finally get a chance to return to the big league roster. 

Will Venable has no more lineup excuses

The impact of Lee on the big league roster goes far beyond his bat in the lineup or his defense behind the plate. With a third catcher on the roster, Will Venable now has no excuse to limit the playing time of Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero.

Friday night’s game against Minnesota is just the 10th time that Quero and Teel have been in the same lineup, despite them both being among the White Sox top hitting prospects entering 2025.

With neither Quero nor Teel taking many reps elsewhere on the field, DH was going to have to be the way to get them both in the lineup, and Will Venable has been very hesitant to do that thus far. 

According to MLB rules, if a team moves their designated hitter into the field, they must forfeit the DH spot and the pitcher will then need to bat in that spot, so the only two catchers on the roster being in the lineup puts the team at risk of losing the DH if an injury were to occur.

To me, this has always seemed like an excuse and an unlikely scenario, but it is, presumably, the primary reason for Venable’s hesitancy to play both catchers. With Korey Lee on the roster, that concern is no longer relevant. 

With only a month and a half remaining in the season, the primary focus for the White Sox should be prioritizing and providing opportunities for all of their young hitters, Teel and Quero included. It only makes sense to give both of them as much exposure to big league pitching as possible. If having Korey Lee on the roster as an insurance policy makes the team feel better, then so be it.

At 27, Lee is still fairly young and has a few years of control left, so playing well down the stretch could even allow the White Sox to trade him this offseason to add to their farm.

Whatever the case, Josh Rojas brought very little value to the team, so Korey Lee’s presence is surely an upgrade.