Kyle Teel returns from IL eager to boost Chicago White Sox in playoff push: ‘He’s a big part of this’

The initial timeline had Kyle Teel missing six to 12 weeks after he suffered a sprained left ankle July 20 at Texas.

“Immediately when it happened, it really felt terrible,” Teel said Friday afternoon at Rate Field. “When the doctors said 12 weeks potentially, I just prayed that night.

“And I just feel blessed that I was able to come back so much sooner. I’m just so grateful for that.”

The catcher was back in the Chicago White Sox lineup Friday as the team began a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins.

“I’m very excited,” Teel said. “I’m just ready to get going.”

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He has played just 19 games this season because of various injuries, the most recent the sprained left ankle.

“His story this year of injuries and some of the setbacks has been tough for him,” manager Will Venable said. “But really excited to have him back in the lineup, back behind the plate. To get his energy back in the clubhouse, back on the field, it really means a lot.”

Teel began the season on the IL while recovering from a right hamstring strain suffered during the World Baseball Classic with Italy. He hit a bump on the road back from that injury in May, spraining the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee during an rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte. He didn’t appear in a regular-season game until June 22.

Teel played for nearly a month before suffering the ankle injury, which occurred in the second inning of the game against the Rangers when trying to make a swipe tag on a play at the plate.

He’s slashing .190/.271/.317 (12-for-63) with two doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs and nine runs this season.

“The feedback from both Kyle and the medical staff, everyone seems to be really confident that his lower half is in a really good spot,” general manager Chris Getz said. “Yeah, he’s been hit with a couple lower-half injuries, but it seems to be behind him, we hope. We hope that it is because we need him. We do.

“He’s a big part of this and I think he’s going to be an added boost to this club. We’re still going to be mindful of making sure that he feels strong and can be productive throughout this final month. It goes without saying we’re very excited to have him here.”

Teel went 7-for-22 (.318) with one home run and three RBIs in six games during the latest injury rehab stint with Charlotte that began Aug. 25.

“When I went down, I felt really close,” Teel said. “As the week went on there, it felt better and better. I’m able to go catch 100% now and feel ready to go every day.”

In Friday’s corresponding move, the Sox optioned catcher Drew Romo to Charlotte. Romo has a .141/.239/.288 slash line with five doubles, seven home runs, 16 RBIs and 17 runs in 60 games this season.

Teel and Jake Rogers are the two options for the Sox behind the plate.

“Drew’s done a really nice job, he has,” Getz said. “What he does with the pitching staff and just the overall value he brings to the club is something that has helped us and gotten us to where we are today.

“Drew, he’s going to stay ready. He’s actually going to stay with our club (on the taxi squad) and help the group continue to go, and if another opportunity arises he’ll be ready for it.”

Venable added about the Teel-Rogers combination: “Going into a series, if there’s one lefty (starting for the opposing team), we’re probably going to line up Jake (who bats right-handed) for that start and then have (the left-handed-hitting) Kyle face the righties. I don’t think we’re getting a bunch of lefties here coming up. It’s going to be mostly righties. So we will be mindful as we do every day just thinking about what it means for each of those guys and their matchups.”

Teel is thrilled to have the chance to be a factor for the Sox down the stretch in their playoff push. They entered Friday evening with a 2½-game lead over the second-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central. The Guardians earlier won Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers.

“This is what I envisioned, being able to come back and help the team,” Teel said. “This is the best time of the year to play — this and the playoffs, right? It’s just taking it one day at a time, one game at a time. The only game that matters is the game today.”