Chicago White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal could miss the remainder of the period in the wake of tearing his right hamstring, putting another vital participant in the group’s harmed list.
Madrigal was offed the field after he tried to beat out a grounder in the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s 6-2 misfortune to Toronto. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft had been adjusting into form of late, batting .365 (27-for-74) with two homers and 10 RBIs in his past 20 games.
“It’s a big blow, but the games still count and we have to go forward,” manager Tony La Russa said.
The 24-year-old Madrigal has a proximal tear of his right hamstring, and White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the team is exploring options for treatment. Rest and recovery is one option, however Madrigal likewise could be set out toward season-ending surgery.
“Regardless of which path we’re on, he’ll be inactive for a minimum of six weeks,” Hahn said.
Madrigal was placed on the 60-day IL before Thursday’s 5-2 victory over Toronto, and veteran outfielder Brian Goodwin was advanced from Triple-A Charlotte. Goodwin can play each of the three outfield spots, a major in addition to for the White Sox with utilityman Leury Garcia sharing second to Danny Mendick while Madrigal is out.
Despite dealing with a steady stream of injuries, the White Sox hold a 4.5-game lead over Cleveland in the American League Central.
Left fielder Eloy Jimenez ruptured his left pectoral tendon during spring training, and center fielder Luis Robert tore his right hip flexor last month. Right-hander Michael Kopech is on the IL with a stressed left hamstring. Outfielder Adam Engel was initiated Sunday after missing the beginning of the period with a strained his right hamstring.
“The only positive I can think of is that we’ve proven how we’re going to handle it, which is play as hard as we can and as good as we can with the guys that we have,” La Russa said.
The uplifting news for the White Sox is Kopech is on his way back, and the group stays hopeful about Jimenez and Robert returning eventually this year.
Hahn said Kopech is going to start throwing bullpens “in the coming days” and could be set out toward a simulated game. Contingent upon how those go, he could go out on a recovery task or simply backpedal on the active roster.
Jimenez and Robert are “progressing well,” Hahn said.
“Each of them are deep into phase one and closing in on getting ready for part two, which is the clearance and resumption of baseball activities,” Hahn said.
