Italian catcher Kyle Teel suffers hamstring strain, may miss 4-6 weeks; Red Sox quickly add new reinforcement.

Italian catcher Kyle Teel left the game prematurely after injuring himself while running the bases in Italy's 8-6 win against the United States in the Classic group stage at Houston's Minute Maid Park. The following day, Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz confirmed Teel has a right hamstring strain and will likely be out for 4 to 6 weeks.

Teel opened the scoring for Italy with a solo home run off Nolan McLean in the second inning. He drew a walk in the fourth and hit a double in the sixth. However, while sliding into second base, Teel showed pain, slammed the ground in frustration, and seemed to immediately realize the discomfort in his right hamstring had ended his game early.

Italy initially planned to use bullpen catcher Andres Annunziata, but ultimately managed to promptly bring in 30-year-old catcher Mickey Gasper from the Red Sox system to Houston for Thursday's group finale against Mexico.

Teel was selected by the Red Sox as the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft and joined the White Sox as a key piece in the trade that sent Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox. Last year, he made his MLB debut, posting a slash line of .273/.375/.411 over 78 games with 8 home runs and 11 doubles.

The 24-year-old Teel delivered an outstanding performance in the group stage for Italy, recording 4 hits in 4 at-bats.