White Sox Will Officially Start the 2026 Season Without Kyle Teel

The Chicago White Sox got the news they feared on Wednesday.

According to Chuck Garfien of CHSN, Kyle Teel has suffered a grade-2 hamstring strain and will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. The injury will force him to miss the start of the 2026 season, which the White Sox officially kick off on March 26 in Milwaukee.

“We do have some depth there that we feel good about," GM Chris Getz said following the news (h/t Garfien). "Unfortunately, these types of instances happen whether it be in spring training or throughout the year. So depth is vital to be able to stay competitive in those particular positions or wherever they are affected. In this case, on the catcher side, we do feel good about the depth we have there.”

The injury to Teel came during a breakout performance against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. The catcher was the first to get Team Italy on the board Tuesday night with a home run to left field. Then, after drawing a walk and coming around to score in the fourth, Teel proceeded to come up in the sixth and hit a sharp line drive down the first base line.

A sprinting Teel rounded first before showing a brief hobble. After sliding into second base and trying to stand up, the catcher looked to be in pain. Trainers eventually escorted him back to the dugout, where he officially exited what would be a stunning 9-6 victory for Team Italy.

While the White Sox' fingers were certainly crossed that Teel dodged any significant injury trouble, the writing seemed on the wall. Teel is now likely to miss over a month of action. The front end of his timeline would have him sitting for roughly the first 12 games of the year, while the back end would mean potentially a 24-game absence.

White Sox Move Forward Without Kyle Teel

It couldn't all be sunshine and italian beefs for the White Sox, right?

They have been one of the most talked-about teams of the offseason after making a handful of aggressive moves to bolster their roster. Likewise, few organizations in baseball have as many intriguing young players ready to take a step forward in 2026. Of course, Teel was one of those players. He put together a strong rookie campaign in 2025 and proceeded to add 20 pounds of muscle this offseason in hopes of adding more power to his swing.

To be sure, Teel should still have plenty of time this season to show all the work that he has put in. But this is also a White Sox team that is hoping to change the narrative sooner than later. Every game matters, and missing Teel for the first month-plus is undoubtedly a tough pill to swallow.

The good news is, as Getz made sure to mention, the Sox are unusually deep in the backstop. Edgar Quero had just as exciting a rookie year as Teel, offering a contact swing that led to a high on-base percentage. Quero has also made an extremely strong impression at camp, so much so that there was a case to make that he could see slightly more playing time than Teel to begin the year.

Korey Lee is also now in an even better position to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster. He was already making a case for himself with a well-rounded spring, which included a big home run during the White Sox' loss to the Athletics on Tuesday.