It hasn’t been the year that Edgar Quero, or the White Sox, envisioned for him so far in 2026. The 23-year-old catcher, who the White Sox first acquired in the 2023 trade that sent Lucas Giolito to the Angels, posted strong offensive numbers in the minor leagues and made his big league debut in April of 2025. In 111 games a season ago, Quero hit .268 with a .689 OPS. The White Sox expected a split of Quero and Kyle Teel behind the plate and instructed Quero to work on adding bat speed and improve his launch angle this offseason. So far in 2026 though, it’s been nothing short of a disaster. With the White Sox claiming catcher Jake Rogers on waivers this week from the Red Sox, Quero will be optioned to Charlotte for the third time this season, but this time, I believe it’s a mistake.
Prior to today’s game at Detroit, the Chicago White Sox added catcher Jake Rogers to the 26-man roster and optioned catcher Edgar Quero to Class AAA Charlotte.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 15, 2026
As miserable as Quero’s season has been, it feels like he might have been starting to turn the corner at the plate. Overall, Quero is hitting .208 with three home runs and a .541 OPS in 65 games, but over the past two weeks, he’s looked like a different hitter. Since returning to the big leagues after Kyle Teel’s injury on July 22nd, Quero is 10-for-33 (.303) and has raised his average from .183 to .208. He’s hitting .280 over his last 15 big league games, and he went 4-for-8 with a homer and three RBI’s during the Reds series. Quero has been working to restore his mechanics from last season after losing his timing and it seemed like he may have finally gotten there before once again being sent down. Talk about crushing a kid’s confidence right when he’s starting to get it back.
White Sox keeping Drew Romo on roster over Edgar Quero makes little sense
I understand the decision to add Rogers to the roster. He’s a veteran with power potential and a history of being a strong game-caller and at least serviceable defensively. What I don’t understand is the seemingly endless leash for Drew Romo. The White Sox claimed Romo on waivers this offseason from the Mets after he bounced around with a couple teams. A former top prospect with the Rockies, Romo got off to a red hot start in Chicago, with five home runs in his first ten games before completely dropping off a cliff offensively. In 50 games, Romo is hitting .132 with a .499 OPS. His strikeout total of 42 more than doubles his hit total of 20. He’s virtually been an automatic out at the plate for most of his White Sox tenure.
I’d understand the decision more if Romo posted elite defensive numbers or there was another obvious reason to keep him on the roster, but his defense hasn’t been more than average this season. Granted, average defense is an upgrade over Quero, who has been one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball, but is average defense worth having a black hole in the 9th spot in the lineup? Like Quero, Romo had a solid series against Cincinnati. In his lone start, he went 2-for-4 and launched his sixth homer of the season. But he went back to his old ways with an 0-for-4 performance Friday night, and the majority of his at bats remain uncompetitive.
I know that Drew Romo is only 24 years-old and has a decent prospect pedigree of his own, but Edgar Quero is clearly the stronger offensive option at this point. Catcher defense is important, but the upgrade to average isn’t worth the nonexistent offensive production and the crushing of the confidence of a player you once thought could be the catcher of the future.
With Kyle Teel set to return in a few weeks, there’s a decent chance all of this is a moot point anyway. I’m a big believer in continuing to ride the hot hand, however, and it’s frustrating to see that Edgar Quero was rewarded for his strong couple weeks with a demotion.
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