Pregame notes: Awkward times in an awful season

Originally, these notes were conceived as a way to make sure the daily updates typical of the pregame manager's session weren't lost to the ether. We like our bespoke features and analysis here, but why force our readers to look elsewhere to find out if Matt Foster has resumed his TJ rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte? (He's on the Knights roster but hasn't pitched yet this weekend).

But since Pedro Grifol spent much of the morning in closed door meetings with different Sox veteran players, there's not much to provide this Sunday, other than his surprisingly upbeat mood about everything.

"I'm actually really impressed with some of these guys in the midst of all this adversity, all they want to do is just find ways to get better and help us win games," Grifol said. "I've had a few conversations with players and all good conversations. Just keeping everybody positive, trying to forget about what's happened and just keep moving forward. You've got to continue to develop, go through the process. We had a good day yesterday. Other than the wins and losses because anytime we don't win a game, it's not good, but there's some wins in between those losses that are really important for the future of this franchise for sure."

Despite having the first flight of the morning, Nick Senzel wound up arriving to Kauffman Stadium around 5pm on Friday after a series of delays. He compared it to a show-and-go game, which as I've tried to explain before to mixed results, is a not uncommon occurrence in major league baseball.

The former second overall pick's view of his addition to this White Sox team is...grounded in reality.

"I just think there’s some opportunity," Senzel said. "The team is going to be in some sort of transitional period come the deadline, but you never know what’s going to happen. Just know that there’s some opportunity to kind of revive my season and hopefully get some wins here and finish this season strong."

Senzel is walking at a career-high rate, but says he needs to "put the barrel on the ball a little bit more." He is down to a .204/.297/.351 batting line after starting his Sox career 0-for-5. Both of his starts have come at third base so far, but he confirmed he's expected to be asked to play second base and both outfield corners at some point.

Friday's homer was a nice respite for Korey Lee, who has hit .162/.198/.315 since June 1, striking out in over a third of his plate appearances. Aggression marked his offensive breakout, but the league's approach on him has flipped to reward his aggression less.

"They're pitching him backwards," said hitting coach Marcus Thames, which is Baseball-ese for a breaking ball heavy approach early in counts. "He's trying not to fight himself but he's got to understand what they're trying to do to him. He's got to make the adjustment and know his strengths and don't get away from them. Don't be in a hurry, slow the game down, and you slow the game down with your preparation and knowing what they're trying to do."

First pitch: White Sox at Royals

TV: NBCSCH. It's also an MLB.TV free game. John Schriffen and Steve Stone are both off.