Kyle Teel suffered a hamstring strain in the sixth inning of Italy’s 8-6 win over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Teel will reportedly be out for multiple weeks, which certainly impacts Italy, but also impacts the Chicago White Sox. Italy is allowed to replace Teel, and according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Mickey Gasper of the Boston Red Sox will replace Teel if Italy advances to the quarterfinals.
Italy advances with a win or a loss in which Mexico scores less than five runs. For Monday’s game against Mexico, Italy has called up Andrés Annunziata, their bullpen catcher. Annunziata plays in Italy’s Serie A league and is just 20 years old. Annuziata slashed .302/.405/.362 for Nettuno 1945 last season in Serie A.
While he is a solid player in Serie A, Gasper is a better option to replace Teel. Gasper played 45 games in the big leagues for the Minnesota Twins last season. He did not hit great, but slashed .285/.385/.531 in Triple-A. Triple-A is a tougher league than Serie A, so Gasper figures to be a decent replacement for Teel. However, Teel himself was one of the best players Italy had.
Teel slashed .273/.375/.411 in the big leagues last season. He made his debut last year after being regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball. He was the headline piece going back to the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade. Teel was 4-for-6 with a home run and a 1.333 OPS in two games for Italy. Gasper is hitting .364/.462/.727 in spring training for the Red Sox. He has joined the team in Houston and hopes to make an impact in the quarterfinals.
Photo: Minnesota Twins’ Mickey Gasper hits a two-run single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
