GLENDALE, Ariz. – Reese McGuire has rejoined the White Sox. Korey Lee appears to be on his way out from the South Siders, and Kyle Teel's recovery from a Grade 2 right hamstring strain is progressing rapidly.
Edgar Quero stands as the only catching constant for the White Sox as of March 22.
“Definitely excited to be back,” said McGuire, who agreed to a one-year, $1.2 million deal after the Brewers released him Sunday and hit a home run and a double off the bench in Chicago's 4-2 loss to Seattle. “Familiar faces. Excited for the opportunity.”
“When you look at Quero kind of moving into that top spot and how to best complement him, with Quero really doing most of his damage at the plate from the right side,” said manager Will Venable of the McGuire addition, “to be able to get a left-handed hitting catcher to support him and complement him well, we thought it was really important for us to get off to a good start.”
Camp began on Feb. 8 with Teel and Quero as the fixtures behind the plate following strong 2025 seasons from both rookies. To go back even a little further, offseason talk crept around the possibility of one of these two being moved with Lee in play as a solid in-house third option, based on potentially not having enough at-bats for both Teel and Quero’s full development.
That thought then morphed into the possibility of having three catchers on the Opening Day roster, with Teel or Quero starting at designated hitter when not catching, enhanced by a strong camp for Lee. Matters changed when Teel suffered the injury running out a double during the sixth inning of Team Italy’s victory over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, leaving Quero and Lee as the apparent selections.
Lee has a strong arm behind the plate and showed some power with 12 home runs during the 2024 season. There was an athletic component to Lee, a former top-notch water polo player, shown by his four Cactus League stolen bases and his six in the ‘24 regular season.
He was also a strong clubhouse force for the White Sox. In ‘24, while the White Sox were dealing with their 121-loss season, Lee became one of the voices of the team in his first full big-league campaign, adeptly handling such a tough situation.
“Every time you make one of those moves, those are things that are considered and the impact, and as you’re weighing these decisions and what they might mean, it’s something that’s factored in,” Venable said. “And certainly his impact in that clubhouse was real and important and we’ll miss him. And like I said, it was factored into the decision.
“Korey Lee was outstanding in this camp. He’s a really important member of this organization, with great relationships in the clubhouse. Someone I personally love and have grown to respect. And it was a really hard decision.”
Venable indicated Lee will not be on the White Sox Opening Day roster. He was in the starting lineup for Sunday night’s Cactus League home finale against the Mariners.
“We’re going to work it out over the next couple of days, see what transpires,” said Venable of Lee, who has no options remaining. “There will be a process in place. Again, a really tough one, a tough decision because of how much we care about Korey.”
McGuire, 31, signed with the Brewers as a Minor League free agent on Jan. 28. He played in 45 games with the Cubs in 2025, slashing .226/.245/.444 with two doubles, nine home runs and 24 RBIs. In 53 games with the ‘22 White Sox, McGuire slashed .225/.261/.285 with nine doubles and 10 RBIs. He played for manager Tony La Russa in ‘22 and mentioned how he saw La Russa walking around the Camelback Ranch complex upon his return.
There also was a very honest answer from the veteran catcher when asked about his fit with the White Sox.
“I mean, really any team is a good fit in my mind, right?” McGuire said. “Just having the opportunity to be around the younger pitching staff and some younger players, as well as the veterans here. Just playing my role and be a leader and do what I can to help this team win.”
“He’s a great teammate that these guys will be able to learn from,” said Venable of McGuire. “I was around him in Boston, he knows how to handle a pitching staff. He knows how to navigate opposing hitters. Does a nice job at the plate, has unlocked some power there recently. He’s just a guy that’s been there, has a ton of experience that we hope everyone can benefit from.”