White Sox Power Surge: Drew Romo’s Unlikely Breakout

Drew Romo, a catcher with little prior power, has become a surprise homer threat for the White Sox amid lineup shifts and injuries.

A catcher with zero home runs to start the season is suddenly swinging like a power hitter, and the White Sox are leaning into it.

Drew Romo joined Chicago with 54 major-league at-bats and no home runs earlier this season. but in 27 at-bats with the Sox entering Wednesday. he has already sent four balls over the fence.. Romo has climbed to fourth on the team in home runs entering Wednesday’s game against the Royals. trailing Munetaka Murakami (15). Colson Montgomery (10). and Miguel Vargas (nine).. His solo shot in Tuesday’s game. in the fifth inning. gave the Sox their only run at the time and helped spark a five-run rally.

Romo’s sudden power has surprised even people around the team.. Asked about when he realized the catcher had a homer power stroke. manager Will Venable offered a simple answer: “When he started hitting homers.” The moment is notable not just because it’s happening quickly. but because it represents a rare kind of turnaround in a player who was not expected to be a primary source of extra-base damage.

The path to this breakout has been built through opportunistic roster moves and a clearer spot on the depth chart.. The White Sox claimed Romo off waivers from the Mets on Jan.. 8.. Before he landed in Chicago. his spring and early career history included time on multiple organizations’ waiver wires; in December 2025. he was waived by both the Orioles and Rockies.. The Rockies originally drafted him in the first round, as the 35th overall pick in 2020.

Venable said the team saw enough in spring training to believe Romo could impact games. even if the results weren’t necessarily homer-heavy at that stage.. “That was the first time that I’d seen him. ” the manager said. describing Romo as highly professional in how he goes about his work.. He also pointed to the catcher’s ability to put together strong at-bats from both sides of the plate during spring training.

Those expectations were grounded in what the Sox saw from Romo’s approach.. Venable said he had long thought Romo was a strong. physical prospect who gave himself a chance with decisions at the plate.. Earlier spring work backed up the idea that Romo could hit at a competitive level: he posted a .300/.417/.500 line across 20 at-bats during spring training.. Still, he was not placed on the Opening Day roster, and Chicago initially sent him to Triple-A.

In Triple-A with Charlotte. Romo produced in a way that suggested power could be part of his future. even if it hadn’t shown up in the majors yet.. He hit .298/.385/.561 with four home runs in 57 at-bats.. At the big-league level. Chicago’s catching rotation had been leaning on Edgar Quero and Reese McGuire. with Kyle Teel’s return timing becoming a moving target after he suffered a hamstring injury during the World Baseball Classic.

As Quero and McGuire struggled at the plate and Teel’s recovery timeline lengthened. the Sox made a decision that quickly changed their offensive ceiling behind the dish.. On April 25, Chicago designated McGuire for assignment and called up Romo.. In his third game. three days later against the Angels. Romo homered twice—each from a different side of the plate—becoming the first catcher in White Sox history to do so.

Romo described his hitting philosophy as contact-first. with power as something that can grow out of aggression and timing rather than arriving from a completely different approach.. “I’ve always been a contact-first hitter. ” he said. adding that he has tended to be aggressive on pitches he believes he can handle while still keeping his swing producing strong bat-to-ball contact.. In his view. the current stretch looks unusual because he’s driving the ball with more extra-base outcomes while singles have been harder to come by.

He acknowledged that the statistics are telling a different story than what he’s accustomed to: during the stretch that brought his home run total up quickly. he said he doesn’t have any singles. which he called “crazy. ” given that he has often been more of a singles hitter.. For now. he said he is simply riding the power run while staying committed to what he’s been doing at the plate.

Part of what’s giving Romo a chance to stay hot is the runway he’s being given.. With Charlotte still working around catching needs and the Sox managing Teel’s eventual return. Romo has been back in the lineup Wednesday in his customary No.. 9 spot.. He said he has had to think back to the last time he was afforded that kind of consistent playing time at the major-league level—something he tied to his first major-league call-up in late 2024 with the Rockies.

The stability is meaningful because it changes what a hitter can reasonably expect during a grind of days. not just one at-bat.. Romo said the added repetition makes it “more fun getting to contribute” as he gets more chances to affect outcomes.. For a player who previously spent time away from regular action. the ability to play regularly can be as important as any mechanical adjustment.

Teel’s hamstring recovery remains the swing factor for Chicago’s plans behind the plate.. The Sox will have to decide how to distribute playing time once he returns. especially since Teel is described as the team’s best hitting catcher.. At the same time. Quero entered Wednesday batting .121 in his previous 14 games. a downturn that could reshape who stays up and who gets optioned.

Romo also can’t separate his emergence as a hitter from the responsibilities of the position.. Catching brings a workload that includes pregame meetings and game planning. which can limit how long a player can spend in the batting cage.. Even so, Romo said the organization’s coaching staff is giving him the time and structure he needs.. “The coaches cultivate a really good environment. ” he said. describing routines and scheduling designed to make sure players have enough time to get their work done.

For the White Sox, the immediate question is how sustainable the surge looks once the catching picture tightens again. But for now, they are taking the production where it arrives, including the momentum created by Romo’s home run in Tuesday’s win and the way it helped ignite a multi-run rally.

“A special five minutes,” Venable said, characterizing a quick burst of significance that can matter in a long season, even when it’s hard to predict where it will lead next.

Drew Romo White Sox MLB catcher Munetaka Murakami Edgar Quero Reese McGuire Kyle Teel injury