The three most new and noteworthy injuries the White Sox dragged into camp are almost resolved, which is never a guarantee when guys hit the shelf in spring training.
Yasmani Grandal: He stretched a single into a double and stole a base against the shift in a B game on Wednesday, then caught three innings and came to the plate three times against the Cubs on Friday, drawing a walk and striking out twice.
He described the cautious handling of his calf injury in an ominous fashion after his first appearance of the season ...
“My main concern was that the doc said if it happens again, especially this early, it can be eight weeks,” Grandal said. “Him saying that kind of stays in the back of your head. . . . So far, so good, and hopefully we won’t have to be talking about this for much longer.”
... so hopefully that won't be a Chekhov's gun of sorts.
Lucas Giolito: A chest muscle strain delayed the start to his spring, but he made his debut against the Cubs on Friday and it didn't tax him. He faced four batters, going groundout, hit by pitch, backwards K and flyout. He threw 20 pitches in the inning, and 10 more in the bullpen afterward.
You might have noticed that his first start in a Cactus League game overlapped with Grandal's.
‘‘He presents a great target, very relaxed back there,’’ Giolito said. ‘‘We didn’t get deep into sequencing and things like that because I was pretty much throwing all fastballs and mixed in a couple of changeups. I was a fan of the 3-2 changeup call, for sure. That was something I like going to. But we’re going to keep working, for sure.’’
Gio González: His shoulder stiffness posed the greatest threat to 2020 plans out of all of these injuries because he had a shoulder issue with Milwaukee last season. That said, he appears to be sustaining progress, and everybody involved still seems to be projecting him to be ready for his first regular season start.
González threw 30 pitches Friday in a simulated game, getting up and down a couple of times. He will throw a bullpen Sunday and then will be slotted in somewhere to pitch Wednesday.
The White Sox need González more than they would like, because their pitching depth remains shaky beyond Michael Kopech. Jonathan Stiever's spring was interrupted by a forearm injury. That's usually cause for greater alarm, but Rick Hahn downplayed it.
As for the other options, Bernardo Flores didn't cover himself in glory Saturday. He gave up hits to all four San Francisco Giants he faced in the eighth inning, capped off by a Darin Ruf homer.
Adalberto Mejía hasn't fared much better in either of his last two outings, unless you're a fan of consistency no matter what shape it takes.
The hope is that González makes the sixth-starter issue moot, and Kopech makes it a seventh-starter battle over the coming weeks.
