Pregame Notes: Brad Keller and Mike Clevinger joining the rotation, while Garrett Crochet remains under restrictions

Pedro Grifol uses the phrase "uncharted waters" a lot in regards to Garrett Crochet's workload. Teams often convert relievers to starters, or bring starters back to the rotation after a season mostly lost to injury rehab, but rarely are they doing both.

We were told to expect occasional extra days of rest in between Crochet's starts, as he will get again by not pitching until Sunday in St. Louis. And to a degree we expected nights like Monday where the Sox pulled him after five innings and 77 pitches. But Grifol went a step further Tuesday by not dismissing a suggestion that Crochet could end up back in the bullpen by the end of the season.

"There’s a possibility," Grifol said. "The workload is a real thing. We can’t hide from that. The innings were really low last year. The pitches thrown were really low. Every time he steps on the mound is uncharted waters. We have to really monitor that and we have to communicate with him and we’ve got to be smart. That’s why yesterday, he’s a competitor, he don’t want to come out of that game. At the end of the day, he knows that’s the right thing for him because the idea here is to not only help us win baseball games, but to keep him healthy and make sure he’s part of the future here for years to come."

Via fatigue, ineffectiveness or injury, it's not hard to think of some scenarios that lead to Crochet working out of the bullpen at some point later in the year. But to state it outright as this juncture really reflects an uncertainty about how far this will go without strict management.

--Brad Keller is scheduled to start on Friday after getting five outs on Monday night. Mike Clevinger is scheduled to start Tuesday night with Triple-A Charlotte and is expected to join the White Sox rotation next week in Tampa.

-- The White Sox signed first baseman Jared Walsh to a minor league deal earlier Tuesday morning. After making an All-Star team in 2021, Walsh has dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness since and it's hard to see how another left-handed corner bat would fit into the current Sox roster mix. With apologies to Carlos Pérez's work at first base, how Walsh would fit in at Triple-A Charlotte is a lot easier to logic out.

-- Lefty reliever Bailey Horn's second stint with the White Sox has ended with a trade to the Red Sox for cash considerations. Horn walked 10 of the 52 hitters he faced at Triple-A Charlotte this season, before being designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Rafael Ortega. Horn, acquired in spring training for former second round pick Matthew Thompson, joins Alex Speas and José Rodríguez as the third player this month the Sox have designated for assignment and then traded for cash.

-- Among qualified starting pitchers in MLB, Michael Soroka is the only one with more walks (17) than strikeouts (13).

-- Andrew Benintendi thinks the last few days of pulling the ball in the air is the best he's felt doing it since 2018, thanks to some victories in the war against drift.

"I tend to drift in my swing a lot where I get off my back side," Benintendi said. "When you're late on a fastball, when you drift it allows you to stay on it that way, but when you pull it there's no chance. That's what I've been trying to battle with. It's just balance. I've been staying more balanced and staying behind the ball instead of getting out there and chasing."

-- Luis Robert Jr.'s mid-May return timeline hasn't changed, but Grifol did talk about him on Tuesday, and why would I deny you the pleasure of reading it?

"He’s up to 80 percent running, we have a target number of 90 percent before we actually take the next step. He’s already taking batting practice. We’re excited about the rehab that he’s done. It’s all a reflection of the offseason work. He’s strong, energetic, he’s excited to come back so we’re hoping sooner than later but we’re going to take our time because we don’t want this to happen again."

First Pitch

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

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