Angels Will Get First Look at Former Prospect Traded in 2023 Blockbuster This Week

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 24, 2024

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox promoted former Los Angeles Angels catching prospect Edgar Quero to their taxi squad ahead of Tuesday's head-to-head matchup in Chicago.

The #WhiteSox are adding Edgar Quero to the taxi squad for the remainder of the season, @scottmerkin confirmed.

More on MLB's No. 59 prospect, who returned to Triple-A this week after being sidelined by a back injury: https://t.co/VvihrrgWkj pic.twitter.com/GnrTpIJSlQ

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 23, 2024

Although Quero isn't officially on the active roster yet, this move suggests that the White Sox intend to have the 21-year-old switch-hitter make his major league debut before the season concludes.

Quero departed his native Cuba in 2019 and signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021, quickly making an impact with impressive numbers in his first professional seasons.

However, after the Angels acquired Logan O’Hoppe in 2022 and aimed for a playoff push in 2023— knowing it was likely Shohei Ohtani’s final year with the team — Quero became a surplus asset. He was traded to the White Sox as part of the 2023 deadline deal that involved Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez heading to Los Angeles.

Quero’s transition to the White Sox organization hasn’t hindered his performance; he boasts an impressive .281/.368/.467 slash line over 397 plate appearances in the minors this season.

Most recently, he logged the last 105 of those appearances at Triple-A Charlotte, having just returned from the injured list this week. After missing more than five weeks due to a back issue, it's likely he would have made his big league debut earlier in September if he had been healthy.

Quero has been so impressive in the White Sox farm system this season that he was recently named the organization's minor league player of the year by Baseball America.

Charlotte hitting coach Cameron Seitzer has noted that Quero's swing has become shorter and quicker, allowing the switch-hitter to make contact with pitches more consistently out front. This adjustment has led to a higher rate of balls in the air and increased offensive production.

“His line-drive approach, his line-drive move to the ball has not changed,” Seitzer said. “His base has just allowed him to get to the contact point quicker, which is making him move his contact point out forward, which is improving that ball flight.”

Quero said his success also came from being in shape.

“I was a little fat,” said Quero, who trimmed his playing weight from 225 to 208 pounds last offseason. “I feel quicker this year, especially with my hips.”

“He’s not going to tell you that he’s had a good year,” White Sox farm director Paul Janish said. “He’s going to tell you some of the things he needs to continue to work on to get better.”

More likely, Quero will just keep things simple.

“This is what I expected,” Quero said of a season that had him under consideration for a major league call-up until he was sidelined by back tightness from mid-August to late September.

“I mean, I can do a little bit better.”

Players on the taxi squad do not count toward the team's 28-man roster but travel and train with the major league team. Quero must be activated before he can appear in a game.

The White Sox have six regular season games remaining, including the next three against the Angels.