A Tough Call Is Brewing Behind The Plate For The White Sox
The White Sox have gotten off to a fantastic start in Spring Training, as after today’s 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, they have now improved to a 3-0 start. This is due to both the bats and the arms working in unison, as they have scored 24 runs while just giving up five.
This has been fun to watch as a White Sox fan, as there have been some very good individual performances. This should make Spring Training even more interesting, as there are more roster battles than usual this year, as there are a few players on the roster bubble.
One of the players on the bubble is catcher Korey Lee. Lee is in a unique situation, as he is out of options and is a major league caliber player. However, the White Sox also happen to have two young and upcoming catchers that have jumped him on the depth chart. This leaves the White Sox with a little bit of a dilemma.
Most teams don’t keep three catchers on the roster, so that puts Lee at a bit of a disadvantage. However, Lee is a very good player and has gotten off to a solid start this Spring, as he is currently 3 for 6 with one walk and one stolen base. He also has been very good behind the plate, as he threw out two would be base stealers today.
Korey Lee erases the leadoff baserunner. pic.twitter.com/eLrRoM09dg
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) February 22, 2026
This comes after 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 a decent part 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.
With Lee out of options, if he didn’t make the team, any team would be free to pick him up on waivers. A team would certainly do that, as he would make most teams in the major leagues. While the White Sox could trade him, they wouldn’t have much leverage, as teams would know that they would be planning to put him on waivers, so his value wouldn’t be at it’s peak.
The White Sox may try and get creative, as they did last season. Lee made an appearance in the outfield last year and he didn’t look too bad. Regardless, they should try and keep Lee on the roster, as he could easily fill in at catcher, at DH, and maybe in the outfield if needed, especially if that is something they’ve worked on.
Lee has one of the best pop times in the big leagues and is a pretty solid catcher overall. Unless the White Sox could get a legit player back in return for Lee, I believe that they should keep him on the roster and get creative with three catchers. Lee can hit a little bit, which could help off the bench as a pinch hitter. He also has some speed to steal some bags, which could come in handy towards the end of games. While he shouldn’t stop the development of Teel and Quero, he could be a very useful utility player that could get 300 or so at-bats.
Lee has shown that he is a major league player and the White Sox need to keep him around, especially if he continues to have a good Spring Training. The White Sox will have to get creative, but it is certainly something they can do, and something they should.