The White Sox announced that catcher Reese McGuire selected for assignment. McGuire’s spot on the 26-man and 40-man rosters is tentative Drew Romooptioned his contract to Triple-A Charlotte.
After signing a minor league deal with the Brewers during the offseason, McGuire triggered an opt-out clause just days before Opening Day when it became clear he wasn’t making a viable plan for Milwaukee. McGuire then signed a one-year deal worth $1.2MM in guaranteed money to join Chicago’s roster, as the Sox needed veteran help to keep up. Edgar Quero while Kyle Teel he was on the injured list. (Corey Lee (was re-drafted and removed from the 40-man roster in Chicago, as the White Sox appeared to prefer McGuire over Lee.)
The results weren’t great for either Quero or McGuire, as the duo combined for -0.6 bWAR (the lowest combined bWAR of any team in baseball) in the first month of play. Quero is hitting just .153/.271/.169 over 72 PA, while McGuire has slashed a nearly identical .172/.273/.172 over 34 PA. Quero’s struggles are the biggest concern for the White Sox as the young backstop is considered a potential build, but McGuire is naturally the more versatile of the two.
If the other team claims McGuire is waived, they will receive nearly $1MM of McGuire’s 2026 salary. The White Sox may be hoping that the price tag scares off any teams that might be small enough to hold on to consider a claim, so McGuire can clear waivers and be headed straight to Triple-A Charlotte.
Since McGuire has been drafted in the past, however, he has the right to decline any future direct assignments due to free agency, so he will have some leverage if he makes it through the waiver wire. McGuire also has more than five years of MLB service time, so he’ll be able to keep his remaining $1MM-ish salary even if he declines an outright assignment and becomes a free agent. Any new team that signed McGuire would only owe him the minimum MLB split salary, which would be deducted from what the White Sox owe him as a catcher.
Romo came with the Sox on a waiver claim from the Mets in January. This was the third waiver claim in a little more than a month for Romo, who went from the Rockies (the team that drafted him 35th overall in 2020) to the Orioles to the Mets and finally to the Southsiders. Chicago then designated Romo for assignment and then released him in February, and Romo did not have the ability to choose free agency.
His performance at Triple-A Charlotte has been a disaster thus far, as Romo has hit .298/.385/.561 with four home runs over his first 68 PA for the Knights. Matching anything close to that production in the big leagues is a long way off, but Romo may still be able to blossom late. Hunter is only 24 years old, and his major league resume includes just 20 plate appearances with Colorado through 2024-25.
Romo will get another chance to show what he can do against MLB pitching, and even an average offense would be both an upgrade for McGuire and a chance to take the bats away from the struggling Quero. As for Teel, he’s already past the initial 4- to 6-week recovery period for his Grade 2 concussion, however the White Sox GM. Chris Getz told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and other reporters that Teel isn’t ready to start a minor league job.
