White Sox sign catcher Reese McGuire, leaving Korey Lee as odd man out

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The White Sox’ signing of catcher Reese McGuire to a one-year, $1.2 million contract was a curious one.

Kyle Teel is rehabbing from a Grade 2 hamstring strain but is expected back early in the season, and Korey Lee and Edgar Quero are more than adequate.

But manager Will Venable said Lee wouldn’t be on the major-league roster.

“When you look at Quero moving into that top spot and how to best complement [McGuire] with Quero really doing most of his damage at the plate from the right side,” Venable said. “To be able to get a left-handed-hitting catcher to support him and complement him we thought was really important for us to get off to a good start.”

Lee, whom the Sox acquired from the Astros at the 2023 trade deadline for Kendall Graveman, was scheduled to catch Sunday against the Mariners. Lee was the Sox’ primary catcher in 2024, batting .210/.244/.347. He appeared in only 25 games last season after the Sox acquired Teel from the Red Sox and Quero established himself as a major-leaguer.

Lee’s work behind the plate was never as advanced as his hitting. He ranked near the bottom in most advanced fielding metrics.

In 2022, Venable overlapped with McGuire in Boston when Venable was the bench coach.

“He knows how to handle a pitching staff,” Venable said. “He knows how to navigate opposing hitters. Does a nice job at the plate, has unlocked some power there recently.”

McGuire returns for his second stint on the South Side, where he appeared in 53 games in 2022. McGuire, who was released by the Brewers on Sunday, played for the Cubs last season, hitting nine homers in 133 at-bats.

The Sox are big on framing, and McGuire fits the bill after finishing in the 80th percentile in the metric last season, according to Baseball Savant.

Walking into the facility, McGuire ran into familiar faces such as second baseman Chase Meidroth — McGuire’s brother Shane played college baseball with Meidroth — and former manager and current Sox advisor Tony La Russa. McGuire wasn’t particularly choosy about which team to join.

“Really any team is a good fit in my mind, right?” McGuire said.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Sox handle their catching situation once Teel returns. General manager Chris Getz said earlier in spring training that he didn’t want to carry three catchers, but the organization hasn’t thought that far ahead.

“We’ll cross that road when we get there,” Venable said. “Right now, Kyle is not on the active roster, so we need to do everything we can to support this roster the best way, and that means adding Reese.”

Roster moves

The Sox optioned left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert to Triple-A Charlotte. He had a 4.39 ERA in 72 games with the Sox last season. The team likely will carry three lefty relievers in Tyler Gilbert, Sean Newcomb and Chris Murphy.

The Sox re-signed Lucas Sims to a minor-league contract. He threw five scoreless innings this spring. The team has 36 players remaining in camp.