CHICAGO ¨C Catcher Edgar Quero is in The Show.
That news percolated about an hour before the first pitch of a 3-1 victory for the Athletics at a chilly Rate Field Wednesday night, and Quero¡¯s arrival from Triple-A Charlotte was made official on Thursday.
The club's No. 6-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, had his contract selected before Thursday's finale against the Athletics among a flurry of moves. The White Sox also reinstated outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the injured list, designated catcher Omar Narváez for assignment and optioned outfielder Greg Jones to Charlotte.
It¡¯s how things work in this latest rebuild: The focus is steadfastly on the present but always a keen eye toward the future. Brooks Baldwin, who homered for the team¡¯s only run and just missed a three-run shot off Oswaldo Bido in the fourth, had no idea about Quero when apprised of the news.
But he certainly was happy to have another young player becoming part of the White Sox Major League charges.
¡°Is he coming up? That¡¯s awesome,¡± said Baldwin of Quero. ¡°He¡¯s a great guy. I spent a lot of time with him last year. Great guy, great hitter, great behind the plate. ... He¡¯s always energetic, never really down on himself.
¡°He¡¯s always in the game. He¡¯s just a guy you want beside you when you¡¯re playing.¡±
Quero, who turned 22 a mere 10 days ago, is a switch-hitter ranked No. 62 overall according to MLB Pipeline. He slashed .333/.444/.412 over 15 games for the Knights, splitting time behind the plate with Kyle Teel, the No. 2 White Sox prospect and No. 29 overall.
Charlotte manager Sergio Santos discussed his team¡¯s enviable, but a bit complicated catching situation during a recent conversation with MLB.com, sounding somewhat prophetic at the end of his statement.
¡°We are just emphasizing that catcher¡¯s early work a little bit more, just because they are not getting as many reps,¡± Santos said. ¡°Then when it comes to sides or bullpens, they have been great about wanting to catch the pitchers so they can work on all their skillsets.
¡°This game has a funny way of taking care of things. I¡¯m sure in the next couple of weeks some games will open up.¡±
That opening officially comes in Thursday afternoon¡¯s series finale, with Quero batting seventh and his family in attendance. Quero spoke to Knights team reporter and host Kendall Smith prior to their 11-7 loss in extra innings to Nashville Wednesday, focusing on what he needs to get to the Majors.
His comments appeared to come before anyone had a firm grasp on Quero¡¯s next step.
¡°My goal is keep working behind the plate, help the pitchers, help the team,¡± Quero said. ¡°Take good ABs in the box and keep winning games.¡±
Quero was part of the White Sox taxi squad for the final week of the ¡®24 season, but now is ready for real action.
¡°Obviously quality at-bats from both sides of the plate, just a lot of confidence,¡± said manager Will Venable of Quero. ¡°Just feel like he¡¯s a guy who believes that he¡¯s ready and looks like he¡¯s ready. We all think that he is.¡±
Jonathan Cannon hurled 4 1/3 scoreless innings on 88 pitches Wednesday, marking just short of one year since the right-hander made his Major League debut on April 17 during Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Royals. He can relate to the opportunity Quero will receive.
¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of young guys here already and a lot of guys that are just kind of hungry,¡± Cannon said. ¡°Just to have this kind of opportunity to kind of prove yourself at the Major League level, you don't get everywhere. And so taking this opportunity and kind of running with it is everyone¡¯s goal, mine included.
¡°Trying to make the most of our opportunity and kind of establish yourself as an everyday Major League player. We¡¯ve got a really talented group of young players in the system and up here now.¡±
Thursday¡¯s move marks the second Charlotte promotion in a week, with infielder Chase Meidroth, the No. 8 White Sox prospect, getting the call before facing his original Boston team Friday. Meidroth, who finished 1-for-4 Wednesday, has been on base eight times in five games.
Sean Burke, the No. 13 White Sox prospect, was the team¡¯s Opening Day starter, and Shane Smith, the club's No. 26 prospect, has been one of their top starters to date. With five other players in Pipeline¡¯s Top 100, there are more to come for the South Siders.