White Sox Receive Major Injury Scare At World Baseball Classic
Everything was clicking for the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.
Fans woke up to news that Munetaka Murakami had hit a great slam in the World Baseball Classic. The team’s projected number one overall pick, Roch Cholowsky, connected for his ninth home run of the season for UCLA. And Sam Antonacci and Kyle Teel were putting on a hitting clinic for Team Italy as they chased a potential upset over Team USA.
Teel got Italy on the board in the second inning with a solo homer off right-hander Nolan McLean. Not to be outdone by his teammate, Antonacci followed two batters later with a towering 403-foot, two-run blast to right-center field.
But Teel wasn’t done yet. After taking a celebratory espresso shot in the dugout following his home run, he drew a walk in the top of the fourth inning and came around to score on a Jac Caglianone homer. Then, in his next at-bat in the top of the sixth, he ripped a double down the right field line.
But as Teel rounded first base, he slowed, and after diving into second, he slammed his right fist into the dirt with a grimace before leaving the game. Teel was seen shaking his head in frustration as he walked off the field with what appears to be a hamstring injury.
While no official diagnosis has been released yet, a mild strain could keep him out of the lineup for 2-3 weeks. Anything worse, and Teel could be looking at least a month on the shelf.
Fortunately, the White Sox have depth at catcher in Edgar Quero, who is off to a hot start this spring. Still, the White Sox, and their fans will be anxiously awaiting word on Teel’s condition, hoping one of their most promising young players doesn’t see his season cut short before it even begins.