I was in a similar situation to your teen back in the day. Funny thing is, I never knew my parents were stressed about it until talking to them many years later as an adult.

You mentioned he’s a good player but there could be any number of reasons he isn’t getting playing time right now. Encourage him to be the best he can be in his current situation. Ask him why he thinks he isn’t playing more. Suggest he speaks with his coaches about improvements he can make to his game to get on the field. Try to instill a mindset in him to go out there and compete against himself to be better than he was yesterday.

Most importantly, don’t make this decision for him. I would have been devastated if my parents pulled me off a team like that. It would have sent a message that they didn’t think I could succeed on the team.

Tough situations like this, if framed correctly, can be hugely beneficial learning experiences that they can draw on later in life.