Edgar Quero was in the home clubhouse Wednesday when Triple-A Charlotte manager Sergio Santos called him into his office.
The Chicago White Sox catching prospect learned he was headed to the major leagues.
“I was a little surprised,” Quero said Thursday morning at Rate Field. “I was ready for the game. He told me that and I was a little surprised. Just got all my stuff really fast, got to the airport and came here.”
Quero, 22, made his big-league debut in Thursday’s 8-0 loss to the Athletics in front of 10,560. He went 0-for-3 and was hit by a pitch while batting seventh in the Sox lineup.
“It was a really good experience, happy to be here,” Quero said after the game. “Just trying to get my work done. Ready for the next game. Trying to win the game.”
After getting hit by a pitch in the second inning, Quero lined out to right field in the fourth and back to the pitcher in the seventh. He struck out in the ninth.
He felt like he was close to his first major-league hit on a couple of occasions.
“But it’s baseball,” he said. “I got good contact and I’m ready for the next game.”
The Sox (4-14) were limited to four hits, two by Lenyn Sosa. They were swept in the three-game series and have lost four straight.
The A’s hit four home runs, two against starter Davis Martin.
“Cutter in to (Lawrence) Butler, we executed it well, he got to it (for a solo home run in the fifth),” said Martin, who allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. “The (JJ) Bleday (two-run) home run (in the sixth) as well, he had some whiffs down and in on the slider, executed it to a good spot. Kudos to him, he put a good swing on it.”
Martin enjoyed working with Quero.
“It was great,” Martin said. “Q and I had some work in spring training. Kind of picked up where we left off. Filled him in on some of the stuff we’ve been working on and hit it in stride. It really wasn’t a learning curve.”
Quero said before the game that walking into the clubhouse as a major-leaguer was “a different feeling.”
“I’ve dreamed of this all my life,” he said. “It’s a lot of hard work behind this, a lot of years.”
He was thankful to share Thursday’s experience with his father, Yoel, and mother, Miladys Aguila, who were in attendance.
“From seeing him in baseball fields in Cuba since he was 5 years old, to see him at a big-league stadium, it’s just a dream,” Miladys said through interpreter Elvin Soto, Quero’s agent, after watching the top of the first. “I’ve always known his effort and how bad he wanted this, and we are very happy.”
Yoel added through Soto: “I was at work when Edgar gave me the call. I just started crying. I know the struggle Edgar has had to come up to this point and he finally gets to reach his goal, making it to the big leagues.”
Quero is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Sox system and No. 62 overall by MLB.com. He has a career .282/.399/.451 slash line with 45 homers, 236 RBIs, 211 runs and 223 walks in 364 games over five minor-league seasons.
He joined the Sox organization as part of a July 26, 2023, trade that sent pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the Los Angeles Angels.
Quero slashed .280/.366/.463 with 16 home runs and 70 RBIs in 98 games for Double-A Birmingham and Charlotte last season. This year he had slashed .333/.444/.412 with one home run, four RBIs, nine runs and 11 walks in 15 games for Charlotte before being called up.
Before the game, manager Will Venable said the quality of Quero’s at-bats sticks out.
“To me, he is a very confident guy that walks around like a big-leaguer, and you watch him on the field, he plays with a big-league skill set,” Venable said. “We’ve identified the areas of his strength and things that he needs to continue to work on.
“For all these young guys, especially young catchers, there’s a component of the game planning and game calling that we expect to continue to have him develop at the big-league level. And that’s part of the process.”
In Thursday’s corresponding move, the Sox designated catcher Omar Narváez for assignment. They also reinstated left fielder Andrew Benintendi from the 10-day injured list and optioned outfielder Greg Jones to Charlotte.
Benintendi had been on the IL retroactive to April 7 with a left adductor strain. He is slashing .290/.333/.464 with two home runs, six RBIs and five runs in nine games this year.
“Adding (Quero, Benintendi and recently called-up infielder Chase Meidroth) certainly helps,” Venable said before the game. “We’re going to see how guys settle into the lineup and what spots and continue to be open-minded to different things. Having these guys helps. We’ve got to find a way to score some runs.”
The runs didn’t come Thursday as the Sox were blanked for the third time this year. But Quero’s debut provided a highlight.
“I thought he looked comfortable and confident at the plate and behind the plate,” Venable said. “I know overall the result wasn’t great. But a good first day of work for him and just continue to build on it.”
