The White Sox were busy right before Opening Day, as they finalized their roster and made some surprising moves, including DFA’ing Curtis Mead and Korey Lee. The White Sox were able to get some solid value out of Mead, as they got a very intriguing player in Boston Smith.
After it was announced that Lee was not going to be on the Opening Day roster, many people were surprised, as he had a very good Spring Training. It was even more shocking due to the fact that their main catcher, Kyle Teel, was going to miss the first few weeks of the regular season due to an injury he sustained in the World Baseball Classic.
Post announcement, it was up in the air whether Lee would still be in the White Sox organization. Since he was out of options, Lee had to be designed for assignment, which would subject him to waivers. This could have opened up a potential trade or claim with another team. Many people believed that Lee could be moved, as catching is at a premium these days and Lee certainly is better than most backup catchers currently in the major leagues.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Lee cleared waivers and will join the Charlotte Knights roster. This is a bit shocking, as for some reason, no teams took a flier on him to see what he could do with their team. What makes it even more odd is the fact that Lee had a pretty good Spring Training, as he hit .289 with two homeruns and six RBIs.
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KOREY LEE💣 pic.twitter.com/w3U63JX8pz
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) March 13, 2026
Regardless of how surprising it may be, this is a huge win for the White Sox organization, as Lee is a more than capable backup catcher and could certainly start if there is an injury at the major league level. To be able to keep him in the organization is a huge win, as there is a reason why he was a first round pick and why some baseball media outlets had him as a top-100 prospect prior to his debut.
Lee had a solid 2025 campaign, as he hit .257 with a .333 OBP, adding one homerun and three RBIs in just 25 major league games. Lee also played very well in AAA, as he hit .255 with eight homeruns and 28 RBIs. Unfortunately for Lee, he was injured for most of the season, so he didn’t get in too many games. Due to this, Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero hopped over him on the depth chart. However, even with the injury to Kyle Teel, the White Sox opted to sign Reese McGuire to help out Quero until Teel returns.
Lee has one of the best pop times in the major leagues, so I am glad to see him remain in the organization. If Lee can get off to a hot start with the bat, there is a chance that he makes his way back to Chicago, especially if the McGuire signing does not work with Chicago.
