{"id":794566,"date":"2026-05-13T23:56:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T23:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/794566\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T23:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T23:56:13","slug":"catcher-drew-romo-an-unlikely-power-source-for-white-sox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/794566\/","title":{"rendered":"Catcher Drew Romo an unlikely power source for White Sox"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drew Romo joined the White Sox<\/a> this season with 54 major-league at-bats and zero home runs.<\/p>\n

In 27 at-bats with the Sox entering Wednesady, he has four home runs.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s as surprised as you are.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably the last thing I expected,\u201d Romo told the Sun-Times.<\/p>\n

Yet, here he is, fourth on the team in homers entering the game Wednesday against the Royals, behind Munetaka Murakami (15), Colson Montgomery (10) and Miguel Vargas (nine). His solo shot in the fifth inning Tuesday put the Sox on the board and sparked a five-run rally.<\/p>\n

Asked when he realized Romo had a power stroke, manager Will Venable replied, \u201cWhen he started hitting homers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Touche.<\/p>\n

The Sox claimed the switch-hitting catcher off waivers from the Mets on Jan. 8. In December 2025, Romo was waived by both the Orioles and Rockies, who drafted him in the first round (35th pick) in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw Drew in spring training. That was the first time that I\u2019d seen him,\u201d Venable said. \u201cVery professional in how he goes about his business. Obviously, he was able to put together really good at-bats from both sides of the plate in spring training.\u201d<\/p>\n

He never homered, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I always thought he was a strong, physical kid that gave himself a chance with good swing decisions,\u201d Venable continued. \u201cSo it\u2019s nice to see on the big-league level that he\u2019s able to tap into that power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romo slashed .300\/.417.\/.500 in 20 spring-training at-bats but didn\u2019t make the Opening Day roster. The Sox sent him to Triple-A and went with Edgar Quero and Reese McGuire at catcher. With Charlotte, Romo slashed .298\/.385\/.561 with four homers in 57 at-bats.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Quero and McGuire struggled at the plate, and Kyle Teel\u2019s recovery time from a hamstring injury suffered in the World Baseball Classic kept lengthening. On April 25, the Sox designated McGuire for assignment and called up Romo.<\/p>\n

In his third game, three days later against the Angels, he homered twice, from both sides of the plate, becoming the first catcher in Sox history to do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a contact-first hitter,\u201d Romo said. \u201cPower just kind of comes. And I\u2019ve always been very aggressive with high chase, but like good bat-to-ball. So I\u2019ll fight it off and get a base hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut right now, the power numbers are up, and I don\u2019t have any singles, which is crazy, because I\u2019ve always been a singles hitter. But I\u2019m just riding with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s doing it with more runway than he ever has in the majors, especially with Quero still struggling and Teel finally on a rehab assignment. Romo was back in the lineup Wednesday in his usual No. 9 spot. He had to think of the last time he was afforded such stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of consistent playing time and this much runway, probably when I first got called up to the big leagues in late 2024 [with the Rockies],\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s awesome. It\u2019s more fun getting to contribute a lot more to the big-league wins.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be interesting to see what happens when Teel is ready to return. He\u2019s the Sox\u2019 best hitting catcher, and Quero entered Wednesday batting .121 in his previous 14 games. Perhaps Quero will be sent down to keep Romo\u2019s bat available.<\/p>\n

But Romo can\u2019t shirk his catching duties, which include pregame meetings that might limit his time in the batting cage. He credits the coaching staff for giving him the time he needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coaches cultivate a really good environment,\u201d Romo said. \u201c[They] make a good schedule, they make a good routine for everybody, making sure we all have enough time to get our stuff done.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Sox certainly hope that wasn\u2019t Hill\u2019s only five minutes of fame, but they\u2019ll take it for now. \u201cA special five minutes,\u201d manager Will Venable said.<\/p>\n

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Jirschele had a lot running through his mind in the seconds he had to decide to send Romo home as the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of the Sox\u2019 win Sunday.<\/p>\n

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Peters ranks among the major-league leaders in defensive metrics for outfielders, most notably in jump, where he entered play Tuesday ranked fourth, according to Statcast.<\/p>\n

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A quarter of the way through this season, the Sox bear little resemblance to their 2023-25 versions.<\/p>\n

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