White Sox Injury Updates: Where is Brooks Baldwin? Kyle Teel Talks, Drew Thorpe

Opening Day is less than two weeks away, which means the White Sox' final roster is coming together. Of course, spring performance has been a pivotal part of deciding who makes the final cut, but injuries have also started to play a role.

A couple of expected roster members could start the season on the IL, opening a door for one of their current teammates to make an impression on the South Side. Let's get an update on the two players whose status is up in the air, as well as one pitcher who is trying to work his way back into shape.

Kyle Teel of the White Sox — Feb 26, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox catcher Kyle Teel against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Where Has Brooks Baldwin Been?

After being a mainstay in spring training lineups, Brooks Baldwin suddenly disappeared. The young outfielder was putting together a strong camp over his first eight games. He had six hits, two RBIs, and only three strikeouts on his Cactus League resume. With outfield depth needed on the Opening Day roster, there was no question that Baldwin was making a strong case for himself to start 2026 back in the bigs.

Nevertheless, Will Venable announced earlier this week that Baldwin has been experiencing some elbow soreness, per Scott Merkin. The manager initially said he was being considered day-to-day, but the Sox went on to share a day later that imaging on Baldwin's elbow showed inflammation.

Will Venable told me Brooks Baldwin got imaging on his elbow and there’s some inflammation there. He’s still being evaluated and is day-to-day. They’re having several specialists to look at it to get more information. Will went on to say that it’s similar to what he felt last…
— Brooke Fletcher (@BrookeFletcher) March 13, 2026

To be sure, the Sox' course of action remains unclear for now, but it sure feels as if this puts Baldwin's status for March 26 in question. Could he move to the IL? Might the Sox prefer to get him going in Charlotte first to make sure he's 100 percent? If so, Jarred Kelenic could be first in line for his roster spot to start 2026. The former Braves outfielder has made the most of his spring play in recent weeks.

Kyle Teel Talks Injury Status

Kyle Teel's World Baseball Classic run came to an end sooner than expected.

Playing strong baseball for Team Italy, Teel was a big part of their upset win over Team USA. He smashed an early home run before drawing a walk and coming around the bases. Then, in the top of the sixth inning, Teel crushed a chopper down the first base line that flew past a diving Paul Goldschmidt. As he rounded first for the double, Teel clearly ended up tweaking something in his leg.

Trainers would go on to escort Teel off the field, only for it to be revealed that he suffered a grade-2 hamstring strain. Manager Will Venable said the expectation was that he would be out 4-6 weeks. In other words, he could miss the first several weeks of the regular season.

Back in Arizona with the Sox, Teel spoke with reporters for the first time since the injury. He painted an optimistic picture, saying that he was already feeling better but would still take things slow.

"The way I look at is, how an I go through this and come back better than I was before? And that's my No. 1 goal," Teel told reporters, including Chuck Garfien. "Whether it's four-to-six weeks, three weeks, we're going to have to wait how I respond to everything. Like I said, I've been feeling better. But I want to come out there stronger than before."

In the meantime, expect Edgar Quero and Korey Lee to hold down the fort. Both catchers were already placing some small pressure on Teel with some excellent at-bats in camp.

Drew Thorpe Throws Again

The good news for Drew Thorpe keeps coming.

Missing the entirety of the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery, the hope was that Thorpe could rejoin the White Sox' plans this year. During his ramp-up this offseason, however, tendinitis popped up in his surgically repaired elbow. To no surprise, this forced the Sox to slow things down.

It wasn't until last week that Thorpe started to throw some bullpen sessions again. He now appears to have responded well and is set for another session on Friday, per Scott Merkin.

When exactly we can expect to see Thorpe back on the big league mound remains a fair question. However, the fact that he has been able to stack some bullpen work is encouraging and hopefully suggests that setbacks are now officially a thing of the past.