Since joining the White Sox organization, Kyle Teel has done nearly everything right.
He’s earned praise from minor league coaches and teammates for the energy he brings to the clubhouse, posted an impressive .886 OPS while batting .294 with nine home runs over his first 50 games at Triple-A Charlotte, and provided a steady, reliable presence behind the plate.
After having his contract selected by the White Sox ahead of Friday’s game against the Royals, he was welcomed by a raucous crowd of 36,916 at Guaranteed Rate Field—the team’s first sellout of the season.
White Sox manager Will Venable penciled in Teel as the starting catcher and No. 6 hitter for his MLB debut, and Teel wasted no time proving why he’s considered the organization’s No. 2 prospect.
Teel drew a seven-pitch walk in his first plate appearance, but was caught trying to steal home later in the second inning, kicking off what turned into an eventful major league debut.
Teel owned his mistake getting caught at home, saying he didn’t allow for the play to develop. However, he made up for the base running blunder by alertly scoring on a passed ball later in the game.
Before that dash to home plate, the 23-year-old then logged his first career hit in the fourth inning, slapping a 96 mph line drive to left field off Royals starter Seth Lugo. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, he helped ignite a five-run rally after drawing another walk, then dashing home to score on a wild pitch four batters later.
when you play hard, good things happen 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/0Dj2Xoim6v
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) June 7, 2025
Behind the plate, he guided starter Davis Martin through six innings of two-run ball and threw out Drew Waters attempting to steal second in the second inning. Teel said that preparing for the game was like “cramming for a test” as he learned the White Sox pitching staff. His efforts helped the White Sox close out a 7-2 win over their division rivals.
You only make your MLB debut once. And what a debut it was…@KyleTeel9 spoke to reporters postgame after the #WhiteSox win 🎤 pic.twitter.com/nYJ3gzamns
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) June 7, 2025
“I feel like my mindset was just ‘I’m getting a good pitch to hit and I’m swinging hard’ like I was going to be aggressive,” Teel told reporters after the game. “I know I walked a lot tonight but I still wanted to be aggressive. I still was looking to swing the bat.”
Teel is now the second player from the Garrett Crochet trade to reach the majors, following Chase Meidroth, as the White Sox have quietly assembled a promising young core, with more talent on the way. When Meidroth got called up, Teel let him borrow one of his collared shirts for the trip up to Chicago.
Charlotte Knights manager Sergio Santos returned the favor by gifting Teel a new collared shirt upon giving him the news that he was headed to the show. Teel, who was named White Sox Position Player of the Month of May, called his debut something he has been dreaming about since he was a little kid.
“I dreamed about this moment for a long time, since I can remember,” Teel said. “ Just the emotion I felt out on the field was just really really amazing, and I’m just so happy,”
