Teel set for rehab assignment, eager to join 'electric' White Sox team

CHICAGO – Kyle Teel has been talking about his return to the White Sox since shortly after he suffered a Grade 2 right hamstring strain while playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic on March 10.

Now, the light at the end of that injury tunnel is becoming much brighter, as the team’s starting catcher will go to Triple-A Charlotte Tuesday to begin an injury rehabilitation assignment. What was Teel’s reaction when he received the news Sunday morning, prior to a 2-1 victory for his White Sox over the Mariners?

“Oh my gosh. So excited. I'm ready to get playing,” Teel said. “I feel really good right now, just excited to get playing again. It's been a minute, so just looking forward to it.”

“It’s exciting,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Kyle’s a really good player for us. He means a lot to this team, in the clubhouse and on the field. So hopefully he can go out there, get himself ready and excited for when he can join us.”

Teel suffered the injury running out a double during Italy’s upset of Team USA. The original prognosis was four to six weeks, but Teel expressed a hope for a first homestand return when talking to MLB.com at the end of Spring Training.

Catching was no issue for Teel right from the beginning of work. Hitting ran into a little bit of a hiccup along the way, but he quickly found his groove in that area. It was running and then his ensuing recovery holding Teel beyond the original timetable, but he ran the bases all three days this weekend and received the go-ahead to Charlotte.

When the Knights face Norfolk, Teel will be catching for just five innings and then serving as designated hitter in the second game. The Cubs come to Rate Field this weekend, although that sort of return seems a little quick for a vital player such as Teel who hasn’t been in game action for two months.

Then again, if Teel had his way, he would be back this weekend.

“Of course. Of course,” said a smiling Teel. “This team is electric right now. The attitude, how hard everyone's playing and the success that we're having. I can't wait to be a part of it and help contribute. Everyone's just having so much fun.”

“Very, very excited to get Kyle back,” said White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven. “He’s one of the most athletic people in the position in the league. Very excited about the prospects of him and throwing, receiving, game-calling — all the things that go into a catcher’s job.”

Over 78 games as a rookie, Teel slashed .273/.375/.411 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs. The White Sox have jumped out to a 19-21 record without Teel and without steady production from that position.

“He’ll have a few games and then we’ll read where we’re at,” Venable said. “Depending on where the at-bats are at, how he’s feeling, we’ll make a decision as we go.”

“My problem was always the running,” Teel said. “But now that I'm running good, I've gotten a ton of work off the Trajekt, doing a lot of catching stuff, so I didn't miss a beat there.”