UPDATE: Kyle Teel will miss 3-6 more weeks with a sprained right lateral collateral ligament. Not good.
White Sox fans are holding their collective breath.
Manager Will Venable told the media pregame that catcher Kyle Teel will be held out of Sunday’s game in Charlotte. Teel, who began his injury rehab assignment on Tuesday, felt soreness in his right knee after his cleat caught in the ground during an awkward swing in Saturday night’s game.
It’s too early to tell the extent of this possible injury, which is unrelated to the one that’s held him out since March. The White Sox say Teel will take a couple of days off and undergo further testing to see how he feels.
The 24-year-old has been trying to make a return after originally suffering a right hamstring strain in Italy’s WBC matchup against the United States on March 10. After doubling down the right-field line, Teel appeared to grimace and pull up while rounding first base. Though he made his way to second, the New Jersey native slammed the ground in frustration before walking off under his own power.
While Teel was able to resume catching duties shortly after, progress on the bases has been his main obstacle. After weeks of uncertainty, Teel finally cleared the required threshold to return to game action earlier this week. In 15 at-bats with the Knights so far, he’s hitting .267 with a homer and two RBI.
In other injury-related news, Venable said outfielder Austin Hays (left calf strain) is heading to Charlotte, where he’ll begin another rehab on Tuesday. Right-hander Prelander Berroa (Tommy John) has also been returned from his assignment with right elbow inflammation, putting a pause on a possible comeback. He appeared in just one game for the ACL White Sox, throwing six pitches and issuing a walk before departing.
As Teel and the other players are re-evaluated this coming week, we’ll continue to provide further updates.
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