As the White Sox wrapped up their first week of camp for the 2026 season, the team has several questions that have yet to be answered. Several interesting roster battles are going to unfold over the next few weeks as the White Sox put together the group that’ll head to Milwaukee for Opening Day on March 26th. Among the questions lingering out of Glendale is the White Sox plan for catchers Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, and Korey Lee, the latter of whom is out of minor league options. Will Venable, speaking to MLB Network’s Tom Verducci last week, was asked about his plan to get both Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero in the lineup regularly:
The @WhiteSox have two exciting young catchers in Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero 🔥
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 13, 2026
Manager Will Venable breaks down the plan to get both players ample at-bats.
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“We do view Teel as an everyday guy,” Venable said. “But at the catching position, we know that doesn’t mean you’re actually in there every day. It’s a demanding role. And Edgar is a guy that we like the bat against lefties, so there’s DH opportunities for him. He’s going to be able to catch too so there should be plenty of at bats for those guys”
My biggest takeaway from this quote is that the organization feels more confident in Kyle Teel right now than they do in Edgar Quero. It’s difficult not to at this point. Teel demonstrated a more well-rounded skillset during the 2025 season and posted stronger offensive numbers. Don’t hear me saying Quero was bad by any means, but his bat speed and general lack of power left clear areas for improvement heading into 2026.
Edgar Quero showed promise but has clear areas for improvement
When looking at Edgar Quero’s splits from 2025, it’s easy to see why the White Sox like his bat against left-handed pitching. Against righties, Quero slashed .220/.301/.301 with a .602 OPS. Against left-handers, that line was .357/.394/.457 with an OPS of .851. Quero is a switch-hitter, so the White Sox will hope those numbers end up being more even, but there’s a clear disparity as of right now. If the White Sox are purely looking at what helps the team in the short-term, limiting Quero’s at bats against righties and getting him in the lineup against lefties makes a ton of sense. I’d argue, however, that his development is more important than wins and losses this season, so the team should be doing whatever they can to get him in the lineup as often as possible.
The designated hitter situation looks a bit dicey for the White Sox right now. Andrew Benintendi can play outfield, but his defense has steadily declined and he’s dealt with lingering leg injuries that may force him into more time at DH. Lenyn Sosa remains on the roster, and without a clear position or role, the 2025 team leader in home runs may find his easiest path to at bats in the DH role. Will Venable seemed to prefer rotating the DH last season, and it can be used to give a regular position player a half-rest day. It’s going to be tough to regularly play both Teel and Quero in the lineup, and the White Sox seem to be leaning toward Teel getting the bulk of the playing time right now.
Edgar Quero’s offseason training has included a visit to Driveline, where he’s worked on adding bat speed and improving his launch angle. Both Quero and the White Sox hope we’ll see results this season, and a step forward in the power department could create a very difficult decision for the team. Having too much talent at a key position is certainly a good problem to have.
We’ll see if Edgar Quero creates that problem as the 2026 season gets underway.