CHICAGO – Edgar Quero is officially in the big leagues.
The news broke just an hour before the White Sox's 3-1 loss to the Athletics on Wednesday, and Quero’s promotion from Triple-A Charlotte was confirmed on Thursday. The 22-year-old catcher, ranked the White Sox’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, had his contract selected ahead of the team's Thursday afternoon matchup against the Athletics. The announcement came with a series of roster moves: outfielder Andrew Benintendi was activated from the injured list, catcher Omar Narváez was designated for assignment, and outfielder Greg Jones was optioned to Charlotte.
As the White Sox focus on their rebuild, the future continues to play a major role, and bringing up young talent like Quero is a key part of that strategy. Brooks Baldwin, who homered for the team's only run in Wednesday's loss, was pleased to hear about Quero’s call-up, even though he was unfamiliar with him at the time.
“That’s awesome. He’s a great guy,” Baldwin said of Quero. “I spent a lot of time with him last year. He’s always energetic, never down on himself. He’s just one of those guys you want beside you when you’re playing.”
Quero, who celebrated his 22nd birthday just 10 days ago, is a switch-hitter ranked No. 62 overall by MLB Pipeline. He was excelling in Triple-A, hitting .333 with a .444 on-base percentage and .412 slugging in 15 games, sharing time behind the plate with Kyle Teel, the White Sox's No. 2 prospect.
Charlotte manager Sergio Santos, who oversaw Quero’s development, previously spoke to MLB.com about the challenging but promising catching situation at Triple-A, highlighting the extra work put in behind the plate.
“We’re just emphasizing their early work a little more because they’re not getting as many reps,” Santos said. “The pitchers have been great about wanting to catch and work on all their skillsets. This game has a funny way of working things out. I’m sure there will be an opening in the next couple of weeks.”
That opening came sooner than expected. Quero's debut came on Thursday, where he was slotted into the seventh spot in the batting order. His family was also in attendance to witness the milestone. The young catcher had shared his thoughts with the Charlotte media earlier, focusing on his goals for making it to the majors.
“My goal is to keep working behind the plate, help the pitchers, help the team,” Quero said before the team’s loss to Nashville. “Take good at-bats and keep winning games.”
Though Quero had been part of the White Sox’s taxi squad at the end of the 2024 season, he’s now ready for more regular action.
"Obviously, quality at-bats from both sides of the plate, just a lot of confidence," manager Will Venable said. “We feel like he’s ready, and he believes he’s ready. We all think that he is.”
Right-hander Jonathan Cannon, who threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings on 88 pitches in Wednesday's game, can relate to the opportunity Quero is getting. Cannon, who made his own Major League debut last April, talked about the importance of seizing the moment.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys here already and a lot of guys hungry to prove themselves,” Cannon said. “This is a big opportunity to prove yourself at the Major League level. You don’t get those opportunities everywhere.”
Thursday’s promotion of Quero marked the second such move in a week, with infielder Chase Meidroth, the White Sox’s No. 8 prospect, also getting the call-up. Meidroth, who finished 1-for-4 on Wednesday, has been on base eight times in his first five games.
With several other prospects like Sean Burke (No. 13), Shane Smith (No. 26), and others in the team’s farm system, the White Sox’s future looks bright, and there’s more young talent to come.