White Sox catcher Kyle Teel dealing with another issue amid rehab assignment

Catcher Kyle Teel of the Chicago White Sox has not appeared in a game this season after he suffered a right hamstring strain playing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. The four-to-six week recovery period has passed for Teel, who has now played in four rehab assignment games with Triple-A Charlotte. 

It now appears that Teel has suffered a minor setback, with ESPN's Jesse Rogers reporting that Teel "experienced some soreness in his right knee after an AB at Triple-A" on Saturday. Per Rogers, Teel will take a couple of days off to reevaluate things. 

In four games with the Charlotte Knights, Teel had four hits in 15 at-bats, which included a home run. 

The White Sox could use Kyle Teel to help upgrade their catching situation

Getting Teel back would help the White Sox behind the plate, as their backstops have been the worst in the American League (15th in OPS, .530). Catcher Edgar Quero has been the primary catcher for the White Sox this season, but his overall struggles have relegated him to backup status. In 31 games, Quero is batting .151 with a .411 OPS. 

Former Colorado Rockies catcher Drew Romo has taken the reins as manager Will Venable's starter. In his small sample size of 13 games, Romo is hitting .184 with a .893 OPS and four home runs. 

Once Teel is back, the White Sox will likely option Quero to Triple-A to get him back on track. Venable could platoon Teel and Romo, with Romo being a switch-hitter and Teel batting left-handed. 

Once he returns, Teel could see the line share of the reps behind the dish to see if he could add another run producer to pair with first baseman Munetaka Murakami (team leader with 32 RBI) and shortstop Colson Montgomery (31 RBI). 

Sitting a game behind the Cleveland Guardians (25-22) for the lead in the American League Central, the White Sox could be buying catching depth at the trade deadline (Aug. 3) if they remain in contention.